Once upon a time I was approached by a friend, and then a young college grad, and then a graduating high school grad…What do I need to do to become a software designer? They want to join the glamorous, thought provoking and valued ranks of User Interface designers. It’s a reasonable journey though everyone does not get there the same path. It’s a reasonable question and yet there is not one direct response. So in my mind's hallway, I will try and answer the best I can.

First you will need some soft skill sets. Obvious or not, you will also need some hard skill sets, too. (Later entry when I feel up that challenge) Challenge accepted.

“Confidence comes from knowing that you can. I think about myself at twenty-four, and I think, Who was that poor soul? What the hell did she know? Confidence came later, after making mistakes. That’s the real key. Make mistakes.”

And remember - It’s not the path, it’s the journey.

1. Be prepared. Everyone, and their cousin and their dog thinks they can do user interface design. UI design looks easy. It looks like art and common sense. And honestly, that’s one small part of it. However, because it looks easy, everyone you will ever work with will think they can do it better than you. This is not a career for the ego centric so it’s ok. Let them try, because sometimes non-designers come up with really good ideas just because they don’t know what they’re doing. If you are getting into design just for the rudimentary pat on the back, stop here and read elsewhere. Do something else for a career. Never get caught up in “that was my idea”.
2. None of your perfect first-draft designs will ever live to see life. Being a UI designer means balancing the needs of the user and the needs of the business. If you’re lucky, you work in a company where this isn’t a big conflict. But unless you are a one-person company, your designs will need to be messaged to accommodate other peoples’ tastes and needs. Again, don’t take this personally.
3. Some of your designs will totally suck. Be glad when this happens. You aren’t a real designer until you have had a colossal failure. Seriously. I wouldn't hire someone who hasn’t failed. And it's ok. You know failure just makes you stronger and as a designer, it really does.
4. Pay attention to the small details. Every detail is important. Every pixel counts. Pay attention to dimensions, fonts, letter spacing, shadow directions – everything. Pay attention to clicks, positioning, alignment, wording, color, depth, flatness -OH my the list could go on and on. Look at every bit of every design with a critical eye. Because others will.
5. Do one project, for a non-profit, for free. A lot of people out there will jump up and down and tear their hair out when they read this. There’s a big whooHa in the creative community about “don’t work for free”. I say that’s BS. Pick a non-profit or charity. Do some design work for them for free. This gives you a chance to fill out your portfolio, lets you meet really nice people who can recommend you later (and will) and may does some good for the world. Everyone should volunteer. Don’t listen to the grumpybutts who say you’re devaluing their work by doing yours for free. One project won’t crash the economy.
6. Be ready to explain every decision you make. You’ll be asked why you made something blue. Why it’s on the right. Why it’s round. Why you placed it in a wizard. Have a reason. Don’t ever make arbitrary decisions. It’s ok if, occasionally, you say “I can’t really explain it, but it just felt more pleasing” – every once in a while. But MOST of the time, you need to have a valid, logical and possibly researched reason.
7. Ask yourself WHY often. When you finish a design, ask yourself why you made every decision you made. Why did you make that font blue? Why is that all caps? Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” to yourself, but then don’t be afraid to make changes as a result. If you can’t justify a decision to yourself, it’s not going to hold up for your stakeholders or your users.
8. Get other opinions. You need to become used to being a collaborator. You’re not a holy artist up on some mountain, working in isolation to create the golden idol of design. You’re designing something for people to use, so you need to ask people what they think. At the beginning or end - other opinions matter.
9. Get ready to lose some battles. Sometimes, no matter how right you are, you will get overruled. When this happens, you have to think: how important is this? I ask myself how many users will be affected, and how much it will affect the user’s experience. Is it just not ideal, or is it truly bad? Defend when necessary but pick your battles. Sometimes letting the users complain will be a win in the end and if your wrong, everything should work out.
10. Familiarize yourself with standards. Computers are confusing and complicated to a lot of people. Make life easier for them by doing things in a standard way as often as possible. The web isn't new. Computers aren't new. Patterns exist out there that work really well. Make life easier on yourself by using established design patterns.
11. Make yourself some templates and use them. I have PSD libraries of widgets and elements I use often. I have some basic balamiqs. This is everything from a sample message to radio buttons to a grid template for spacing. They save me immense amounts of time and repetition. Uhhh, and consistency.
12. Test like a fiend. If you’re ever not sure, test. If you’re ever sure, test. No matter how awesome you are, your users will show you that you don’t know as much as you thought you did. Be humble and be prepared to let your users teach you.
13. Don’t take things personally.Don’t take things personally. You are not a diva. You are not special. OK, you are special in your own special way. Thank you Mr. Rogers for that. BUT> You are not granted some all-knowing design gift that others don’t have. Don't be that person. Also, your designs are not YOU. If someone doesn’t like one of your designs, it’s not because they don’t like you. Don’t take anything personally. When you have a bad day, go home and play with your dog, and then let it go.