UX resources have improved significantly over the years, and there is now no shortage of great learning sources for new UX designers. In the old days, UX designers probably only looked to a few major books besides pen and paper and their own ideas. Today is a completely different story. Not only is there a wealth of books on UX, but there are many courses and many specialized tools.
Some of the first UX resources that entered the designer’s toolkit were Axure and Balsamiq for designing user flows. We still have them, but now we have products like Adobe XD and Figma. New digital UX resources save designers time, but it’s also good to remember the old ways.
Trine Falbe, Ethical Design and UX Specialist at Falbe Consultancy, is one of the contributors to the UX Design Foundations course, a remote, comprehensive introduction to all things UX, edited with Parsons School of Design. Here she shares some tips on her UX resources that are perfect for new UX designers.
For more information on Falbe Consultancy, visit her website. (opens in new tab) For more on user experience design, check out our guide to UX and UI trends for 2022 and our expert tips on UX design.
01. Literature and Courses
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Gone are the days when there were only a handful of leading books on user experience. Although the protocol behind UX has remained largely unchanged, there is now a vast body of literature and the course has made his UX design more accessible.
“Learn the protocol first,” suggests Falbe. “Think: 10 usability heuristics, heuristic evaluations, cognitive walkthroughs, and basic interviewing and observation techniques. Without this foundation, even a Figma wizard could get it all wrong.” there is.”
A great place to start is our unique Remote UX Design Fundamentals course that covers key aspects of UX design.You can find out more on the course website (opens in new tab) and from the course brochure.
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UX tools can be divided into two main piles: tools for user flows and tools for testing. For the former, Falbe suggests learning lo-fi her wireframing tools like Adobe XD, Balsamiq, and Axure. On top of that, if you plan to do UI design work, she recommends learning Figma for high-fidelity design.
“Just use the right tools for the job,” she says. “Don’t use Figma for wireframes, for example. You might end up doing too much visual design.” For more on all these tools and more, see her guide to the best UI design tools.
As for testing, usertesting.com was one of the first, but it’s still based on the Think Voice protocol invented in the 90’s and is still the protocol used for user testing today.
Like nearly every field or area of interest imaginable, social media has become a huge source of information, advice and inspiration in UX design. UX designers and agencies often share insights about their work, advice, and general observations about the world of UX design that are very helpful for those new to the field.
Falbe recommends following great UX designers on Twitter and Linkedin. She also suggests signing up for newsletters like Smashing Magazine, UX Collective, and Toptal. (opens in new tab) “Read a lot in general,” she suggests. “There is no shortage of resources these days, so filtering information is more important than finding it.”
04. Pen and paper
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Last but not least, while UX designers today are somewhat spoiled for resources than they used to be, going back to basics can also be very helpful. Pen and paper are still he two of the most important resources for a UX designer.
“UX designers are greatly helped by the digital tools available today because they save time,” says Falbe. It encourages repetition, but you can get bogged down with digital tools that take too long to do a quick scribble. ”
Stay ahead of the curve with curated UX courses (Image credit: Future)
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Want to learn more about UX testing? Don’t miss it UX Design Basic Course (opens in new tab) .
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