Are you familiar with the term UI/UX and want to kick-start your journey as a UX designer? Well, to enter the field of UX designing you must possess excellent technical and interpersonal skills. There are a lot of UX designers working in software companies, and the marketplace is becoming tough day by day.
To complete the professional UX designers, you must look into the core, essential, and desirable skills needed to become a UX designer. After all, a company hires a UX designer that has exceptional skills in designing the most accessible, user-friendly, and interactive user interface that enhances their customer’s experience.
The value and worth of a UX designer come with their high-quality designing skills. And it’s not necessary to have a bachelor’s degree to become a UX designer. Just the right skill and attitude can make you stand out from the crowd.
There are numerous online resources from where you can start building your UX designing skills. Practicing those skills will lead you towards making a top-notch UX design that will awe your customers.
Now let’s explore some of the most top-rated UX skills that will help you in becoming a pro UX designer.
BASIC OR PERSONAL SKILLS FOR A UX DESIGNER
Before moving towards the technical skills, get an idea of some of the basic or personal skills that you’ll require to become a UX designer.
- Curiosity
People who are curious to know, learn, and explore new things can become excellent UX designers. Engaged with clients by asking questions relevant to their products. It can help in gaining a better understanding of the UI needs and requirements. Carefully listen to the problems and make notes to give a useful outcome and solutions to clients.
- Empathy
Bring empathy in yourself, to understand and feel the emotions of others. A positive user experience is built through strong empathy. As a UX designer, you must spend time getting to know people and their preferences. It will help you in creating products that truly engage and please end customers.
- Communication
Communication is key to communicating your design ideas and concepts to your client, team, and stakeholders. Explaining technical terms of designing to a non-IT person is much difficult, but you can resolve it by delivering your ideas simply and effectively that is easily understood by everyone in the team. You can learn communication skills online by enrolling yourself in a communication skill course.
- Collaboration
Collaboration is a skill that every UX designer must possess to work as a team to build an amazing product. Giving and receiving feedback, exploring solutions, incorporating ideas of developers, clients, and team members are effective to bring the best solution to the table. Encourage yourself and participate with your teammates to create the best products possible.
TECHNICAL SKILLS FOR A UX DESIGNER
Now let’s see some of the most essential technical skills.
1. UX RESEARCH
Research is the foremost skill that is essential for every UX designer to understand what are the needs and requirements of the target audience. Researching is also the first step in the designing phase that plays a vital role in creating a product. That uniquely caters to the customer’s needs.
Researching and analyzing the user requirements can empower you to make a product even better. Creating a user persona is crucial to identifying your target audience. And that’s what matters the most in delivering an exceptional UX design.
2. Wireframing
As a UX designer, you must possess Wireframing and prototyping skills to create a simple yet clear layout of the product. Wireframing is the second phase of UX designing that helps in designing the skeleton and layout of the product.
In UI/UX design, a wireframe is vital because it aids you in determining where interface elements and the content will be put within the design. It will present a high-level overview of how the product will work to provide the greatest possible user experience.
Wireframes allow you to sketch out how the information will be organized on the website, allowing users to access information quickly and effortlessly. Therefore, you’ll need to build solid Wireframing skills.
3. Prototyping
The next step that comes after Wireframing is prototyping in which you will test the sample with end-users to get users’ feedback on the design. You can also use prototypes to test page functionality as well as overall navigation.
The main skill here to deal with is the testing skill. As a designer, you’ll require to do proper and quick testing of your product to ensure it meets the needs and requirements of the user.
4. Information Architecture
Information architecture is the process of structuring data in a logical and intelligible way. The information architecture can be found on websites, apps, software, printed documents, and even physical venues.
It includes systems such as labeling, navigation, and search tools. So, learn some common website information architecture patterns and practice them by making a sitemap of a website or app that you find interesting.
5. Visual Communication
Visual communication is the core principle of UX that gives a brief concept about the icons, layout, color, typography, images, presentations, interactive prototypes, and mockups. Being a UX designer you must be proficient in visual language because the design is so graphic.
Learning visual communication skills that clears your concept about what color, theme, icons, fonts, etc. ate best suited for your user interface.
6. Proficiency In Tools
UX designers are smart and proficient enough in using visual design tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch, Figma, Axure, Keynote, etc. As a beginner, you must practice with these tools to design wireframes and user graphic interfaces.
There are a lot of tutorials available on the internet that help you to get started with these tools. You can get lessons on how to use these tools and how to design your interface on them.
CONCLUSION
Moving towards the end of this article, I would like to add that these skills are the basic building of becoming an excellent UX designer. Personal and technical skills have their importance, and to compete with UX designers. You must have a strong grasp of the skills that are listed above.
But primarily you must have a strong knowledge of UI/UX designing so that it will help in easily learning these skills. When you enter the market as a UX designer the first question you’ll be asked is what skills set do you have.
How you can apply those skills in UX design to boost the user experience. Hence, we can conclude that it’s vital to learn desirable UX design skills before you begin your journey as a UX designer.
More articles –