Breaking into UX in Toronto

An old co-worker of mine gave me some good advice. He said “quit your job if you’re unhappy, because life is short.” It was the first time I considered something like that and I actually put it into practice the very next day. When I told him what I did, he told me he wasn’t being serious:)

After spending a lot of my career as a marketer, I decided I needed a change. With some introspection and research I ended in the field of User Experience Design (UX) and haven’t looked back since (it’s been three wild years). I wanted to create this article (guide), to share my lessons learned.

For the most part, below is what I usually tell prospective students when they reach out to me prior to signing up to a bootcamp (General Assembly, etc.), or when they want to learn more about UX. These tips of course, are from my own adventures and experiences while living in the 6ix (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).

Be warned this is a long post! So grab a cup of your favourite drink and settle in…

Some Definitions

What is UX? What is UI?

I would define UX (user experience) as creating software products that are easy to use and a joy to work with. A designer works through a methodology and leverages her toolkit while always keeping the end-user in mind.

The day-to-day of a UX designer involves understanding user needs, coming up with ideas and solutions for a problem (ideation), developing user flows and customer journeys, understanding information architecture, putting together wireframes, conducting user and competitive research, creating high-fidelity design, working with developers, and much more.

Similarly, User Interface (UI) design has a lot of overlap with UX. For this reason, you’ll see a lot of positions advertising a UX/UI role. I’ll define UI as visual design or how the final product looks on the screen. A good UI person can take wireframes and turn them into beautiful, pixel perfect high-fidelity designs (the high resolution final product), to which developers put into code and create the product. UI designers are well versed in typography, layout, colour theory, grids, animation, and more. There’s a great course where you can develop your UI Skills by Erik D. Kennedy.

Truth is, companies need both UX and UI and how they divvy up those roles is up to them. My advice is to at least understand the concepts encapsulated in both. Based on your skills and preference you’ll probably lean toward one or the other.

Do I need to be a graphic designer to get into UX?

To get into UX you won’t neccessarily have to be a graphic designer but in many positions it’s likely you’ll be expected to do some level of user interface design. It really depends on the company and whether they have their UX roles broken out seperately. The more granular the UX role, the more focused it usually is, and the more it will require a specific talent or expertise (like User Research).

In many cases there are UX roles that don’t require visual design like consulting or User Research but in my opinion it always helps to have a good understanding of graphic design fundamentals. Here’s a great book called The Non-Designers Design Book to get started,

Is UX right for me?

With any field it helps if you have a passion for the subject. My background started in web design. I then transitioned to digital marketing. My career came full circle as I rediscovered my passion for design. For someone who is creative and loves technology, it’s an amazing role. If you like designing and building things from scratch and watching them evolve from an idea to a reality, then UX could be a good career for you.

The Job Market

Will I get a job? Is there demand?

With some hard work and dedication you will find a job. There is demand in Toronto but it’s a competitive market. The demand is higher for senior designers so a junior will have to hustle harder. Also, I’d say that the type of role you find can vary from full-time, part-time, contract, project-based, internship, and so on. Any company that develops a software product is in need of a good UX designer.

How long will it take me to get a job?

There are so many variables to consider in finding any role. But for me, I like to plan for the worst. In this case I would give at least a year to find a promising role. I’ve seen people find roles quicker than that (in my case it took three months). I’ve also seen people not find roles and move on to other endevaours. In my opinion, passion plays a big part in how successful you will be in finding your first design role. And as I like to tell everyone I speak with, you’ll only get as much as you put in.

How Can I Transition Into the Field?

I took a very drastic step toward pursuing UX by quitting my old job cold. I wouldn’t recommend that (but sometimes life happens). Instead, if I could do it over, I would build up savings. I would create a ‘runway’ so that I could invest in training and have money left over in case I was out of work. In my opinion, a financial cushion (if you can afford it), can make the transition less stressful. If you’re working now and don’t have that cushion, build it up over a year and then quit or change careers. That lonesome year in the grand scheme of things will be insignificant compared to quitting cold and finding yourself in a moment of desperation. You want to pursue what you’re passionate about and that could require time and money. You don’t want to quit cold and accept any old job, only to find yourself in an endless cycle. After all, you’re changing careers for a reason and that means finding a place where you can fulfill your passion; or at least find a good fit.

Why Toronto? Where else can I work?

The design community is pretty hot in Toronto. You’ll find friendly colleagues and outstanding mentors from top companies. However, you can work from anywhere in the world and you could even consider working remotely. Check out this site: https://weworkremotely.com/. Especially during pandemic times, where and when you work is changing quickly.

Training Options

What are the schools in Toronto?

I went to Bitmaker Labs now General Assembly and was enrolled in the full-time immersive bootcamp. Other UX schools in Toronto are Brainstation, Red Academy, HackerYou and many others. These are of course immersive bootcamps and if you look around you’ll find full out diplomas and university programs as well. I went the bootcamp route and felt it complemented my work experience nicely.

Should I go full-time or part-time?

I recommend a full-time course over part-time if you’re considering a complete career change into design. It’s more intensive and you will learn quickly. It also puts you in the right mindset of finding something quickly.

Can I ignore all of the above and just learn online?

Yes. Everything you need to learn about UX is online and in many cases free. Google has a complete course and certificate on UX that is available for absolutely free. Seriously why aren’t you enrolled in it? And why haven’t you completed it?

That said with any type of self-paced learning, you have to be honest with yourself. Are you able to commit to the training and complete all of the exercises on your own? If you are then by all means go for it. Myself, I felt I needed the instruction of a live designer and the deadlines that came with an in-person fully immserive program.

Write down the pros and cons of each and see how they apply to you. That should help steer you in the right direction. At the end of the day, you’ll need at least something that will separate you from the rest of your peers looking for a similar role.

Tools of the Trade

What are the tools that I’ll need?

There are many tools available for good design. Does being proficient in a tool give you an advantage in a role? I think it depends, and in my opinion it’s more important to understand the fundamentals of design, than it is to be an expert in a single tool. After all, the tools change and evolve almost overnight.

That said here are a few ideas that you can consider. These are the general tools that I personally use. There are a myriad of products on the market:

Balsamiq ($100/year): A wire-framing tool that easily creates low-fidelity (the first version of a design (like a rough draft)) wireframes and design concepts. Great for laying out the look and feel of your project without introducing high-fidelity design concepts (like colors and UI elements).

Sketch ($99): UI and digital design tool. Sketch is a Mac only user interface design tool. It’s very similar to the behaviours you would expect in an Adobe product like Photoshop or Illustrator. You could say it’s a more stripped down and refined version and focuses on strictly creating user interfaces for digital products or experiences. Having a good proficiency of Sketch can translate into using other tools like…

Figma (free to get started, $12/month): Figma is a collaborative interactive design tool. It’s a web-based prototyping tool and has a desktop version as well. If you know how to use Sketch, using Figma will feel quite familiar. It also comes with the ability to connect your designs into clickable prototypes. You can also gather user and customer feedback directly in your designs. As of today, Figma is making a lot of ground in the design world for being easy to use and all encompassing (both UI design and prototyping built in one).

Invision (free to get started, $250/year): A web-based prototyping tool that will bring your designs to life. Easily integrates with Sketch. Use Invision to demonstrate the interactivity of your app or product design.

Landing your first Gig

Some of the points below relate to career tips and finding your next gig. So if you’re already good at that, you can skip this section. However, I will include some important design considerations in finding your first design role.

How do I apply for a UX Role?

Like any role, finding a position in UX can be a challenge. Since my experience includes working in Toronto, I found it quite competitive. That said, with the right amount of effort and passion, finding your first role is within your grasp.

Does my background matter?

Having a background in design will always give you an edge. Having a natural artistic talent can also lend favourably, especially when highlighting your user interface design capabilities. But since UX is broad there are other types of skills that can help land your first job like your ability to do research, your business skills, your ability to communicate and write, and your ability to empathize with end-users and customers. Plus any training you may have completed or are completing goes a long way in finding your first role.

What are employers looking for?

In a lot of cases, companies will be looking for a hybrid “UX/UI” role. What that means is they need someone who understands the end-to-end design methodology while also being able to put together the user interface designs using a tool like Sketch or Figma, etc.. Ultimately they need your designs to get into production or into the final product smoothly and succesfully.

If we put ourselves in their shoes for a moment we can consider that their tight budgets and deadlines prevent them from hiring a UX and UI designer as separate roles. This in itself is an entire debate (and it’s my belief those roles should be separate) but the reailty and from what I have seen thus far, is that a company needs you to be able to do both UI and UX. Some companies might even want you to do development but that is where I draw the line. What I’ve seen work well is finding your first role as a UX/UI position and then finding your next subsequent role in something more focused and tailored like UX or User Research, etc.

In terms of what a company is looking for in a potential candidate, I would suggest that most companies are looking for a level of passion, fit, and your most recent design experience and/or portfolio. Most importantly, an employer needs to understand how you approach a particular design problem and they want insight into how you think and work. If you follow a particular design methodology then you should really spend some good effort in communicating how you work with that methodology. I mentioned fit briefly and that plays a big role in terms of whether a company will hire you. In lamen terms, do they like you and your personality and will you fit well on the team? The same could be said in terms of whether a potential company is a good fit for your own ambitions and preferences.

What will I need in my portfolio?

As I mentioned above, a good portfolio walks the end-user (in this case an employer) through your thought process. When I first created my portfolio, I thought I did a great job of it, until I got some candid feedback from a mentor who told me I didn’t go deep enough. So in addition to highlighting your projects, make sure to go deep and to get feedback from either peers or potential employers on your portfolio. And make sure to implement that feedback as best you can.

In terms of the specifics of a portfolio, focus on your top projects and really tell the story of your process from start to finish. Highlight the personal bits you individually worked on and call them out if you worked as part of a group. Most design courses/classes include content on how to create a succesful portfolio. Leverage that material and keep iterating. And make sure you include any exercises or projects that demonstrate your continuous improvement in a particular skill (more below on DailyUI).

How do I get more experience?

For any design position, there’s the ultimate conundrum of never having enough experience to land a role. Unfortunately this will always be the case but there are ways you can mitigate this. If you can’t find direct employer experience or customer projects then you can at least work on projects that involve going through the UX methodolgy and testing your skillset and exercises with real people (be it your friends, classmates, family, etc.). And you should explicitly communicate how you implemented the findings from your research/testing and iterated on them in the final product.

Do the DailyUI challenge

One exercise in particular that really surprised me was the work I did during the DailyUI challenge. This is a free challenge that anyone can sign up to in order to work on their UI skills. It also encompasses a lot of UX considerations as well. DailyUI was repeatedly brought up in many of my interviews and employers were interested in the experience and learnings of those particular exercises. What I learned from that experience is that people want to know how you’re currently engaged. And they want to see that you are continuously progressing, putting in effort, and pursuing your passion for a field. So make sure you include work like this in your portfolio (as a link or even its own dedicated page).

How much will I make? What are the salary expectations?

This is a million dollar question and it’s too bad that a million dollar salary isn’t the entry point for design. To be honest, the salary ranges in Toronto can vary greatly. This number will also depend on your current business experience. And by the way, if you’re making a career transition, do not discount the current business experience you have even if it’s not related to design.

If you look at the data for UX roles in Toronto on a site like Glassdoor you can see on the junior end, you could make around $50K/yr or more. The intermediate end around $80K/yr and the senior end around $120K/yr. Please don’t hold me to these numbers as everyone’s salary ranges can vary, as does the market, but I would say those are some good rough ideas and a best guess.

If you want to see what lucrative roles look like in the US or Silicon Valley then you can check out the chatter on Blind (enter at your own risk:))

How do you prepare for the job search? LinkedIn, photos, networking?

First and foremost in finding any role you have to do more than apply online (cold) and wait. At today’s rate, companies receive thousands of resumes and to get through the noise is extremely difficult. Unfortunately, it is still a requirement to apply online but this can’t be your sole method. During my job search I network with over 200 designers either online or in person (in person about 50). For most of them, I asked for a few moments of their time to learn about their field (UX) and tips. And I made sure I came prepared. And by the way, none of those networking opportunities lead to a direct role but instead I met with an entire design community and developed new and meaningful relationships.

Next to networking, I also continued working on my design skills including the DailyUI challenge I mentioned previously. Plus I ensured my portfolio was up to date, completed and incorporated with its latest feedback. One quick point, don’t spend years on your portfolio! Give yourself a timeline, get it completed to that point and move forward.

Finally, I shared my design work on LinkedIn. I reminded people that I was looking for a design role. I told people my story about how I transitioned into design and what my career transition meant to me. And I spread the word. The truth is, very few people know who you are and if they do, they likely are unaware that you are looking for a career change or a role in UX. You might be surprised but many of your connections have worked with UX designers on company projects and can easily introduce you. Something I found effective was to share my designs on my LinkedIn feed. I explained my process and asked for fedback. Although it can be hard for people to put themseleves out there, it’s too easy to share your expertise through social media. My first role in UX came from a CEO who found me on LinkedIn (buy the premium subscription of LinkedIn (if you can afford it)).

On Rejection and Lost Opportunities

This topic is a big one and I might even write a post dedicated to rejection and losing out on job opportunities. But in both of my job searches over the last three years I faced multiple rejections. I even failed a few design challenges that looking back now, I still don’t understand:P At one point in my job search I had three opportunities that were five interviews deep. They just all happened to send me a rejection notice on the same day. It was devastating.

The reality is that these things happen and they are normal. There are a myriad of reasons why you might not be a good fit for a role or why a job went to someone else. Sometimes the job itself expires or is no longer listed. These things are out of your control. And the feeling of rejection can be a hard one. I know it was for me. But at the end of the tunnel came opportunity. I found my first role which lead to another round of rejections during my next job search. But then I landed my dream job (Innovation Consultant at SAP). We all go through rejection. Be ready for it and be prepared. Put in your best effort. Don’t take it personally. Because your next opportunity is right around the corner!

Design Resources

Here are a few resources that I use frequently and that you should check out.

7 Rules for Gorgeous UI — by Erik D. Kennedy — this series could be enough to improve your UI skills

LearnUI — by Erik D. Kennedy — I took this UI course to improve my skills in user interface design. It made a huge difference for me.

The Non-Designer’s Design Book (Non Designer’s Design Book) — great intro to graphic design for the common reader; excellent fundamentals

DesignX — the design community in Toronto on Slack

Sketch App Sources — for Sketch templates

Unspash — for free stock photos

DailyUI — an excellent way to improve your UI skills

Google UX Design Certificate — from what I can tell this progam is free! Here’s a great review of it on YouTube by Aliena Cai

Design Thinking in a Nutshell — SAP has plenty of free training available on design and development. I work at SAP!

Final thoughts

If you made it this far, congratulations. To be honest it took me almost three years to put this post together. The field of UX is rapidly changing and just like tech it can be exciting and a whirlwind.

Whether you’re transitioning into UX or another field, I hope I was able to provide a few valuable tips and tricks. Making a career move or getting into a new role is a lot of hard work. But in my honest opinion, if you put in the effort and demonstrate your passion you will be on your way. A little bit of luck and serendipity will always play a role but if you put yourself out there, you’ll find more opportunities.

Speaking of opportunities, I’ll share something with you that I heard from two mentors I respect. And that’s the idea of being open to any opportunity. Be it UX or be it in any other type of role or department (even outside of your area of expertise). I know this is easier said than done (after all, I pursued a career in UX and landed it) but I think it makes sense. If someone entrusts you with leading an opportunity then I think you shold pursue that because you never know where that can lead. And maybe you’ll find that your passion is different than what you originally expected. Who knows, maybe in a few years I’ll be writing another post about a completely different industry (I write scripts for films on the side).

One last thing, I personally want to thank everyone who has helped me along my journey (you know who you are). The design and tech mentorship in the Toronto community is always supportive and played a big role along my journey.

If you found this post valuable please share it with anyone entering the field of UX or going through a career transition. And feel free to leave a comment in terms of what you think helped in your career search and journey.

Good luck and be well,

Zaid