Yes, you can absolutely teach yourself UI/UX design. Many designers in the industry are self-taught, having learned through online resources, consistent practice, and personal projects. Here’s a simplified roadmap to guide you:

Start by understanding the fundamentals of UX—user research, personas, journeys, wireframes, and usability testing. This gives you the why behind design decisions. Our blog post on how to become a UX/UI designer covers this in a beginner-friendly way.

At the same time, build your UI design skills: layout, visual hierarchy, typography, color, and tool proficiency (start with Figma). Learn how to turn wireframes into polished screens. For deeper skills, use the Advanced Figma Course.

Next, combine UX and UI in personal projects. For example, design a habit-tracking app: define user needs, sketch wireframes, then build it visually.

Leverage self-paced learning and community feedback. Engage in forums, Discord groups, or Reddit to get critiques and speed up your growth. A helpful boost comes from applying feedback and seeing how others solve similar problems.

Finally, build a portfolio of case studies. Showcase your full process—problem, research, wireframes, final UI, and learnings. This demonstrates your end-to-end thinking and positions you for freelance work or job opportunities. For help packaging your work, check out our Design Job Hunt Templates.

With consistency, goals, and curiosity, you can absolutely break into UI/UX design without a formal degree.