Skills UX Designers Should Have on Their Resume
Whether you’re a seasoned UX professional or you’re a recent grad looking to land your first job in the field, there are plenty of skills you can develop to help you stand out from the crowd. While you should always be willing to adapt to your organization’s needs, here are a few key skills you should have on your resume:
Analytical thinking
Whether you are a UX designer or a UX researcher, analytical thinking is a skill that you’ll need to possess. These skills are necessary to solve complex problems and help you make sense of data.
Using analytical thinking, you can make better decisions. You can also boost your productivity. These skills are necessary in many industries, and they’re even more important in the rapidly evolving UI/UX industry.
The best way to improve your analytical skills is to practice. This can be done by reading, watching a Netflix series, or even playing chess. If you’re unsure about how to improve these skills, there are a variety of resources online that can help.
Analytical thinking involves using logic and creativity in tandem. The left hemisphere of your brain handles logic, while the right hemisphere handles creativity. By understanding how these two sides of your brain work, you can develop better analytical skills.
Visual design skills
Adding visual design skills to your UX toolkit will not only make your designs more attractive, but will also assist you in improving usability. However, you must first master the fundamentals.
Graphic design is a skill that requires a good understanding of typography, color theory, and the fundamentals of web design. In addition, you should learn how to use the software that is needed to create the various types of visual designs. There are a number of popular software programs, such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma. These software programs are important to any designer.
The best way to learn visual design is through practice. Try creating your own work and getting feedback. Also, find resources that list practical visual design tips.
Collaboration skills
Having effective collaboration skills is an essential skill for UX designers. Working together allows designers to consolidate efforts and meet business goals. It also enables designers to collaborate more effectively with the right people at the right time.
UX designers collaborate with various groups of people throughout the design process. They may be working with developers, leadership teams, product teams, or other designers.
A designer must be able to explain their ideas clearly and listen to feedback. They must also be able to manage stakeholder expectations and convey product ideas. UX Designers must also be skilled at prototyping and wireframing tools.
Collaboration skills are especially important for designers on product teams. Working together on a team can make the design process more inclusive and can help designers to develop products that are more appealing to consumers.
Active listening
Getting the most out of feedback sessions is a key factor in successful UX design. The best way to ensure you are getting the most out of a feedback session is by using active listening techniques.
Active listening involves asking questions that allow you to understand and appreciate the other person’s perspective. This is especially helpful in situations where the other person has a unique point of view.
Active listening is one of the many constructive soft skills that can be learned. The best way to develop these skills is to practice them in a variety of situations.
Active listening can be beneficial in both short-term and long-term situations. It can help deescalate tense situations. It can also strengthen relationships and improve morale among team members.
Usability test methods
Whether you are designing a new website or redesigning an existing one, using usability test methods is a key skill. The results of usability testing will provide valuable insights into how people interact with your product. It can also show you design solutions that might be better.
Depending on the type of usability test you conduct, the results can be quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative data can include mis-click rates, time it takes to complete a task, and percentage of users who clicked on a design. This data will require context to make sense. Ideally, you will have an understanding of how your users use your product before you conduct any usability testing.
Generally, usability tests can take place either moderated or unmoderated. Moderated tests will involve the participation of a moderator, who will guide and observe the participants.