Graphic design is a process by which visual communication as well as problem-solving is done. It is done by using Typography, photography and illustrations. Graphic design is a type of communication design and visual communication. Graphic designers are the one who creates and combine symbols, images and texts in order to form a visual representation of ideas as well as messages. Nowadays graphic design has become one of the best careers with the availability of plenty of job opportunities in Bangalore mostly.
User experience or the UX design is the best and highly paid design path among the job opportunities in graphic design. The approaches are not so difficult to master even though there is a difference between the working on the exterior of the design and the actual user. The UX design is more advantageous than the traditional graphic design. As the demand for UX design is huge there is plenty of vacancy in this position the graphic designs in Bangalore must master the UX design for better career opportunities.
- What is UX design or user experience design?
UX design is way more different than the web design. Even though UX design relates closely to the UI design there is some difference between these two. The UX design is basically about making the user experience a great one! So it makes graphic design easy for the common people who are not expert in drawing or writing the code. It is mostly used in making apps and websites.
A UX designer creates a product or service that improves the user experience. A UX designer should focus on the following points mentioned below:
- Appearance or look of the product or service:
The look of the service or product is the process of creating a visual appearance which results in addressing the values of the users as well as capturing the idea they have for a solution to the problem. So the designer must ensure that the look of the product is good. The designer will also establish the credibility with the user.
- Usability of the product:
The user experience will not be good enough if it is not usable at all. The aim of the UX designer should be creating a product which will be specifically designed to provide the functionality that meets the user needs.
- Feel of the product:
The UX designer also must provide the experience which will be pleasurable to the users.
- Difference between graphic design and UX design:
- Main focus – pixel focused vs. user focused
In order to make the colors as well as kerning fit, the brand graphic designers tend to use and prefer pixel perfection. As the main focus of the UX designers are the users out there so the UX designers mainly focus mainly focus on the product and the need of the customers. The UX designers fulfill the need of the customers by doing a lot of researches. It is done by talking to and observing users, performing tests on the products to check their usability and many more.
- Approach to problem-solving – Iterative problem solving (UX Design)
UX design has the iterative problem-solving approach which is way more different from graphic designers are used to doing.
The process starts by identifying the problem by doing user research and in case if it’s not then it is confirmed through user research. After identification of a problem is done more researchers are conducted on how to solve the problem in a way that will make users happy. The research gives the idea about the design of the product. To check if the research provided the right solutions designs are tested. Until the research confirms that the designs are good enough the designs are iterated constantly.
Once the product is launched the UX designers must track the experience of the users constantly along with performing research for making continuous improvements.
- Multidisciplinary UX design vs. Specialized graphic design:
The graphic design has the specialized discipline. It means that there are certain specialized skills (for example typography and color theory) are used by the user in order to create great visuals.
On the other hand, the UX design is multidisciplinary. The job of the UX designers is to learn about human psychology, interaction design, information architecture as well as user research techniques etc constantly. This knowledge will help them create the right solutions to the problems of a user.
- Benefits of mastering the UX design:
- In terms of aesthetics:
By simply moving to UX design the graphic designers can now make things attractive. A good aesthetic improves the overall experience of the product for any user. UX design improves the user experience by making the users more relaxed, creating a first impression that is positive and showing care.
The aesthetics also helps the designers in communicating with the internal stakeholders in their companies.
- In terms of convention and trends:
As a graphic designer, you must be familiar with some standardized conventions that the UX designers have to use such as toggle switch for on/off states, dropdown list for multiple options, etc. the UX designers make use of these conventions because now the users have started to expect these interactions on a website.
- How to enhance your skills in order to be a UX designer:
- Putting effort into learning the UX design by focusing on the skills and strengths of yours and transferring these into your new role by undergoing various courses.
- Building an amazing UX design portfolio.
- Replace the priority of pixel perfect design with the user-focused design.
- Do a lot of research to make the perfect product.
- Building your network by the faster creation of your portfolio and building up the skills related to UX design
The gap between the graphic and UX design is not the insurmountable one. As a graphic designer, you already have the skills that a UX designer must have. You just need to have a little bit of training and then you are good to go!