UX designer

How to be a good UX designer? Top 7 tips

Do you want to be a great UX designer? These suggestions can help you advance in your profession and stand out in future job interviews.

User experience, or UX, design is becoming increasingly crucial.

Online activity skyrocketed from the outset of the epidemic. Many firms that had never had a significant digital presence had to completely pivot. This meant that specialists who create user-friendly apps, websites, and digital services became increasingly important.

But, aside from the technical abilities necessary for a career in the UX design field, what do you need to know to stand out? How do you show yourself effectively and stand out from the crowd?

Follow these 7 tips to become the UX designer of your dreams:

Set personal learning objectives

One of the most crucial aspects of success in any job is ongoing learning. As a UX designer, you will always be working towards your client’s or employer’s goals. However, in order to push yourself, you must first establish your own personal objectives to help you upskill.

Outside of your assigned tasks, stretch your creative muscles by challenging yourself to perform something entirely new.

Discover your area of expertise

While it is beneficial to be a generalist early in your UX career, it is also beneficial to focus on a specialized area of expertise to distinguish yourself from others.

Find a specific strength or interest and strive toward being an expert in that field. It can be through voice user interfaces, mobile design, UX authoring, or motion design etc.

Emphasis on inclusiveness

One of the most essential aspects of UX design is that it is accessible to all users. Inclusive design is critical, and accessibility should be included into product and app design from the start.

Make sure you’re informed about all aspects of accessible, ethical, and inclusive designs. You must illustrate it in your portfolio with confidence to stand out as a UX designer.

Read more: Why are inclusive designs so important for great user experience?

Understand your ‘why’

Design is frequently subjective. Sure, some UX decisions are objectively excellent and awful. However, there will always be a lot of opposing viewpoints on literally everything.

This is why it’s crucial to understand why you chose a certain design decision and to be able to confidently articulate it. When it comes to job interviews, being able to articulate your ‘whys’ is what makes a big difference. As you move through your portfolio, it will not only demonstrate how you operate as a UX designer but will also emphasize your communication and problem-solving abilities.

Learn to tell stories

While UX design should be visually appealing, it is critical not to lose sight of the UX aspect of your work. It is your responsibility to take the user on a trip. After all, if your beautiful work fails to successfully express what it is meant to, you have failed in your job.

Before you start brainstorming graphic concepts, learn about the message or story that a particular brand or customer is attempting to convey. Then, use storyboards to ensure the message is consistent throughout.

Forgo perfectionism

Perfectionism is in the DNA of many UX designers, and it may be exceedingly difficult to let go of that perspective. You may believe that aiming for perfection would help you become a better UX designer.

However, in your opinion, a 90% perfect job is preferable to a 100% flawless one that may never be completed since perfection is so uncommon. Knowing when to put something to rest and produce a great project on time is a far stronger trait.

Allow for imaginative thinking

Outside of your employment and your personal design projects, establish time and space for yourself to think, brainstorm, and be creative.

This does not imply that you should strive to come up with even more imaginative design concepts. In fact, you should step away from your work entirely. Take a stroll, draw, or surf the web. The trick is to allow your brain to be free to be inspired.