State of UX 2022
The big influx: How entry-level designers are reshaping our industry
Everything Google does has massive scale and reach and its UX Design Certificate launched on Coursera this year (i.e, Google’s first step towards disrupting the university degree) is no exception. Since its launch, we at the UX Collective have seen an unbelievable number of designers looking to learn more about UX as a career. This was also the year Glassdoor highlighted UX as one of the 50 best jobs in America.
The certificate offered by Google is just one of the many new education offerings we’ve seen emerge over the past few years. Design learning shifted from in-person, intensive, and expensive to remote and self-guided. Newly accessible formats include everything from online bootcamps to YouTube playlists, email-based courses, self-guided classes, and more.
Design learning shifted from in-person, intensive, and expensive to remote and self-guided.
Hyper-specialized
To meet the demand for quick certification, newer courses tend to drastically narrow their scope. Most UX courses do not go deep into the foundations of graphic design and UX writing classes tend not to cover UX research. This hyper-specialization works well for global enterprises like Google, but the reality is that in most companies, designers are expected to own all aspects of the experience.
The great resignation
The more senior end of the spectrum is also in flux. With the shift to remote work, it’s risky for employers to hire early-career designers since they’re not receiving the standard in-person training and guidance. This creates increased demand for senior designers, giving them greater leverage to resign their current jobs and accept one of the many compelling offers they are receiving.
UX is the new gig
Companies that struggle to hire full-time designers end up tapping into Fiverr, Upwork, Toptal, and similar freelance platforms to meet their short-term needs — which gives newly-certified designers a great opportunity to get hands-on experience. As UX becomes more commoditized, it’s easier than ever to hire someone to “do your app UX/UI”.
293k
new UX designers emerging from Google’s UXD Certificate alone
$15
a common starting price for UX gigs on Fiverr
700+
newcomers joining our UX Group on LinkedIn every day
289%
increase in interest in UX roles in 2020 according to Hired.com
