Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

User interface designer to ICT system architect

A user interface designer already meets 46% of what the ICT system architect role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From user interface designer
46 % overlap
Partial match
To ICT system architect
51 You already bring
17 Still to learn
92 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

66.8/ 100

1 How much of what an ICT system architect is expected to do is already part of a user interface designer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ICT system architect role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An ICT system architect role treats 6 of its required skills as things a user interface designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • analyse business requirements
  • business process modelling
  • define technical requirements
  • use an application-specific interface
  • use markup languages
  • web programming

What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 51 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT system architect role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a user interface designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held task algorithmisation information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held design process communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held web programming information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held use markup languages working with computers
  • already held analyse business requirements information skills
  • already held business process modelling business, administration and law

All 51 carried skills, including the 6 the ICT system architect role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 41 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information and communication technologies (icts) 6 required, 7 supplementary
  • still to learn database development tools required
  • still to learn hardware platforms required
  • still to learn system design required
  • still to learn systems theory required
  • still to learn digital systems required
  • still to learn systems development life-cycle required
  • optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
  • optional, not held ICT system integration optional
  • optional, not held ICT system programming optional
  • optional, not held Microsoft Visual C++ optional
  • optional, not held Oracle WebLogic optional
  • optional, not held information structure optional
  • optional, not held image recognition optional
02 working with computers 5 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn acquire system component required
  • still to learn align software with system architectures required
  • still to learn apply ICT systems theory required
  • still to learn implement ICT security policies required
  • still to learn integrate system components required
  • optional, not held develop with cloud services optional
  • optional, not held plan migration to cloud optional
  • optional, not held use object-oriented programming optional
  • optional, not held solve ICT system problems optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn design enterprise architecture required
  • still to learn design information system required
  • optional, not held design cloud architecture optional
  • optional, not held design database in the cloud optional
  • optional, not held design database scheme optional
  • optional, not held design for organisational complexity optional
  • optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
04 information skills 2 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn create data models required
  • still to learn manage database required
  • optional, not held manage cloud data and storage optional
  • optional, not held perform resource planning optional
  • optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
05 management skills 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn assess ICT knowledge required
  • optional, not held manage standards for data exchange optional
  • optional, not held manage staff optional
06 constructing 1 required
  • still to learn manage system testing required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an ICT system architect role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 51 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse business requirements skill
  • already held business process modelling knowledge
  • already held define technical requirements skill
  • already held use an application-specific interface skill
  • already held use markup languages skill
  • already held web programming knowledge
  • already held ABAP knowledge
  • already held AJAX knowledge
  • already held APL knowledge
  • already held ASP.NET knowledge
  • already held Agile project management knowledge
  • already held Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held C# knowledge
  • already held C++ knowledge
  • already held COBOL knowledge
  • already held CoffeeScript knowledge
  • already held Common Lisp knowledge
  • already held Erlang knowledge
  • already held Groovy knowledge
  • already held Haskell knowledge
  • already held ICT project management methodologies knowledge
  • already held ICT security legislation knowledge
  • already held Java (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held JavaScript knowledge
  • already held Lisp knowledge
  • already held MATLAB knowledge
  • already held ML (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Objective-C knowledge
  • already held OpenEdge Advanced Business Language knowledge
  • already held PHP knowledge
  • already held Pascal (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Perl knowledge
  • already held Process-based management knowledge
  • already held Prolog (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Python (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held R knowledge
  • already held Ruby (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held SAP R3 knowledge
  • already held SAS language knowledge
  • already held Scala knowledge
  • already held Scratch (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Smalltalk (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held Swift (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held TypeScript knowledge
  • already held VBScript knowledge
  • already held Visual Basic knowledge
  • already held build business relationships skill
  • already held computer programming knowledge
  • already held design process skill
  • already held lean project management knowledge
  • already held task algorithmisation knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held model based system engineering optional
  • optional, not held security engineering optional
08 services 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held defence standard procedures optional
24 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
  • optional, not held ICT system integration optional
  • optional, not held ICT system programming optional
  • optional, not held Microsoft Visual C++ optional
  • optional, not held Oracle WebLogic optional
  • optional, not held defence standard procedures optional
  • optional, not held design cloud architecture optional
  • optional, not held design database in the cloud optional
  • optional, not held design database scheme optional
  • optional, not held design for organisational complexity optional
  • optional, not held develop with cloud services optional
  • optional, not held information structure optional
  • optional, not held manage cloud data and storage optional
  • optional, not held manage standards for data exchange optional
  • optional, not held plan migration to cloud optional
  • optional, not held use object-oriented programming optional
  • optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
  • optional, not held image recognition optional
  • optional, not held manage staff optional
  • optional, not held model based system engineering optional
  • optional, not held perform resource planning optional
  • optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
  • optional, not held security engineering optional
  • optional, not held solve ICT system problems optional
44 held skills the ICT system architect role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Adobe Illustrator knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Adobe Photoshop knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Agile development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role DevOps knowledge
  • not needed by the target role GIMP (graphics editor software) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT accessibility standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Microsoft Visio knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Prototyping development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Rapid application development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role SketchBook Pro knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Spiral development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Synfig knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Waterfall development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role World Wide Web Consortium standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role application usability knowledge
  • not needed by the target role assess users' interaction with ICT applications skill
  • not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cognitive psychology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role create software design skill
  • not needed by the target role create website wireframe skill
  • not needed by the target role design graphics skill
  • not needed by the target role design user interface skill
  • not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
  • not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
  • not needed by the target role graphics editor software knowledge
  • not needed by the target role human-computer interaction knowledge
  • not needed by the target role incremental development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role interact with users to gather requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
  • not needed by the target role iterative development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role manage localisation skill
  • not needed by the target role manage online content skill
  • not needed by the target role natural language processing knowledge
  • not needed by the target role perform online data analysis skill
  • not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role screen reader knowledge
  • not needed by the target role software UI design patterns knowledge
  • not needed by the target role software design methodologies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role software interaction design knowledge
  • not needed by the target role test system accessibility for users with special needs skill

4 further entries not listed here

16 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn database development tools required
  • still to learn hardware platforms required
  • still to learn system design required
  • still to learn systems theory required
  • still to learn digital systems required
  • still to learn systems development life-cycle required
  • optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
  • optional, not held ICT system integration optional
  • optional, not held ICT system programming optional
  • optional, not held Microsoft Visual C++ optional
  • optional, not held Oracle WebLogic optional
  • optional, not held defence standard procedures optional
  • optional, not held information structure optional
  • optional, not held image recognition optional
  • optional, not held model based system engineering optional
  • optional, not held security engineering optional
Index

Other moves recorded from user interface designer

Full index of moves from user interface designer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a user interface designer become an ICT system architect?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A user interface designer already covers 46% of what an ICT system architect is expected to do: 51 skills carry over, 6 of which the ICT system architect role treats as required.

What skills does a user interface designer need to become an ICT system architect?

17 required skills are missing, plus 24 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is acquire system component.

How hard is the move from user interface designer to ICT system architect?

Its learning distance is 66.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.