{"id":6798,"date":"2022-05-26T15:13:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T15:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/?p=6798"},"modified":"2024-02-21T16:21:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T16:21:53","slug":"what-skills-do-you-need-to-be-a-ux-designer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-skills-do-you-need-to-be-a-ux-designer\/","title":{"rendered":"What skills do you need to be a UX designer?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX design jobs are among the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/switching-to-careers-in-ux\/\">most popular<\/a> and in-demand in the tech sector today. However, UX designers must be able to do more than specify how a webpage looks or what happens when a user taps a button in an application. So, what skills do you need to be a UX designer?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be successful, UX designers must have a combination of soft, design and transferable skills that ensure they can complete the varied tasks that are part of the job. Fortunately, while there are many skills that UX designers need, the ability to understand code and develop technology <em><strong>isn\u2019t one of them<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll explore the most valuable skills for UX designers today by reviewing the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-is-ux-design\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is UX design?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-does-a-career-in-ux-design-look-like\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does a career in UX design look like?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#soft-skills-for-ux-designers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Soft skills for UX designers<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#design-skills-for-ux-designers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design skills for UX designers<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#transferable-skills-for-ux-designers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transferable skills for UX designers<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we get into the skills UX designers need, let\u2019s start with a brief overview of what UX design is and what a career in the field involves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-diploma-in-ux-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/ux-design?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog_panel_pdux&utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN UX]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Diploma in UX Design course<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2><strong>What is UX design?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX stands for \u201cuser experience\u201d and it describes how a user feels when they use a product or service. A good user experience is easy and enjoyable, while a bad user experience is complicated, confusing and frustrating. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX design is the process of designing these experiences. It involves identifying and understanding a specific user problem and designing products or services to address the problem in a way that centres the user.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>What does a career in UX design look like?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Careers in UX can vary widely depending on the kind of company a UX designer works for. Some work for large advertising firms, others for in-house UX teams at technology companies and still others for tiny start-ups. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of where they work, UX designers follow a design process that starts with a research phase, continues to a design phase and ends with a user testing phase. Although they may not be involved in every phase, it\u2019s important that UX designers understand each part of the process and the numerous responsibilities and tasks included in each one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though UX designers have a lot to do, the one thing they will never have to worry about is coding the final product. This ensures that major tech skills aren\u2019t necessary for UX designers to perform their job. Instead, UX designers should advocate for the user at every stage of the design process.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Soft skills for UX designers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indeed.com\/career-advice\/resumes-cover-letters\/soft-skills\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">indeed.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, soft skills are \u201cinterpersonal and behavioural skills that will help you work well with other people and develop your career.\u201d Soft skills are among the most useful for a UX designer to have, due to the breadth of the job and the vast number of people UX designers must collaborate and interact with. While they can\u2019t be taught, you can improve your soft skills through practice. The most important soft skills for UX designers include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Empathy for users\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most essential skills for a UX designer is the ability to understand and empathise with the user. After all, if a UX designer can\u2019t put themselves into the mindset of the user and doesn\u2019t feel compassion for their frustrations and pain points, they won\u2019t be able to create meaningful and satisfying design solutions that address these issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communication and collaboration<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX designers do not work in isolation. They must be able to collaborate with other members of the design team including graphic designers, developers, fellow UX designers and more. Plus, they must be able to share their ideas with clients and stakeholders. As a result, good communication skills are a must, as they\u2019ll enable a UX designer to convey their vision for a project to both clients and colleagues. Meanwhile, UX designers who are good team players will make both their jobs and those of their colleagues easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Curiosity<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most exciting things about UX is that there\u2019s always something new to learn, whether it\u2019s understanding a client\u2019s industry, discovering a new kind of app or device or researching an innovative user experience pattern. UX designers who are open and curious will ask insightful questions, stay current on the latest trends in the field, observing and learning wherever they go. This will enable them to look at a problem from original and unique angles that will make it more likely they will arrive at design solutions that clients, stakeholders and, most importantly, users will love.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organisation and prioritisation<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX designers deal with an astonishing amount of information, including the requirements of the project and the user needs a product should address. Organising and prioritising this information will enable a UX designer to decide which parts of a project to tackle first and which aren\u2019t as essential. Plus, if they\u2019re working on multiple projects at once, the ability to organise and prioritise will ensure the UX designer will be as efficient as possible with their time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Design skills for UX Designers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design skills for UX designers are skills that are important specifically to the job of UX design. These are hard skills that can be learned in school, training programs or even at work. The most important design skills for UX designers include:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visual communication<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX design is a job that hinges on creating visuals. While UX designers don\u2019t have to dress their work up with images and colour, they do have to create designs that convey information and interactions in a visually appealing way. This means that whether they\u2019re sketching or creating polished mockups for a project, UX designers should be able to communicate visually through elements like text size and placement, visual hierarchy, clickable links and buttons and, generally, a lack of clutter.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wireframing and prototyping<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/best-ux-wireframe-tools\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wireframing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and prototyping are the cornerstone of any UX designer\u2019s toolkit. There are many tools to accomplish these tasks \u2013 but the more important issue is whether a UX designer understands how and why they\u2019re creating these documents to begin with. If wireframes don\u2019t successfully convey an interface in its entirety and prototypes don\u2019t represent interactions correctly, major mistakes can be made when developers code the product. UX designers should practice wireframing and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/best-prototyping-tools-for-ux-designers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prototyping<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> until these skills are second nature.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User research and testing<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on where a UX designer works, UX design and UX research may be separate jobs. Still, it\u2019s vital that all UX designers know how to perform and understand the results of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/usability-test-how-many-users\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">user research and testing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They can then apply those results to their designs in the beginning phases of the project and after the design has been completed but may still require improvements. The key to both user research and testing is getting to know what users want through techniques like creating user personas, user interviews, card sorting studies and other data gathering methods.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understanding the basics of tech<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t worry, this doesn\u2019t mean a UX designer needs to know how to code or have any other programming skills. However, UX designers will need to understand the basics of tech so they know if what they\u2019re designing can be implemented by a developer. At the minimum, if the UX designer has come up with an innovative solution to a problem, they should know when it\u2019s necessary to seek the input of a developer to ensure the interactions they\u2019ve specified can be successfully coded. If UX designers have these basic skills, they\u2019ll be able to survive and thrive in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Transferable skills for UX designers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indeed.com\/career-advice\/resumes-cover-letters\/transferable-skills\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> defines transferable skills as \u201cproficiencies that are useful in a variety of jobs and industries.\u201d Luckily, whether you\u2019re seeking a UX job right after graduating from college or you\u2019re changing careers after years in another industry, you\u2019ve likely acquired a number of skills that will be transferable to your work as a UX designer. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most important transferable skills for UX designers include:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critical thinking skills<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you\u2019re coming to UX from school or another industry, you\u2019ve likely spent time improving your critical thinking skills. That\u2019s experience that will come in handy for a job in UX. UX designers must be able to evaluate, analyse and utilise all the information that\u2019s relevant to a product in well-considered, creative and logical ways. Critical thinking skills enable UX designers to make smart decisions while ensuring they never lose sight of what\u2019s best for the user experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listening to and applying feedback<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In almost any job or academic environment, you must learn to listen to feedback and apply it to your work. UX design jobs are no different, although the sheer amount of feedback might be. UX designers must be prepared to receive feedback and comments on their work from users, team members, stakeholders and clients without becoming defensive. Remaining flexible and open enough to appreciate and apply this feedback is an important part of the design process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX designers who either aren\u2019t paying enough attention to feedback &#8211;\u00a0 or are reluctant to incorporate it into their designs\u00a0 &#8211; will have a more difficult time reaching optimal user experience and working with their clients and colleagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understanding of business<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a skill UX designers don\u2019t always have but is invaluable to those who do. That\u2019s because UX projects are conceived, initiated and completed because companies believe they can help meet key business objectives. UX designers who understand that will be in a better position to help the business and the user at the same time. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether your business knowledge comes from formal education or hands-on experience at another job, it will enable you to better comprehend and communicate how the product you\u2019ve designed contributes to your client\u2019s or stakeholders\u2019 bottom line, enabling you to get quicker buy-in and ensuring the design process is easier for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing is so crucial to UX design that it\u2019s increasingly common for UX teams to include a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-is-ux-writing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX writer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These individuals compose the microcopy and other words that are essential to any UX design. Yet, even if a UX team includes a dedicated UX writer, UX designers must be able to write specifications and other information to successfully communicate the elements of their designs and how the user interacts with them. Fortunately, both academia and other industries tend to require at least some writing. The more you\u2019ve honed this skill before making the transition to UX design, the better it\u2019ll serve you in the UX field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see from this list, UX is a career that requires a great many skills. While that may seem daunting, it\u2019s also what makes UX such a fun and fulfilling job. Plus, there\u2019s no need to stress over learning a new programming language or becoming intimately familiar with coding. If you\u2019re motivated to learn the UX design skills listed and you\u2019re eager to cultivate your soft and transferable skills, you\u2019ll find success in the field of UX with no major tech skills required.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As more people are making the switch to a career in UX, we ask what skills do you need to be a UX designer?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":6800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[266,265],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-into-ux","category-career"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6798"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10050,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6798\/revisions\/10050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}