8 Qualities of a Successful UX/UI Designer

Two factors unite all successful UX/UI designers. Firstly, they love what they do. Secondly, their personal qualities correspond to their chosen specialty. Do you ever wonder if you have made the right career choice? Let’s have a look at the eight most important qualities of a UX/UI designer.

Qualities of a Professional UX/Ui Design

Get ready to discover which character traits you need if you want to be a UX/UI designer.

1. Problem-Solving

All of the designers who are looking for user experience design jobs are endowed with the ability to find elegant solutions that are convenient for the user and, at the same time, effective for business. An interface designer needs to turn problem-solving into a habit. So he will feel more confident in solving typical problems.

How to develop this skill as suggested by Splinterteal.co.uk:

  1. Use ready-made structures, schemes, and experiences of industry leaders.
  2. Break complex tasks into several smaller, simpler ones.
  3. Try rephrasing the problem.
  4. Brainstorm. Decide how you will measure the success of your project.
  5. Work with those who think differently than you.
  6. Stimulate brain function through games. Both mosaics and strategy games will do.

2. UX Designers Love to Learn

The field of design is vast and requires knowledge from different disciplines. During work, the UX specialist plays many roles: he must simultaneously be a psychologist, analyst, planner, and designer. Without constant training and improving one’s skills, it is impossible to cope with all the given tasks. That is why the natural desire to learn is sometimes more important than any particular professional skill.

How not to stop learning:

  • Take professional courses at least once a year.
  • Attend conferences and seminars.
  • Take time to read.
  • Spend time with those who love to learn.

3. UX Designers Communicate Easily

The ability to win over people’s hearts comes in handy when polling users. Well-developed communication and persuasion skills will be useful when interacting with a team. And the ability to argue your point of view and defend the design strategy is necessary for communicating with clients.

How to develop communication skills:

  1. In a conversation, learn to find a common position and tune in to the interlocutor.
  2. Master the technique of “active listening.”
  3. Remember the timing of the work and the distribution of labor.
  4. Learn how to allocate responsibilities and accountability.
  5. Ask more questions.
  6. Be sincere with your interlocutor.
  7. Learn to speak articulately and master persuasion.

4. UX Designers Can Listen

This skill not only helps with career growth but also allows you to build serious long-term relationships with clients. One who knows how to listen can read and understand both verbal and non-verbal signals, an essential skill. UX designers are required to be well-versed in this task and communicate effectively with colleagues and clients. The better you know how to listen to the interlocutor, the fewer errors there are, and the more productive you will be at work. 

How to learn to listen correctly:

  1. Respect the opinions of others.
  2. Remember: nothing should interfere with your conversation.
  3. Do not interrupt the interlocutor.
  4. If necessary, do not hesitate to ask or clarify.
  5. To win over the interlocutor, use the “mirroring” technique (copying behavior).
  6. In a conversation, look the other person in the eye, be friendly and helpful.

5. UX Designers – Born Analysts

By nature, most designers are analysts. They should be able to evaluate any design decision based on the best examples and statistics available. It is not only about the tendency to develop a prototype based on data and parameters, but also the ability to draw conclusions and choose topics based on qualitative assessments from users. Anyone who is capable of reflecting, formulating, and graphically expressing useful ideas is likely suitable for the role of a UX designer.

How to develop an analytical mindset:

  1. Take the time to think about how to design based on existing information.
  2. In your work, take it as a rule: design should be logically justified.
  3. When creating designer products, use well-known models and information from users.

6. UX Designers Are Attentive to Detail

They say that design is in the details, but detailed work is not an easy job. It requires the ability to consider and repeatedly review the abundance of material, as well as constant attention. Love for detail will facilitate your work, allow you to work more efficiently, and save you from mistakes. In a word, work requires accuracy. Some people, by nature, tend to pay more attention to small details. But at the same time, with enough practice, anyone can train their eyes to see nuance and detail. 

How to develop attention to detail:

  1. Make a list of what needs to be done, and look at it often
  2. Revise the main ideas of a project and recheck the work with colleagues.
  3. Get used to collapsing larger tasks into smaller ones.
  4. Train yourself not to succumb to distractions. 

7. UX Designers Are Imbued With the “Pain” of the User

A UX designer should be able to put himself in the user’s place and feel what he feels when using a product or service. The designer will protect the interests of the user even when the others in the team leave them unattended. Only then will the project become successful.

How to better understand others:

  1. Learn to listen more.
  2. Allow yourself the weakness: when communicating with clients, be as open and frank as possible.
  3. Learn to understand even those people whose views you do not share.
  4. Respect the opinions of others.

8. UX Designers Think Holistically

The most important quality that a UX designer should possess is the ability to envision the whole picture to see it mentally. This requires the ability to understand the strategy, general business needs, user needs, and even what needs to be contributed to the project. Anyone who is used to thinking big will not get bogged down by distractions when fulfilling plans and, at the same time, will not overlook necessary details. Consequently, the UX designer works as a single team during projects with different specialists – the UX designer does not stay relegated to his corner.

Summing Up

Being a UX/UI designer is tricky: you need to be open and friendly, always continue learning and do everything possible to make your client happy. Even if you don’t possess some of these qualities yet, don’t be alarmed: you can develop them. Hopefully, this post will give you the tools you need to continue on your journey to becoming a better UX/UI designer.

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