Art Careers / UX and UI Designer
What Does a UX Designer Do? An Art Career for Kids
Curious about this job? Here is what the work looks like, a typical day, the tools, where people do it and how to get started, plus a small activity so you can try it yourself.
What a UX Designer does
A UX and UI designer plans how apps and websites look and how easy they are to use. UX means user experience, or how using it feels. UI means user interface, the buttons, menus and screens you tap.
Real-world examples: Don Norman, who coined the term user experience while working at Apple.
A day on the job
- Sketch screens and make clickable practice versions called prototypes
- Watch real people try an app and notice where they get stuck
- Choose colors, fonts and button styles
- Work with programmers to build the final design
Tools of the job
- Computer
- Interface design and prototyping software
- Paper and sticky notes for sketching screens
- Phones and tablets for testing
- Whiteboard
- Video calls for user testing
Where they work
- Tech companies
- Design and marketing agencies
- Banks, schools, hospitals and governments that run websites
- Home offices
The path in 4 steps
Start now
- Draw the screens for an app you wish existed
- Watch a grandparent or younger kid use a game or app and notice what confuses them
- Try simple coding or game-making sites made for kids
In your teens
- Take digital design, computer science or psychology classes
- Redesign a confusing website or app as a practice project
- Learn a free prototyping tool
Training
Requirements vary. Some employers prefer a bachelor's degree in web design, graphic arts or a related field, while others look at projects and past work. People come into UX from many backgrounds, including art, psychology and computer science.
Build a portfolio
Case studies that show the problem, early sketches, testing with real users, and the final screens.
Skills that help
- Empathy for users
- Problem solving
- Layout and visual design
- Asking good questions
- Teamwork
Try this job
A small taste of the real work, using things you already have.
Grab five sticky notes. Design the screens for an app that helps a kid remember to feed their pet: a start screen, a reminder screen and a 'done!' screen. Then hand your sticky notes to someone and ask them to 'tap' through without your help. Watch where they hesitate. Fixing those spots is the heart of UX design.
Related art careers
Learn more
For pay, job outlook and training details, read the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook page for this kind of work.
Which art career fits you?
Answer a few quick questions and see which art jobs match what you love to do.
Take the Which Art Career Fits You quizQuestions teachers and parents ask
What does a UX Designer do?
A UX and UI designer plans how apps and websites look and how easy they are to use. UX means user experience, or how using it feels. UI means user interface, the buttons, menus and screens you tap.
How do you become a UX Designer?
Requirements vary. Some employers prefer a bachelor's degree in web design, graphic arts or a related field, while others look at projects and past work. People come into UX from many backgrounds, including art, psychology and computer science.
What skills does a UX Designer need?
Empathy for users, Problem solving, Layout and visual design, Asking good questions and Teamwork.
The Artastic Collective art curriculum
Full art lessons, videos and units for the whole year, ready when you are. Monthly, yearly and VIP plans.
