I was on Quora the other day, and it is crazy how many different versions of this question there are!
If you are interested in becoming a UX person (a.k.a User Experience Designer, Interaction Designer, UX …. [fill in the blank]), I would suggest that you try starting here:
- Learn what UX is. (Try to avoid resources that are too jargony. “User Experience” and “Interaction Design” are very important and you should know the difference. Start there. Here’s a video which, attempts to explain this more:What the #$%* is User Experience? .)
- Find problems to solve so that you can develop a portfolio. (1-3 projects is plenty for a portfolio to get an entry-level job.)
- Solve the problems and create your work samples. (Learn about the users. Talk to them. Identify their behaviors, needs, and goals. Learn about the competition. What do users currently use to meet their needs? Where is the opportunity for your service? Define your goals for the new experience. Pick a piece of it to work on – you don’t have to redesign a whole site. List the features you believe the piece needs to have in order to satisfy users and make the business money. Figure out the main functional areas. Figure out the pages you’ll need. See if you can refactor them into a smaller number of templates. Block out the content areas on the templates. Design the interface. Show your sketches to users. See if they know what to do and like your solution. Don’t be leading. Listen more than you talk. Take their feedback and iterate.)
- Interview. (Show you have strong design basics and a great attitude. When you present your work, always always always tie your decision-making process back to user needs and business goals. At the end of the interview when they ask if you have any questions, ask one to show you are interested. Ask your interviewers what they are working on right now if you can’t think of anything else to ask.)
- Be persistent. (For entry level-jobs, I personally think enthusiasm and a good attitude go a really long way. Follow-up with your interviewers. Thank them. Tell them you’re pumped.)
Good luck!
p.s. Here’s a course I made which goes into this way deeper, and it’s majorly discounted for readers 🙂
User Experience | The Practical Essentials of Real-World UX