Why this matters for your job search
When you read design job adverts from Accra agencies, fintech companies, NGOs and remote teams, you will see many titles: UI/UX Designer, Product Designer, UX Designer, UX Researcher, Visual Designer. They overlap a lot. Knowing what sits behind each title helps you choose what to learn first and how to describe yourself.
The main kinds of design work
Think of design work as four connected jobs. In a small Ghanaian startup one person may do all four. In a large bank or a remote company they may be split across a team.
- User research. Finding out who the users are, what they need and what gets in their way. This means interviews, watching people use products and running tests.
- Interaction design. Deciding how the product behaves: which steps a person takes, what happens when they tap, what the error messages say, how they get back if they make a mistake.
- Information architecture. Organising content and features so people can find things. Menus, categories and labels all live here.
- Visual design. Making screens clear and pleasant with type, colour, spacing, icons and images, and keeping them consistent.
UX designer usually leans towards research, flows and interaction. UI designer usually leans towards visual design and polished screens. usually means someone who does the whole range and also thinks about business goals, working closely with product managers and developers.