What Is it Like to Work as a UX Designer in a Large Company?

Maybe you’ve just landed your first job as a Junior User Experience (UX) Designer with a big company, and you are wondering what it will be like. Or perhaps you’ve been working in UX design for a few years and would like the opportunity to specialize. In either case, getting a job with a large firm has both perks and downsides.

Established Products

Companies that have been around for a while have established products. This can give you the opportunity to take a deep dive into UX design that you wouldn’t have in a leaner design environment. Because of past successes, the company is stable and the pace of product development is slower and more deliberate.

A downside of working for a big corporation can be a bureaucratic culture. While small startups move quickly, large companies can be less flexible and innovative. You may also feel unnoticed in your work.

Specialization

Larger companies have the resources to hire more people, so you may have the opportunity to specialize in a particular area within UX design. One separation is into design and research roles. You may also work as part of a team with other designers, which is a great way to learn from more experienced professionals, and you may even find a mentor. 

Salary and Other Benefits

The pay and benefits package at a large firm is usually better than at smaller companies. Bigger corporations can offer medical, vision, and dental care, as well as a more competitive salary. They also offer greater job security than a startup that may disappear in a few years. Another plus of working for a larger firm is that they can afford to upgrade their equipment more frequently, so you will probably be able to use the latest design tools.

Design Culture

Take careful note of the design culture at a company when you are interviewing. Does the company seem to put the user first in the design process or are they focused on a more rigid, linear approach? This attitude is referred to as UX maturity and the Nielsen Norman Group has developed a six-stage scale for assessing it.

UX Maturity

When a company recognizes the importance of designing products with the experience of the user as the central focus, that company is considered to be a UX mature organization. This can look very different across different businesses.

Stage One—Absent

In this first stage, there is no focus on UX at all. There is no user testing and the user experience is not considered important at all. The company culture may range from indifferent to hostile.

Stage Two—Limited 

At this stage, there is a little bit of UX work being tried, but what there is not widespread or supported. A few employees are just starting to talk about the benefits of user experience research, but they feel that no one is listening.

Stage Three—Emergent

In the Emergent stage, UX work is there but it is inconsistent and inefficient. There might be resistance from management over the cost of conducting research or a concern about slowing product development.

Stage Four—Structured

At this stage, UX methods are accepted and widespread but with different levels of effectiveness and efficiency. There are still some holdouts who don’t recognize the importance of UX research and design. Education is important at this stage to ensure that support for UX grows and strengthens. Forming a working group with members from across the organization can help.

Stage Five—Integrated

At the Integrated stage, effective UX work is carried on throughout the organization, and the management level recognizes the worth of focusing product development on users.

Stage Six—User-driven

At stage six, the user experience is central to the company. It is evident in the mission statement, staffing, and budget. A company at this level is fully UX mature.

Remote or In-Person Work

Larger companies tend to be much more structured than smaller ones, so the usual expectation is that you will work in-person at the office, although that expectation is evolving. You will need to follow the company’s schedule for daily and holiday work, and request days off ahead of time. You will also need to work closely with others on a day-to-day basis, so polish up your communications skills. There is a lot of competition for in-person work with larger companies, so you will probably experience a lot of rejection until you find your dream job, but in-person work generally comes with a higher salary and benefits. Many companies have offered the opportunity for remote work in recent years, so you may be able to make a case to work from home, at least some of the time if that is important to you. 

Where to Learn UX Design

If you would like to learn more about UX design and research to switch to a new career and go to work for a large, established company, one of the best ways to do that is to sign up for classes. You can choose classes that meet in-person or online to learn design software and other applications. Some people prefer to attend brick-and-mortar sessions when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to show you how to do things. Training is part or full-time and available weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.

The best way to prepare for a career shift to a field like UX design is to enroll in a bootcamp or certificate program. These are intensive training courses that run from a few weeks to a few months and another plus of training is that you will leave class with a professional-quality portfolio that you can show to prospective employers.

Conclusion

It’s easy to learn UX design and start a new career. Check out Noble Desktop’s UX design classes. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online UX design courses and attend from anywhere. Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other UX design bootcamps in your area.