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From UX-UI designer to XR designer: transferable skills, and the new ones to learn

Empathy, visual hierarchy, user journeys: what you already know still holds. A look at the transferable skills and the ones to pick up.

  • XR
  • UX
  • Career change
Deux personnes casque de réalité virtuelle sur la tête, face à face en contre-jour

Hello to everyone curious about the world of XR! 👋

XR turns the rules of design upside down: we move from a craft built around the screen to the creation of immersive, interactive environments. The good news is that the skills of "classic" designers remain valuable — but new reflexes have to be picked up as well to explore everything augmented, virtual and mixed reality can do.

Which strengths are worth playing to? Which skills should you develop to make the move into XR design?

Here is a short list of skills that might point you in the right direction:

Transferable skills: your designer superpowers

Even when the medium changes, your designer's toolbox remains a real asset in XR:

Two people wearing virtual reality headsets, facing each other, in turquoise silhouette on a black background

Empathy & understanding of users

Understanding people's needs, limits and expectations remains the heart of the job, immersive worlds included. User experience is central to making XR accessible, inclusive and engaging.

A grid of floating interface panels — charts, messages, forms — in turquoise tones on a black background

UX & UI principles

Visual hierarchy, consistent journeys, clear information: these fundamentals are indispensable for guiding and reassuring people, 3D space included. Designers have to carry their knowledge of ergonomics and navigation over into spatial environments.

A hand reaching towards a cloud of floating sketches and notes, in turquoise tones on a black background

Creative thinking & prototyping

Being able to generate ideas, test them quickly and iterate remains a central pillar. The difference? You prototype in three dimensions, testing immersive interactions and scenarios, often with tools such as Unity for those who know it, but also ShapesXR for no-code prototypes.

Top-down view of a team around a round table, each person working on a laptop surrounded by documents

Project management & teamwork

XR projects are usually multidisciplinary: you work alongside developers, 3D artists, sound specialists and more. Soft skills - communication, organisation, project management - are therefore essential to carry an immersive experience through.

New skills to acquire for XR

To make the move into XR design successfully, a few new strings have to be added to your bow:

Silhouette of a person at the centre of a virtual room, surrounded by floating screens showing landscapes

A command of space and 3D interaction

Thinking in volume, anticipating movement, interaction and perspective in order to guide someone through a 360° space. That means understanding spatialisation, navigation and how attention is handled in an immersive environment.

Perspective view of a floating screen showing an underwater 3D scene, framed by a glowing toolbar

Knowing the XR prototyping tools

Getting familiar with engines such as Unity, but also with no-code solutions (ZapWorks, ShapesXR) to go from an idea to an interactive test. Being able to prototype quickly is a key asset, both for experimenting and for convincing others.

Top-down view of a designer's desk — virtual reality headset, notebooks, storyboard sheets

3D modelling and animation skills

Creating 3D assets (modelling, texturing, animation) becomes a genuine plus, even when you work with specialist teams. Knowing the basics means better conversations and fewer technical surprises.

A mosaic of app icons and thumbnails, with a virtual reality headset and smart glasses at the centre

An understanding of XR technologies

The differences between AR, VR and MR, what headsets can and cannot do, the challenges of tracking, the specifics of each piece of hardware: technical constraints have to be anticipated, and designs adapted to the devices you are aiming for.

A person seen from behind wearing a virtual reality headset, surrounded by screens showing natural landscapes and an illustration of a climbing plant, with documents scattered on the floor

A feel for immersive storytelling

Knowing how to immerse someone and hold their attention through spatial or interactive scenarios. Storytelling in XR rests on environmental narrative, on interactivity, and on pacing.

Person sitting cross-legged wearing a virtual reality headset, surrounded by floating icons of apps and devices

Looking after comfort and ethics

Accounting for fatigue, cybersickness, data protection, accessibility and inclusivity in your designs. The user's wellbeing is central to experiences that are positive and responsible.

Practical advice for starting the transition

  • Begin with short courses or online tutorials to discover the XR tools (Unity, ShapesXR, Snap AR and others).
  • Join communities, or follow XR designers on LinkedIn, on Discord, or at specialist bootcamps.
  • Start small projects of your own (AR experiences, VR prototypes) to practise and build up your portfolio.
  • Study successful XR experiences regularly (exhibitions, games, professional apps) to decode their design decisions and draw inspiration from them.

Moving from designer to XR designer means building on your fundamentals while daring to relearn and experiment. It is as much a technical challenge as it is a wonderful playground for anyone who loves innovation and human-centred design. The opportunities are many, and demand for hybrid profiles keeps growing across every sector.

Keen to train? The first of a long series of courses on XR is coming soon! Stay tuned!

Sources

- EEMI – XR Design: creating immersive experiences for the future (https://www.eemi.com/lxr-design-creer-des-experiences-immersives-pour-le-futur-2/)

- AIXR Insights – What Skills do I Need to Work In XR? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIQHgu967G8)