Let’s be
honest and accept that 9 out of 10 times an article pertaining to UX will talk
about design techniques, skills and tips. However, the hugely important people
skills are most often least talked about.
User
Experience Design, as the phrase suggests is after all, all about the ‘user’. Not some ambiguous hypothetical
entity but normal people like you and me.
UX Designers have a lot on their plate and those who miss out on these
key skills find themselves under-prepared for the role of a Designer. But, don’t
worry we have you covered!
In this blog
post you will learn 5 must have soft skills that will not only make you a
sought after UX designer but also guarantee career growth.
1. Empathy:
Designing
for users means that you must be able to immerse yourself in the life of a
user. If you cannot understand and relate to a user and his problem then
finding the right solution for him will be a neigh impossible task and is one
of the reasons that so many products fail.
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| Image: Todd Hayen |
Designers
must as a core skill develop empathy to understand how users behave in a given
situation. He should be able to see things from their perspective and this can
be achieved when he steps into their shoes.
Since human interaction is central
to the UX design discipline, designers must be able to empathise with and
understand people.
2. Communication:
Design is all about communication. Communicating ideas,
beliefs and thoughts and so communication skills is another must have for all designers.
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| Image: http://goo.gl/QWxrv4 |
Too many people labour under the impression that designers
are aloof and live in their own world. However, in today’s high-tech world
where design is an integral part of all products this misconception must be
dispelled.
A UX designer talks to
stakeholders, clients, engineers and users.
Good Communication is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of
outstanding designers.
3. Presentation:
The fact of the matter is (and we can have another blog to
debate this point) that a designer must also be a sales guy. He needs to be
able to stand up and showcase his designs, defend them and then take a buy in
from the other stakeholders.
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| Image: http://goo.gl/M1H70R |
So it goes without saying that if you can present well then
you will sell well. It is not enough to make brilliant designs, although in an
ideal world it should be, a designer must also package and present his designs
to a wider audience.
However, it is not all for show. The ability to create a
well-structured, impactful and succinct presentation also reflects clarity of
thought and professionalism towards work.
Plus how cool is it to wow a roomful of senior management
with your amazing designs and presentation!
4. Good Listener:
Remember how we talked about empathy earlier? You will
empathize when you listen. Listening to someone to know what they want to say and listening to someone to understand what they say are two very
different things.
Read that again.
Read that again.
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| Image: http://goo.gl/XCQ8X6 |
Being a good listener is immeasurably more powerful than
being a good talker. Being a good listener entails holding back your comments
and judgments & giving your full attention to the person talking.
You
will be surprised at how much information you can gain by just sitting back and
listening while someone else does the talking.
Besides, one of the biggest advantages of good listening is
that it will save you a lot of guess work later on in the design process.
5. Storytelling:
No matter what anyone tells you, always remember that
designers are story tellers. People who tell stories will generally possess all
the above skills that we discussed.
They listen to people, empathize with them,
communicate freely and then present their stories to the world.
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| Image: http://goo.gl/SfYICF |
A designer especially a UX designer does pretty much the
same. He observes, listens, empathizes and weaves a user story, and then gives
this story back to his users in the form of a product.
Final word:
Is this the coolest job in the world or what? On a more serious note though, soft skills are just as
important as technical skills especially if you are a designer working in user experience industry.
Mastering these
5 key skills will put you firmly on the path to being an outstanding and a successful UX Designer.
What other soft skills do you think a designer in UX field
must have to succeed? Drop us a comment and we would be happy to read it.
