UX engineers combine front-end engineering with UX principles, frequently collaborating with other digital design professionals. Explore what you may do in this role.
A user experience (UX) engineer builds and designs digital products like websites and apps using UX principles. UX engineers generally deal with the front end of these products, the user-facing parts that people interact with—buttons, layouts, and the flow of the interfaces. They may work on both engineering and design teams or act as liaisons between the two.
As a hybrid between a developer and a UX designer, the work of a UX engineer includes both UX principles and engineering tasks. Below is a breakdown of what a UX engineer can be expected to do:
Plan and design web pages and apps: A UX engineer uses UX principles to create digital products. This can mean using wireframes, prototypes, and design tools to create blueprints for what a website or app will look like.
Programming the front end: UX engineers are unique from UX designers because they can code. A UX engineer will use front-end programming languages like HTML, CSS, or JavaScript to create layouts, interactive features, or execute other design ideas.
Collaborate with UX and engineering teams: As a professional with design and programming abilities, UX engineers often act as the bridge between the two teams. UX engineers can work with designers, back-end engineers, and writers to develop products. They may also conduct user testing, A/B testing, and other forms of research in collaboration with the UX team.
UX engineers may find their roles similar to those of UX developers, front-end developers, product design engineers, or UI engineers, though each can differ slightly.
According to Glassdoor, UX engineers in India make an average annual base salary of ₹5,90,000 as of August 2024 [1]. It’s a field that’s likely to see healthy growth in the future as India continues to accelerate its digital transformation efforts. India's application development software market is projected to achieve a value of 2.52 billion USD in 2024 [2]. Worldwide, the software market should reach 704.1 billion USD in 2024 [3].
Multiple pathways are available for pursuing a career as a UX engineer. Whether you’re a seasoned web developer wanting to leap UX, fresh out of college, or somewhere in between, the following are some ways to get started.
The skills you bring will be important in convincing people to hire you as a UX engineer. Even if you don’t have all of the technical skills expected of the job, you can take many courses to learn the fundamentals. Some of the skills you’ll want to have and how you can get them include:
Programming languages: Because UX engineers tend to deal with the front-facing portions of websites and apps—the menus, layouts, and navigation pages—learning the coding languages that will allow you to build out the structure and style of your products will be crucial, including:
HTML
CSS
JavaScript
You can start learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through an introductory course or pursue a specialisation in web development.
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UX concepts: Knowing what UX is and how to implement those practices in your work sets UX engineers apart from front-end engineers. Knowing what user-centred design means, how to find pain points, how to prototype, and being able to conduct user research should be a priority if you aren’t familiar already. You can earn a Professional Certificate in UX design with Google, which will introduce you to the essentials of the field and give you a chance to create your own UX portfolio.
Sense of design and design tools: Having a sense of design isn’t necessarily something artistically oriented people are born with—many concepts can be learned. Getting a good grasp of design practices won’t just make you a better UX engineer; it’ll help you communicate with designers on your team. Listed below are a few design tools and skills you can start with:
Typography
Colour theory
Imagemaking
Adobe Creative Suite
Figma
Sketch
Consider a specialisation in graphic design or interaction design to gain new skills or fill in gaps and become a more competent UX engineer.
Having a portfolio where you can showcase what you’re capable of can be a quick way to demonstrate you have what it takes to do the job. You can load a few projects onto your LinkedIn if you have a few projects. You can also create a portfolio with website hosting services like Wix or Squarespace. Customisable websites can be a good way to implement your UX engineering chops. Focus on clean, intuitive design, and make sure your code is functional and error-free.
Breaking into a new space can be overwhelming—you have new jargon to learn, tools to master, and jobs to find. You can help yourself get used to the terminology, pain points, and how people think in the UX world by joining networking groups, browsing forums, or finding resources like books and podcasts (logins may be required). Once you grow more familiar with the field, you can consider reaching out to others to expand your professional network.
If you’re still in college or considering returning to school, a degree can be a structured way to build UX engineering skills. Think about studying one of the following fields:
Computer science
Human-computer interaction
Design
Psychology
As an alternative to a degree, you may be able to earn UX certifications and boot camps that act as a crash course in the UX world. These programs can be a more affordable solution to learning skills rather than pursuing a traditional degree.
UX engineering is a new and growing role that combines artistic sensibility with your ability to code. To become a UX engineer, you can start by filling any gaps in your skills, building a portfolio, and getting familiar with the space. Consider enrolling in the Google UX Design Professional Certificate. The first week is free.
Glassdoor. "Salary: UI/UX Designer in India, https://www.glassdoor.co.in/Salaries/india-ui-ux-designer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,5_IN115_KO6,20.htm." Accessed 3 August 2024.
Statista. "Software - India, https://www.statista.com/outlook/tmo/software/india." Accessed 3 August 2024.
Statista. “Software - Worldwide, https://www.statista.com/outlook/tmo/software/worldwide.”. Accessed 3 August 2024.
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