In the ever-evolving landscape of digital design, remote UX/UI designers have a unique opportunity to explore diverse avenues and leverage their skills for additional income streams. This blog post delves into 10 promising side hustles tailored for remote UX/UI designers, each offering a blend of creative satisfaction and financial reward.
-
Travel Website for Sale | Potential Profit: 5000$/month
-
Description: Fully Automated Travel Website – Hotels, Flights, Cars – $200/day Potential
Huge Profit through travel affiliate programs (Flight, Hotel, & Rental Car). Start an online business with this gorgeous, professionally designed, affiliate travel website. It is a powerful travel comparison website that allows users to find the best prices for hotels, flights, and car rentals. This type of website is currently very popular as more people try to save money when booking their next vacation.
-
How to Start: You can build a website and online business from scratch or go with a readymade solution provided by Sitefy.
-
Investment: 99$ to start the website.
-
Skillset & Learning: No skillset required. Basic skills are required that can be learned in a couple of hours.
-
Success Rate: Moderate to high, reliant on the monthly traffic to the website.
-
Pros & Cons: It takes very little time to start this online business and ROI is the highest among all the businesses mentioned.
-
Market Size: Globally, travel and tourism directly contributed approximately 2.9 trillion U.S. dollars to GDP
-
Whom to Hire: You can hire developers, designers and marketing experts from different freelancing platforms or you can go with a readymade all-in-one solution.
-
Where to Hire: Freelance platforms, specialized tech companies.
-
Biggest Source of Marketing: Organic Traffic across the globe.
-
- Freelance Design Consultancy
- Description: Provide personalized design consultations to businesses seeking UX/UI improvements. Offer expert advice on optimizing user experiences and enhancing visual appeal.
- Earnings: $50 – $150 per hour, depending on experience and project scope.
- How to Start: Create an online portfolio showcasing your expertise, and join freelance platforms like Upwork or Fiverr.
- Investment: Minimal investment required for portfolio website hosting and promotion.
- Skillset: Strong UX/UI design skills, effective communication, and a keen understanding of market trends. Learn through online courses on platforms like Udemy and Coursera.
- Success Rate: High, especially with a solid portfolio and positive client testimonials.
- Pros and Cons: Flexibility, exposure to various industries (Pros); Inconsistent income, competition from other freelancers (Cons).
- Market Size: Expansive, as businesses of all sizes seek design enhancements for digital presence.
- Hiring: As an individual consultant, hiring may not be necessary initially.
- Online Design Courses
- Description: Develop and sell online UX/UI design courses targeting beginners or professionals seeking to enhance their skills.
- Earnings: Potential to earn thousands per course, depending on the platform and course quality.
- How to Start: Create course content, choose a platform like Teachable or Skillshare to host courses.
- Investment: Video recording equipment, course creation tools, and marketing budget.
- Skillset: Advanced UX/UI design skills, instructional design abilities. Acquire teaching skills through workshops and online resources.
- Success Rate: High, given the growing demand for online learning in the design field.
- Pros and Cons: Passive income potential, global reach (Pros); Initial time investment, competition in the online education space (Cons).
- Market Size: Large and expanding, with a global audience seeking design education.
- Hiring: May require assistance with marketing and customer support.
- User Testing Services
- Description: Offer user testing services to businesses, providing valuable insights into user interactions with digital products.
- Earnings: $20 – $50 per test, with potential for higher rates based on complexity.
- How to Start: Register on platforms like UserTesting.com and build an online presence to attract clients directly.
- Investment: Minimal, mainly for marketing efforts and a professional website.
- Skillset: Proficient UX/UI design skills, attention to detail, and strong analytical abilities. Learn about user testing methodologies through online courses.
- Success Rate: Moderate to high, depending on marketing efforts and the quality of feedback provided.
- Pros and Cons: Flexible schedule, continuous learning (Pros); Variable workload, dependency on testing platform algorithms (Cons).
- Market Size: Growing, as businesses increasingly prioritize user feedback for product improvement.
- Hiring: As an individual service provider, hiring may not be necessary initially.
- Mobile App Design
- Description: Specialize in designing mobile apps for businesses or startups looking to establish a digital presence.
- Earnings: Project-based, ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 per app, depending on complexity.
- How to Start: Develop a portfolio showcasing mobile app design expertise, and market services on platforms like Dribbble and Behance.
- Investment: Software subscriptions, devices for testing (optional), marketing expenses.
- Skillset: Proficient in mobile app design principles, knowledge of platform guidelines (iOS, Android). Learn through online courses and hands-on projects.
- Success Rate: High, especially with a strong portfolio and positive client reviews.
- Pros and Cons: Creative fulfillment, potential for recurring projects (Pros); Intensive time commitment, evolving technology requirements (Cons).
- Market Size: Significant, with the increasing demand for mobile applications across industries.
- Hiring: May require additional designers or developers for larger projects.
- UI/UX Design Templates
- Description: Create and sell customizable UI/UX design templates for websites, apps, or presentations.
- Earnings: Passive income through template sales, ranging from $20 to $100 per template.
- How to Start: Build a collection of high-quality templates, and sell them on platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, or your own website.
- Investment: Graphic design software, marketing budget.
- Skillset: Advanced UI/UX design skills, understanding of market trends. Enhance skills through continuous design practice.
- Success Rate: Moderate to high, contingent on the uniqueness and appeal of the templates.
- Pros and Cons: Passive income potential, global customer base (Pros); Initial time investment, competition in the template market (Cons).
- Market Size: Substantial, with designers and businesses constantly seeking time-saving solutions.
- Hiring: May require assistance with marketing and customer support.
- UX/UI Design Blogging
- Description: Share insights, tutorials, and case studies on UX/UI design through a blog, and monetize through ads, affiliate marketing, or sponsored content.
- Earnings: Varies, with potential to earn from ads, affiliate sales, and sponsorships.
- How to Start: Create a blog on platforms like WordPress or Medium, and consistently publish high-quality content. Explore affiliate programs and collaborations.
- Investment: Website hosting, domain name, marketing expenses.
- Skillset: Strong writing skills, in-depth knowledge of UX/UI design, SEO understanding. Enhance writing skills through courses and practice.
- Success Rate: Moderate to high, depending on content quality and marketing efforts.
- Pros and Cons: Creative expression, potential for passive income (Pros); Time-consuming, reliance on website traffic (Cons).
- Market Size: Large, as designers and businesses actively seek educational resources in the design field.
- Hiring: May require assistance with content creation, SEO, and marketing.
- E-commerce Site Enhancement
- Description: Offer UX/UI design services to enhance the user experience of e-commerce websites, focusing on improving conversion rates.
- Earnings: Project-based, ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 per project.
- How to Start: Create a portfolio showcasing e-commerce design expertise, and reach out to e-commerce businesses directly or through freelance platforms.
- Investment: Software subscriptions, marketing expenses.
- Skillset: Strong UX/UI design skills, understanding of e-commerce principles. Learn through online courses and hands-on experience.
- Success Rate: High, especially with a proven track record of improving conversion rates.
- Pros and Cons: Impactful results for businesses, potential for recurring projects (Pros); Varied client expectations, competition with specialized agencies (Cons).
- Market Size: Significant, with e-commerce businesses constantly seeking ways to enhance user experiences.
- Hiring: May require additional designers or developers for larger projects.
- Design System Creation
- Description: Develop and sell comprehensive design systems that streamline the design process for other designers and businesses.
- Earnings: Project-based, ranging from $3,000 to $15,000 per design system.
- How to Start: Build a portfolio showcasing previous design system projects and market services on platforms like LinkedIn and design forums.
- Investment: Software subscriptions, marketing budget.
- Skillset: Advanced UX/UI design skills, proficiency in design system principles. Learn through online courses and practical application.
- Success Rate: Moderate to high, depending on the quality and versatility of the design systems created.
- Pros and Cons: Passive income potential, recognition in the design community (Pros); Time-intensive creation process, competition with established design system providers (Cons).
- Market Size: Substantial, with designers and businesses actively seeking efficient design solutions.
- Hiring: May require additional designers for collaborative projects.
- Accessibility Consultancy
- Description: Specialize in providing accessibility consulting services to businesses aiming to make their digital products inclusive and compliant with accessibility standards.
- Earnings: Project-based, ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 per accessibility audit and implementation.
- How to Start: Develop expertise in accessibility guidelines, create a portfolio, and reach out to businesses directly or through accessibility-focused platforms.
- Investment: Accessibility testing tools, marketing expenses.
- Skillset: In-depth knowledge of accessibility principles, strong communication skills. Enhance skills through online courses and practical experience.
- Success Rate: High, given the increasing focus on digital inclusivity.
- Pros and Cons: Meaningful impact on inclusivity, high demand (Pros); Continuous learning, specialized knowledge required (Cons).
- Market Size: Growing, with businesses prioritizing accessibility in their digital strategies.
- Hiring: May require additional experts for larger projects.
- Virtual Reality (VR) Design
- Description: Dive into the world of virtual reality by offering VR design services, creating immersive experiences for businesses or entertainment purposes.
- Earnings: Project-based, ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 per VR project.
- How to Start: Build a portfolio showcasing VR design capabilities and explore opportunities on platforms like Oculus Developer Hub.
- Investment: VR equipment, software subscriptions, marketing expenses.
- Skillset: Proficient in VR design principles, understanding of immersive experiences. Learn through online courses and hands-on VR projects.
- Success Rate: Moderate to high, with the potential for unique and innovative projects.
- Pros and Cons: Cutting-edge projects, potential for high demand (Pros); Initial investment in VR equipment, limited market compared to traditional UX/UI design (Cons).
- Market Size: Niche, but growing as VR technology becomes more mainstream.
- Hiring: May require additional VR specialists or developers for collaborative projects.
Remote UX/UI designers have a wealth of opportunities to explore side hustles that align with their skills and passion. From freelancing to creating design systems, each side hustle offers a unique path to financial success and creative fulfillment. It’s essential to choose a side hustle that aligns with your expertise, interests, and long-term goals. Whether you’re seeking additional income or looking to build a thriving design business, these side hustles provide a roadmap for success in the dynamic world of UX/UI design.
