I just changed both bulbs in around 20 minutes. First time changing them.
My tools: a stick, a 12 inch length of 12 gauge wire (solid, not stranded), and a fresh pair of nitrile gloves. Oh and a flashlight.

The "stick" was a piece of scrap wood about a foot long and roughly 1 inch by 3/16 inch in cross section.

Passenger side (US right side).
For the clip holding the cover, farthest outboard (toward fender)... stick.
Insert between clip and cover, gentle twist ... pops right off. Use stick to push it fully off the cover.
Inboard clip. Hand. Easy.

Drivers side (US left side)
Cover clip closest to fender. ...stick. Same as passenger side. Gentle twist. Pop. Push fully out of the way.

The covers take a little fiddling to get them out of the way. The passenger side one I kinda twisted and lifted and it came right out so I set it on the engine. The drivers side I basically slid straight rearward. A little bit of fiddling, but nothing required any force.

gloved up to insert the bulbs. Pulled the bulb clips over to lock them in, slide on the connectors, put the covers back in place. For that one passenger side, outboard cover clip, I used the 12 gauge wire with a little hook bent into the end, to pull the clip up onto the cover, shimmied fingers in to seat it in its final position.

Drivers side I found I had 2 ways to go in... one was sliding my hand across the front of the battery box. And the other was a triangular space at the end of the battery box near....I think it was an electrical box.

I was dreading this. Reading about people removing bumper covers and valances and having to remove the battery and all that sort. The drivers side would have been ten times easier had I removed the battery, but honestly I think it would have taken me longer to remove the battery than it did to change that bulb.

Anyways. Just thought I'd share my experience.
I wouldn't have any qualms about doing this again.

 

My X type is 10 years old and I have owned it for 5 years.
By coincidence, my first bulb failed last night.
So I will be attempting the change early next week.
I plan to change all the front bulbs. Change the small bulbs to blue ones that show as white light, the orange (UK) indicator bulbs to chrome/silver and the other four to higher light output ( but same wattage ) .

I hope my change is as smooth as yours.

 

If you're going to do that much work, I would probably remove the battery and battery box. You'll have a lot more room to see what you're doing. That could be a big help when you get to the other side where there really isn't a lot you can do to make more room except for maneuvering that cover right out of there and setting is aside.

 

You may find the following how to video useful. The guy who posted this has made a ton of other useful videos for the X-type: