UI Designer: Can They Work Remotely & What Are The Challenges?
UI Designer: Can They Work Remotely & What Are The Challenges?
Learn what skills you need, how you should prepare yourself & career opportunities of working as a remote UI designer
Staff Augmentation
December 14, 2022
Sadman Sakib Khan
Sadman is a marketing professional and a fervent devotee of the ever-evolving world of marketing & technology. Possessing a knack for crafting compelling narratives, Sadman passionately engages in the creation of top-tier content in close partnership with esteemed subject matter experts. During his leisure hours, he indulges in the art of musical expression, immerses himself in cultural exhibitions, watch anime, and travel.
Sadman Sakib Khan
Sadman is a marketing professional and a fervent devotee of the ever-evolving world of marketing & technology. Possessing a knack for crafting compelling narratives, Sadman passionately engages in the creation of top-tier content in close partnership with esteemed subject matter experts. During his leisure hours, he indulges in the art of musical expression, immerses himself in cultural exhibitions, watch anime, and travel.
The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the way people used to work. Because of the Covid-crisis people were forced to work remotely. As there were barely any other options. Which opened up the future of remote work culture. Even though the idea of working remotely is nothing new. But thanks to the Covid pandemic it got revolutionized.
Now people understand that it’s very much possible to work remotely. People are adopting the culture. Most people who worked remotely have experience and shared that they were more productive compared to working at the office.
Recent studies show that by 2028 almost 78% of all departments will have remote teammates.
How to work remotely as a UI designer?
When it comes to remote work culture, all you need to ask yourselves are these five questions.
- What are the responsibilities of the job?
- Can it be done remotely?
- What are the challenges?
- What’s the current market for remote jobs in this industry?
- What’s the future of the market?
That’s it. If you can find the answers you’re pretty much good to go with whatever profession you choose. Now let’s find the answers, shall we?
What does a UI designer do?
In simple words, UI designers design the interface of digital products. The screen a user sees when interacting with any digital product. Let it be a website, an app, a video game, etc. They work on each component of the screen of a digital product, such as buttons, typography, spacing, icons, etc.
The core focus of a UI designer is to make the user interface look good and appealing to the users. While conveying the brand image, and making it easier and enjoyable to navigate for the users. Everything you design as a UI designer has an impact on the overall experience a user will have while interacting with the product.
Do UI designers need to know how to code?
Not necessarily. UI designers only deal with the design of the digital products. It could be an entire product or a part of it. Afterward, they hand over the design to the developers. They take care of the coding, and make the fully functional product according to the design. Although, if you know how to code, it will help to understand and work with developers better.
Is it possible for UI designers to work remotely?
As the work is designing the user interfaces. The scope of remote working is very much possible, even though the job is highly collaborative.
Using the right tools, and communication with the team effectively can make the work highly efficient. You can adapt your design, while also maintaining a good work relationship with your teammates.
How’s the current job market for remote UI designers?
The current job market for remote UI designers is growing exponentially.
Since the pandemic, the scope is growing day by day. Even several design companies formed during the pandemic that is completely functioning remotely. So it’s pretty obvious that there’s a market for remote UI designers.
What’s the future market of remote UI designer Jobs?
The future of the market of UI designers is great, and it’s continuously growing. As mentioned earlier literally multiple companies have been formed that function, and work completely remotely. This clearly shows that at least for UI designers remote work culture is here to stay.
Where Can You Find These Remote Jobs?
Well, there are three different models in which you can start your career as a UI designer remotely.
- Freelancing
- Getting a job at a remote agency
- Staff Augmentation Firms
Freelance UI Designer
If you’re the type of person who doesn’t enjoy working under anyone. If you like working independently then freelancing is your way to go. There are several marketplaces where you can find work as a UI designer. Among these, there are some popular marketplaces such as Upwork, Freelancer.com, and Fiverr where you can find countless remote opportunities both short-term and long-term.
Getting a job at a remote agency
Agencies that hire remote workers are another way for you to start your career as a UI designer. This way you won’t have to look for clients. But getting a job at a well-established agency may require experience. If so, you can start as a freelancer which will help you gain experience, and also build your portfolio. This will help you easily land a job in agencies.
Staff Augmentation Firms
Another great way of starting is to get into a contract with a Staff Augmentation Firm. Staff Augmentation Firms aid other companies with resources/staff. In this way, you’ll either be an employee of the firm that’ll get the work for them and let you take care of that or you can also be an independent individual who gets the work through these firms in exchange for a commission. This model is similar to freelancing but much more profitable depending on the firm you’re working with and the type of contract you have with them.
Learn more about staff augmentation – Click Here
Is it possible to get a job in this field with no experience?
Well even if you’re looking for a remote job still the scope of getting a job as a UI designer with no prior experience is narrow. That doesn’t mean that it’s not possible. If you browse the job sites you’ll get an understanding that there are very few openings for entry-level UI designer jobs. In this case, as mentioned earlier, you can consider either taking an internship and then going in for an entry-level on-site job or working on Freelance gigs to get some experience and build up your portfolio.
The Challenges You May Face
Communication and work schedule are the challenges that you may face working as a remote UI designer. The communication part of the challenge can be fixed using the right tools and channels. However, the work schedule is a challenge that you may or may not face. It entirely depends on the country and the company that you’ll work with. If you land a job for a foreign company your timezone and the company’s timezone may not match. So in this case depending on the company’s requirement you may have to work on the time of the company or the client you work with.
Salary of Remote UI Designer
The salary varies depending on so many factors. Location is one of them. The country where you live impacts how much you’re earning from many different aspects. But it can impact both positively, and negatively. But when it comes to the salary of a remote UI designer, it doesn’t differ that much from the salary of a UI designers who works on-site. In short, the earnings of a remote UI designer are up to par with the salary of an On-site UI designer of the same level. So there is not much to worry about.
Tips & Things To Keep In Mind
Collaboration is still very much possible even if you’re working remotely.
And To do that –
- First of all, Always voice your concerns. Effective Communication is the key.
- Also, Remote working doesn’t necessarily mean working from home. You can definitely move around, and use shared workspaces, cafes, libraries, etc.
- Choose a place, or environment where you feel the most productive.
- Being a remote designer doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not advancing your career, it’s actually the opposite most often.
For you to thrive in your remote career as a UI designer. The first thing you need to obtain is being communicative and proactive with no monitoring whatsoever. In remote work environments, most of the problems that arise are the product of miscommunications. Miscommunication leads to understanding. You must also be proactive while searching for jobs and build a portfolio showcasing your experience and expertise.