Key skills to look out for when hiring UI/UX designers

Under the vast umbrella of experience design, UI and UX are the two elements responsible for designing a digital experience and aesthetically representing it.

A UI/UX designer ideally possesses equal capabilities for designing an optimal user experience and a pleasing interface for users to interact with. While UX designers focus on the functionalities and overall experience with the digital product, UI designers work on making that experience visually attractive. Owning both UI/UX design skills brings a unique set of skills to a larger design team.

Roles of a UI/UX designer

A UI/UX designer combines the skills of creating UX architecture and designing UI. So, a UI/UX designer does the job of two different people, and it includes:

• Designing the interaction architecture
• Charting the user pathway
• Planning information architecture
• Iterating prototypes/wireframes and carrying out research
• Creating visuals on a screen
• Choosing colors and typography
• Planning visual aesthetics
• Designing mockups and layouts

The must-have skills for UI/UX designers

There are several skills that a UI/UX designer must possess. Let’s take a look at these technical and business skills:

Technical skills

Research and analytical skills

A successful UX/UI designer should be able to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data about users. Then, if needed, a designer can interview users, observe their responses, or test for what might work for a great experience. To carry out thorough research, UI/UX designers should be able to choose the right participants and analyze the gathered data in technically correct ways. In addition, they must know how to come up with relevant survey questions to ensure the validity of their reports. Read our helpful guide to conducting remote user research to make sure your team succeeds at this phase of a design project.

Wireframing and prototyping

Wireframes depict the interface elements that will be part of different pages. A UI/UX designer decides the features to display, their position, and ways to present them on a page. To create the most efficient experience, UI/UX designers should know how all UI elements, like images, menus, and buttons, can be denoted aesthetically.

If the wireframes cover all the UX aspects effectively, the next step is to work on mockups that are preliminary models of products used in testing a concept. Sometimes, designers must also create high-fidelity designs as the final product mockup. Designers must be familiar with prototyping tools to develop quality wireframes and prototypes in less time.

UX writing

The UX writing or the micro-copy significantly impacts the overall user interaction. It is a tiny bit of text that guides users to do things on a screen. An effective UX writing merged with UI aesthetics leads to a highly smooth flow on a website or application.

Visual communication

Visual design is an essential part of UX. It is not limited to the look and feel of a website only but involves a lot more than that. Quality visuals minimize the need for written instructions leading to intuitive engagement.

Design tools

Proficiency with at least one UI/UX design tool is necessary to be a good designer. These tools help design various elements along with wireframes and prototypes. There are several tools like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, Figma, Sketch, and Invision Studio that designers currently use.

Typography skills

Typography is the technique of making written language appealing by using various effects. It plays a crucial role in enhancing the user interface by helping users focus on the critical elements on the screen.

Coding skills

Even though coding isn’t necessary for UI/UX designers, basic HTML and CSS knowledge will add value. With these skills, they can make minor adjustments to a website.

Information architecture

Information architecture focuses on organizing information within digital products. For instance, when designers create a digital experience, they layout every screen in a way so users can easily find the relevant information.

Business and remote work skills

Curiosity and creativity

A UI/UX designer must know users’ motivational factors and pain points. Suppose a designer has the curiosity to discover the decision-making aspects and the creativity to find the best solutions to the problems. In that case, it is easy to design an experience that is more engaging and rewarding. The creative mindset of designers can also lead to efficiently solving their target audience’s problems.

Empathy

Any designer can create screens or interfaces based on scientific data with logical reasoning. However, a UI/UX designer must empathize with the users to keep a human touch. Therefore, it is essential to understand the feelings and requirements of the users to create something they need.

Communication

Communication is the root of a successful design concept and its implementation. Not only do UI/UX designers communicate with their colleagues, but they also have to maintain regular communication with their marketing team and customers. Especially with remote work, productive communication skills are paramount to conducting research and presenting deliverables to the stakeholders.

Flexibility

Sometimes, UI/UX designers must stay away from their opinions and focus on the audience. And the simplest way to know what customers want is by asking open-ended questions and adapting to the changing needs.

Hire the world-class UI/UX designers

A UI/UX designer can be your whole package for designing projects. To find the right UX/UX designer, you need a person capable of technical and personal skills.

At Andela, we connect brilliant talent with opportunities to do impactful work. Andela’s Design Practice has the talent and experience to build your next design system. If you want to hire best-in-class UI/UX designers, put together your dream team with Andela.

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