Ask HN: How Do I Take My First Step in UI Design

[OulaX]

Not only my first step, but what's the path which I should follow in order to become good at designing my own UI/UX for my products?

I am currently a full stack web developer, and I mostly use templates / pre-made components when working on projects, but I want to start doing my own custom designs.

I am sure that I need to learn the basics of UI/UX design first, then move to a tool such as Figma / XD / Sketch.

But the number of resources online is just too much, I can't weed out the bad ones, and I can't figure out a clear roadmap for myself on how to appraoch my journey?

Your input on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

[ushakov]

UI and UX are two different things

i'd suggest to check what others are doing so you can develop a taste

there are resources like Dribble and many prominent UI & UX teams have their own blogs (like https://design.google)

then, learn some CSS, don't waste time on Figma when you can just prototype in dev tools

there's also a book which shows good/bad by example: https://www.refactoringui.com/book

[didgeoridoo → ushakov]

Anything Adam Wathan or Erik Kennedy is involved with is usually a very solid bet.

[didgeoridoo]

For new designers, I always recommend starting with About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design. It’s a doorstopper of a book, but contains more or less everything you need to get started on the UX/interaction side.

To polish UI technical skills, one of the best ways is to just get in repetitions. Try copying stuff off Dribbble and figuring out how they got certain effects done. Notice spacing, alignment, color, and how all these combine to create hierarchy and draw attention to the desired parts of the design.

Good luck!!