The massive growth in mobile technology uptake in recent years across all industries, coupled with the ongoing expansion of desktop, makes user experience design more important than ever. Because cutting edge UX design skills are a high-demand skill, there are many companies and individuals working in this area. Here are five skills that set a top UX designer apart from the rest:
A High Capacity To Think Like A User
Empathy is a core characteristic of a top UX designer. In order to be able to create mobile and desktop user flows that are effective and a pleasure to use, you need to be able to envisage the user’s experience from start to finish.
It’s vital for a UX designer to be able to identify what users’ primary pain points are and how best a design could be structured and executed to help solve them. ‘Intuition’ counts: you need to be able to imagine how users want to achieve their objectives. Once you understand, you must make it as effortless as possible for them to proceed.
The Ability To Balance User-Centric Design With Overall Platform Objectives
Because it is ultimately users (and not test groups or the development team) that will be using a product, you do need to pay careful attention to UX design. At the same time, the best designs strike a happy balance between the objectives of the software, app or website and the objectives of the individual user. This skill requires being able to move between a detail-orientated and broader, holistic perspective.
Innate Curiosity
To be a truly insightful and innovative UX designer, you need to remain curious about the latest trends and updates in UX design and associated technology. Curiosity drives innovation – you test your own limits as well as the limits of existing frameworks, methods, and technologies.
Be Data-Driven
Even if it’s not part of your expected skill set, to be a UX designer and excel at what you do, it’s advantageous to understand data and how to use research to gain deep insights into the story of user behaviour told by the numbers. Being able to gather and interpret key data points helps you get the competitive edge in your designs.
Excel In Verbal As Well As Non-Verbal Communication
Communication in UX design is obviously a vital skill, given how it deals with helping users find the information they desire and act accordingly. Besides being a good speaker and writer, you need to be able to encapsulate your UX design ideas visually and convey their vital features clearly to stakeholders as well as users. Part of being an excellent communicator also means being open to challenges from colleagues. When you’re an open communicator, feedback feeds inspiration back into your work.
The above five skills are ultimately what separates a competent and forward-thinking UX designer from a designer who is simply going through the motions. If you need adept UX design, contact Interact RDT today.