Careers in UI/UX design: where to start in Moldova

How to understand that UI/UX design is your vocation and you are creatively and financially fulfilled in it? What skills and knowledge do you need to be successful? Where do you start to quickly rise from a beginner and a "dummy" to a Senior?

Among many IT professions, the career of UI/UX designer attracts more and more young people. Every day, the market is enriched with new products and services. Without a competent and creative visual presentation for the potential consumer, all these offers will remain unnoticed. They will not attract attention, will not interest the user. That is why good IT specialists are in such high demand today.

Who is suitable for design education? What qualities are characteristic for a UI/UX designer?

Successful craftsmen in this IT industry are characterised by qualities such as:

• creative thinking;
• Ability to analyse and solve problems quickly and clearly;
• the ability to quickly find the most optimal ways to realise what has been planned;
• communication skills.

This is a very promising and exciting job. Such people are engaged in the design of digital environments, striving to achieve the maximum effect - a vivid emotion in the user and convert it into the company's profit.

The profession brings good income. We have recently covered this topic on the pages of our portal, if you have not read it - we suggest you read after this article how much IT workers earn in Moldova. 

But if you are going into this field purely for the money, you'd better think 100 times. Without soul, without burning, without passion, this work will quickly turn into a chore. You have to love art. You must have a talent and a passion for drawing (you don't have to be a professional artist!).

A good web designer is fully involved in the design community. He is motivated not by the possibility of making money, but by interest in his work and the desire to create something useful and unique.

What knowledge and skills are required for a career as a designer?

Employers expect a lot from such a specialist, so this job comes with a lot of responsibility. They must be able to create attractive, effective and functional websites and applications that consumers will want to use.

You need animation skills in After Effects (at least at a basic level to start with) in order to draw spectacular illustrations. This will enable you to produce a product that is visually different from what your competitors offer. And it is interesting that sometimes customers even from a Junior level designer want to see the maximum order of return (a natural desire - for a minimum investment to get everything).

So what should a UI/UX design specialist be able to do?

1. If you are Junior (initial training), you will be required to have a basic knowledge of Figma. This is a must, as almost all companies work with this programme. You will also need basic skills in After Effects and a basic understanding of Illustrator.
2. If you have already grown to the Middle level, you must be fluent in all the features of Figma and be familiar with all the components of the programme, layout, design systems, etc. It will also be important to have an advanced knowledge of After Effects and Illustrator to be able to draw illustrations and icons without any problems.
3. As you continue to improve, upgrade and develop, you will naturally grow to the Senior level. What does that mean? It means that you are a god in Figma, After Effects, you know how to animate interfaces, you can perfectly cope with composition in Illustrator. You have a good grasp of all UX-related information, you can easily conduct A/B tests and create questionnaires, and you know and can do a lot of other things.

The list of duties that can be assigned to a web designer is quite broad. It will be dictated by the specifics of the product or service that the specialist is involved in developing. Somewhere he will be required to conduct testing and communication with users. Somewhere he will be responsible for the preparation of original, stylish, attractive design. But often it is necessary to carry out the whole range of activities.

Where to start UI/UX design in Moldova?

If you see your future in this direction and you need to start from scratch, you should enrol in professional courses. You should apply only to trusted companies that have been training and graduating high-class UI/UX design specialists for Moldova and other countries for many years.

Read about the best and up-to-date courses on our pages in a special section Education. 

By enrolling in the course, you:

• Get to know and learn how to use important product tools such as Agile, User Story, User Story Mapping.
• Learn all the secrets of proper Design Thinking.
• You will understand what the user wants and expects.
• Learn how to conduct all types of research leading to optimal decisions, including usability testing.
• Master modern design tools used in creating intuitive, user-friendly interfaces.

You will also be treated to a fascinating excursion into the history of design.

The skills and knowledge gained will be a fundamental basis for rapid career development. 

There are a variety of design training programmes that will do just fine:

• Beginning designers who have no experience in this field.
• Graphic designers and illustrators who want to retrain in web design.
• Web and mobile designers looking to expand their range of capabilities or change their profile to UI/UX.
• Front-end developers looking to pump up their key skills.
• Current Digital Managers who want to learn UI/UX analysis and proper tasking of interface refinement.

That is - it is a kind of universal online course, designed for both beginners and specialists of IT industry.

Difficulties of the profession

Every job has its challenges, and UI/UX design is no exception. Sooner or later, but you will certainly encounter them. Therefore, forewarned is forearmed!

• The main difficulty lies in communicating with customers. A lot depends on your personal qualities and abilities.
• One performer can't do without a clearly defined, point-by-point task. For others, it is enough to outline what they would like to see as an output, and they immediately start generating ideas and creativity.
• The main problem of most clients is their unwillingness to think. They want a pro who comes up with everything himself and brings it to life. That is why it is important to establish soft skills at the start of communication with the customer - to remove all the obstacles that prevent a friendly contact.
• It is necessary to initially make the client aware that your work is not as easy as it may seem from the outside. Any nerves and spurring of the customer should not be taken to heart. Otherwise you will very quickly burn out, and you will lose the desire to do what you love to do. Try to always conduct dialogue in a positive manner.
• It is difficult to satisfy the customer. They are always trying to get a great result for less money. Often customers, not understanding how and what works, make requirements that, if fulfilled, will make the final product uncomfortable to use.
• Act according to the situation. In some cases, it's better to give up on your perfectionism. But more often than not, the client can be persuaded and is satisfied.

Where to go for inspiration?

Without inspiration and fresh ideas, a UI/UX designer's career can be very difficult. Successful examples of other specialists' work can become excellent sources for getting new impressions and reflections. You can learn a lot of useful and interesting things from a variety of special and non-specialised literature. A change of scenery - travelling - is a good help. And also should not neglect various design courses and communities.