Transitioning into a freelance UI design career

Can I transition into a freelance UI design career on a part time basis during a pandemic?

I was recently approached by Laura Mellor who has a background in acting and due to the current pandemic was looking into the idea of transitioning into a freelance UI design career on a part time basis to fill in the gaps where she had free time. I go into detail on the video but my main advice was to fall in love with design first and then the rest will follow, as long as you develop your passion for something you enjoy then you’ll be able to pick up and learn the skills needed to progress further.

In terms of doing a career in UI or UX design on a part time basis, I would say it’s ok to start with but if you want to take it seriously then at some point you’d need to decide to commit to it on a full time basis.

Do I need to know both UI and UX design or can I just be a UI designer?

You can be just a UI designer, but as I mention to Laura in the video it helps to know both. That doesn’t mean you’re neither good at one or the other but more to the fact that you’ll be in more demand if you can bring these disciplines together. Think about it, you can’t just design a pretty UI without any meaning, there has to be purpose or a need for the user and this is where you start to bring more logical thinking into your design process.

Laura mentions in the video about how she could potentially use the perspective of psychology and creativity from her acting background and channel that approach of how people think within design. Watch the Zoom interview as I give my advice.