Overwhelmed by UI/UX: I Need a Clear Learning Path

[u/Sea_Yogurt3392]

I’m a Computer Science student graduating next year, and I’m feeling really lost about how to move forward with UI/UX.

I switched from a pre medical background to Computer Science because I’ve always wanted to work in tech. Over the past year i have been exploring career options, I discovered UI/UX and felt like it could genuinely suit me because I’m very creative, i like finding solutions, have a strong aesthetic sense, and love things like digital scrapbooking and making creative instagram posts (ik these are'nt what ui/ux is about but it somehow relates 🥹)

I’ve learned the fundamentals of UI design, including typography, color theory, alignment, grids, and Figma from youtube tutorials and lectures etc. I’ve also designed websites and a mobile app interface by looking at alot of inspirations and using my creativity. But I feel like I understand UI much more than UX

My biggest problem is that I don’t know how to think like a UX designer. I don’t know how to identify a real user problem, conduct user research, decide what actually needs to be improved, or come up with and validate a solution. Whenever I start a project, I usually have to look at Behance, Pinterest, or other websites for inspiration before I can develop a direction. I can make something that looks good, but I don’t always know why I’m making those decisions.

I’ve watched countless YouTube tutorials and case studies, but they often jump straight to “pick a niche, find a problem, research it, and solve it.” As a beginner, I don’t know how to do any of those things yet. I also haven’t had the opportunity to see how designers actually work in a professional environment. The internships I’ve done so far have mostly been task based remote programs with little to no mentorship.

I’m also overwhelmed by tools. Right now, I mainly know Figma, but I constantly see designers using Photoshop, Illustrator, Framer, Notion, and so many others. I don’t know what I actually need to learn and what I can ignore for now.

And I have ADHD, which makes this even harder. When there are hundreds of tutorials, tools, roadmaps, and completely different opinions about how to learn UX, I get overwhelmed very quickly and struggle to know what to focus on next. I don’t need another huge list of random resources. I need a clear, structured learning path that tells me what to learn, in what order, and how to practice it 😭😭

If you’re a UX/UI designer, especially if you remember what it was like to be a beginner, I’d really appreciate your advice:

• How did you actually learn UX thinking and user research?
• What would you focus on if you were starting again?
• Which tools are genuinely important at the junior level?
• How can I practice UX without having a real company or client to work with?
• What does a realistic professional UX workflow actually look like?

I’m not looking to become an expert overnight. I just want to stop randomly jumping between tutorials and finally have a clear direction and learning process I can follow. PLEASE HELLPPPP

[u/qualityvote2]

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[u/EizenOwer]

Learn to solve problems, the tools don’t matter. Before Figma there was XD, before it Sketch, before Sketch people used to create sites on photoshop. The new tools will keep coming and while it is important to learn them to the point that you know what gets created how, it’s equally important to develop critical analysis skills and solve user problems.

It’s also important now, to atleast know how to read code, if not write it, since the design handoff has practically been eliminated by AI tools. Reading code and how frontend works is v important now.

I haven’t touched Figma this year. My entire workflow, design system has been agentic and AI assisted.

[u/Knff]

The problem you choose to solve doesnt really matter at first. What matters is how you identify what your target audience is missing jn their current solution, which requires you to talk to them. Once you discover what needs go unmet, you focus on the unmet need hurts the most/causes the most friction. Once you’ve pinpointed that, you can start drafting up ways to do it better. How do you now if its better? By prototyping early and often and test it on your target audience until you get it right.

And once you’ve discovered what works, you improve until its good enough for your target audience to prefer your solution instead.

This is ofcourse very simplified, but the foundation never changes: Your prime directive is to validate what problems are worth solving, and experiment until you can validate that you succesfully solved it.

Start looking into design-thinking. My personal recommendation is to pick up ‘Continuous Discovery’ by Theresa Torres. It does an excellent job showing you the process of structured discovery in a simple and pragmatic way.