It is always better to know something well than to know everything but slightly. Many people would prefer being a master of one`s craft rather than to know a little bit of this, a little bit of that and be unable to put this knowledge in practice. If you are a designer, the following skills are going to bring you success. If you are currently looking for good UX Designers, you will have to know about the main skills they should have. Being a UX Designer becomes one of the most crucial factors in the success of any software-based business.
Moreover, a top-notch designer may have certain difficulties understanding UX design itself. It’s important to clearly understand that, let’s say, in the eyes of the hiring manager, you’re not simply a UX designer. These ten skill areas definitely must be exercised by the UX Designer. Once you learn them, you will get a nice job. There are some professionals who usually reluctant to share their success secrets. However, the article reveals the hidden.
Let’s consider each of the skill separately:
1. UX studies
If you want to do UX professionally, it is highly important to be able to conduct researches. Its results help create mobile applications for websites of high quality. Good solutions do not come out of anywhere. They are thought over, researched and studied beforehand. There is useful information, which can be used in every sphere from cognitive psychology to informatics.
2. Common projects
One soldier does not make a battle. While you are rather bad in coding, web design and marketing and cannot manage projects, communicate with co-workers and experts for successful work. UX studies will help you out for a start only. Cooperation will let you get acquainted with related professions and apply received knowledge working as a team with different specialists whose skills fill up yours.
3. Wireframe and prototypes
In order to persuade everyone that you are good at UX, use wireframes and prototypes. Prototyping of applications is a great opportunity to demonstrate the key functionality of a project before it is given away for development. Besides that, you will be able to present your project to investors effectively. There are many tools for fast prototyping in order to get in what direction an application or a website is to be developed.
4. Work with content
Writing ability is underestimated the skill of UX designers. It is generally believed that, for example, knowing how to code is compulsory for a project designer. However, managing content no less important for a designer than text composition. It will not take long but interaction with users will move to a new level.
Take your phone and open any of the applications you have. Description of new functions, work recommendations, hints, all that are accurately made content. You could have not noticed it before because a good text just like a good design remains unnoticeable. Examples of strong works can be seen on Apple, Dropbox, and MailChimp.
5. Visual communications
Ability to convey a message by means of graphic elements is necessary for a designer. It is easier for people to take in information visually, which is why do not forget about UI. You can make icons, presentations, interactive prototypes and mockups of better quality.
6. Empathy
It is an ability to put oneself in some other person`s shoes and see everything with this other person`s eyes. When a designer understands the problem of a user, s/he is on half of the problem is solved. If you think like a project manager only, you are going to be mistaken in determining the needs of end-users. People will not use your product.
7. Interaction design
You may create an aesthetically pleasing design but not to take into consideration the fact of how users are going to interact with it. User experience and interaction design have much in common. Interaction design is about how users use a product or a service. Create interactive websites frames, combining a few versions of the design in order to choose the one, which fits.
8. Programming
UX specialists work across professional areas while there is a lack of technical designers in the world. Are designers programmers the solution to the problem? In accordance with the third Design In Tech yearly report, a third of designers have engineering education. The borderline between a designer and a developer is blurred and it sounds like a good idea to improve programming skills. There is no need to become a full-stack developer after all.
9. Analytics
Testing is the next step in the creation of a mobile application or a website. You need to know how well your design works. Analytics helps to find it out. You should be able to enter into figures, percentage, and proportions. Many UX designers have a fear for metrics but they help in practice. Add analytical information to design and create a better version of a product based on true data.
10. Communication skills
Conduct researches, prototype making and other technical skills of a UX designer are truly important. Business skills are no less important at the same time: the ability to manage a product and your time. What makes designers stand out apart from visual communication though? Public performance and presentations. In order to avoid pitfalls and get positive feedback, one should be able to present a product and be confident in public.
Sphere develops very fast. Trends replace one another. These skills are on the front burner of the UX market now and in the nearest future. Despite what you like most of all in the process of UX design: analytics, projecting or prototyping, do not lose your time and work hard. The world needs professionals.