While the jury’s out on the exact skills we should have as UX designers, there are some UX designer skills we all need to be successful. Without certain skills, UX is about as effective as staring at a blank computer screen.
Our backgrounds vary drastically, even though it’s common for many UX designers to have a web design background. Still, we should all have certain core skills.
Some skills are easy enough to take some courses on, but others are a little tougher, such as understanding people. For anyone considering UX design as a career, take it from UX designers who’ve been there – make sure to master the following skills.
1. Excellent Research Skills
This may be the most important of all UX designer skills. We have to understand the user we’re designing for. The only way to do this is through extensive research and testing throughout the entire process. Sadly, it’s a step that even clients try to skip much of the time because they believe they already understand their target user.
It’s up to UX designers to take research into their own hands and try to learn as much about the end user as possible. Otherwise, the finished products won’t be tailored towards their ideal experience.
2. Understand Wireframing And Prototyping
These are two of the most technical skills all UX designers should have. In many cases, non-designers often confuse the terms. Wireframing involves creating a very rough outline of the design. We typically think of a wireframe as part of the design documentation.
Prototyping involves a much more detailed version of the final product, though the design may still go through quite a few changes before it’s finished. Wireframes and prototypes are often used in user research to see how users feel about the design so far. Not only do we need to understand the concepts, but the tools used to create both.
3. Looking Beyond The Trends
It’s one of the most overlooked UX designer skills. We can’t just go with what’s popular. It’s up to UX designers to think beyond the trends and consider what’s best for the user. For instance, if someone hadn’t considered that responsive design would make it easier for people to get the best experience on all devices, we’d probably still have separate desktop and mobile versions of websites.
It’s a hard skill to learn because we have to think outside the box. Plus, clients often want to go with what’s popular to stay competitive. It’s difficult to convince them otherwise until they see users interact with something better.
4. Focus On User-Centered Designs
User-centered design is actually a process. Our job as designers is to come up with designs centered around the end user. This skill means learning how to not only design for the user, but to also incorporate the client’s goals effectively. It’s one that’s sometimes hard to master, but we always love what happens when we get it just right.
5. Solve Problems In New Ways
First and foremost, UX designers are problem solvers. Learning how to solve problems in new ways is one of the most important UX designer skills any of us can have. Think of it this way. At one point in time, we washed clothes by hand and hung them out to dry. While we can still do it that way and sometimes still have to, someone decided to make washing clothes an easier experience by solving the problem with a machine.
It’s this type of innovative thinking that makes UX design vital to the product creation process. It’s up to UX designers to think way outside of the box and see different ways a problem could be solved and then pick out the best option.
6. Visualize Solutions
Finally, we have to great imaginations to visualize solutions just by looking at some user research and client specs. Sure, we’ll change the solution along the way to best fit the user, but we get this image in our minds of how the solution should work. It gives us a goal to work towards and a foundation to start working with.
This skill also comes in handy when we have to look over designs and see what could be changed. Quickly visualizing a user’s typical (and not so typical) actions and seeing solutions makes all the difference between an okay design and a great one.
Naturally, this post could list endless UX designer skills that would benefit any budding UX designer. However, these six provide a great foundation for becoming the best possible designer you could be.
Image: Alex Knight, Chris Leipelt, Zachary Nelson, Aidan Meyer