UX Design: A Quick Primer

UX (User Experience) design focuses on how users interact with digital products—apps, websites, platforms. Key skills:

• User research

• Wireframing and prototyping

• Usability testing

• Interaction design

Architecture overlap:

• Empathy for users

• Spatial planning = interface structuring

• Problem-solving across constraints

Tools to learn:

• Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch

• Miro (for mapping), Notion (for documentation)

Languages to learn:

• Basic UX terminology (persona, journey map, A/B testing)

• Collaborative phrases (“Let’s test an assumption…”)

Set Design: A Quick Primer

Set designers create physical environments for film, TV, theater, and events. Key skills:

• Concept ideation

• Scenic drawing

• Material selection

• Collaboration with directors and art departments

Architecture overlap:

• Understanding of scale, light, and space

• Drawing, model making, and construction familiarity

• Design storytelling through visuals

Tools to learn:

• SketchUp, Rhino, AutoCAD, Photoshop

• Physical prototyping, moodboarding

Soft skills needed:

• Flexibility under tight deadlines

• Visual communication

• Team collaboration with non-designers

Step 1: Understand Why You’re Switching

Before the interview, get clear on:

• What’s pulling you toward UX or set design?

• What’s no longer working in your current role?

• What themes connect your past experience to this new path?

Interviewers want to hear:

• Clarity

• Curiosity

• A sense of purpose—not just “I want out”

Example: “I’ve always loved creating experiences for people—architecture taught me spatial empathy, but UX allows me to test and refine in faster loops.”

Step 2: Rework Your Portfolio

Keep:

• Process thinking

• Diagrams, narratives, spatial logic

Add:

• UX: wireframes, user flows, annotated walkthroughs

• Set design: moodboards, sketches, renders, stills from builds

Remove:

• Overly technical architectural drawing sets (unless relevant)

• Academic jargon or concepts that don’t translate

Always provide context:

• What was the goal?

• What did you do?

• What changed because of your input?

Step 3: Update Your Resume for the New Role

Headline it:

Emerging UX designer with architectural background Set design assistant with spatial design experience

Use language that reflects the field:

• “Prototyped user journeys” > “Designed for interaction”

• “Collaborated on physical builds” > “Translated narrative into set elements”

Focus on the how and why—not just the what.

Step 4: Prepare for Interview Questions

Common UX or Set Design interview questions:

• Why are you making this switch?

• How do you handle feedback or iteration?

• Tell me about a time you worked with constraints

• What’s your approach to collaboration?

• How do you balance vision with functionality?

Prepare stories that show:

• You’ve worked in teams

• You’ve adapted under pressure

• You’ve thought about audience or users before

Step 5: Fill the Gaps (Without Going Back to School)

You don’t need a second degree—but you do need:

• Short courses (e.g. Coursera, Domestika, LinkedIn Learning)

• Self-initiated projects to show initiative

• Internships, freelance, or assisting on small gigs

Pro tip: Create a mock project.

• UX: Redesign an app you use

• Set: Reimagine a film scene with your own take

Add it to your portfolio with full breakdowns.

Step 6: Talk to People Who’ve Done It

Search:

• LinkedIn: “Architecture → UX” or “Set designer + architect”

• Instagram or Behance portfolios

• Reddit or design Slack groups

Ask:

• What was hardest about switching?

• What helped you stand out?

• What do you wish you’d known earlier?

Their answers can shape your own roadmap—and give you language for interviews.

Final Thought: Your Background Is a Bonus, Not a Barrier

Studios and teams want people who think differently. Your architecture lens brings:

• Systems thinking

• Empathy

• Design discipline

Just make sure your new story is:

• Framed clearly

• Presented visually

• Spoken with curiosity and confidence

You’re not starting over. You’re switching tracks—with momentum.