User Experience Careers

This90-page reportexplores what a UX career looks like today, including what UX professionals make of it, and how best to get a job in the field. The 2nd edition is based on several research studies carried out in 2019, with responses from722 UX professionalsaround the world.

This report features a discussion ofspecialization in the UX field, it explores theunique backgroundsof practitioners, and it details theskills and responsibilities UX practitioners have workingin the industry today.

Article on research findings: What a UX Career Looks Like Today

Topics

• The kinds of work UX professionals do
  • Industries in which they work
  • What they are working on
  • Activities performed on the job
• Education and backgrounds
  • Formal education
  • Most useful areas of study
• Differences between researcher and designer roles
• Changing careers
  • The various paths into UX
  • Transferable skills
  • The process of making the change to UX
• Skills needed for the job
  • What skills UX practitioners have, wish they had, and found useful
• Experiences with mentorship
  • Why mentorship is useful
  • Where to find a mentor
• How satisfying is a career in UX?
• What hiring managers look for in UX professionals
  • UX portfolios
• Advice for new practitioners

Methodology

This report is based on several research studies carried out in 2019. These research studies included a survey, 2 focus groups carried out in Hong Kong and Los Angeles, and 17 remote, semi-structured interviews with UX professionals from around the world.