5 soft skills every UX designer should have

Creating a digital product is full of rewards and challenges. No two projects are the same and often you have to attack a problem from all angles. This is why there are certain skills that are crucial if you want to be an effective designer. This article dives into just a few of the many abilities that I have learned are necessary as a UX Designer.

1. Empathetic

How can you create a product that accomplishes your users’ goals if you do not understand their needs and desires? In order to be a successful UX Designer, it is paramount that you put yourself in your users’ shoes so that you understand their needs.

“Speak Human. Feedback is for human beings, so address them as such. Use the words your users use.”

— Dan Saffer

You have to be able to design and solve for various types of users. Learning to empathize with your users is a skill that will develop overtime. You have to feel what your users feel in order to shed light on what will be most beneficial for them.

One of the best ways to do this is to talk to your users, whether it’s through surveys, user interviews, or usability tests. For example, the core of a usability test is not about understanding your product, it is about understanding how your users use your product. What is the path they take to get from A to B? What frustrates them the most? What makes them happy?

Another great technique for getting to know your users is through observation. Immerse yourself in their environment. It is our responsibility as UX Designers to be empathetic toward users of the product and make certain that their needs are met and their goals are accomplished.

2. Effective Collaborator

An individual cannot build a successful product on their own. It is a team effort, ranging from UX Designers to Product Managers to Developers to Marketing and so on. As a UX Designer, you will have to collaborate with other teams on a daily basis. You will partner with developers to understand constraints, or connect with the marketing team to ensure you are consistent in how you communicate the value of the product to your users.

You will integrate with other teams, which means you sometimes have to rely on others to guarantee that everything goes smoothly. This is why collaboration is a skill you must possess in order to be an effective team-member.

As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people’s ideas are often better than your own.” — Amy Poehler

If you know how to best utilize each team’s specialized skill and vice versa, then you will create a mutual respect for each other. This will allow you to create an environment for the product to flourish and reach its full potential.

3. Adaptive

The world is constantly shifting, which means that the most popular trends today are waiting to be replaced by tomorrow’s fads. There is a good chance that what excites a user now will bore them next week. As a UX Designer, it is your duty to plan and be aware of the malleability of trends in technology. It is critical to stay informed and up-to-date with the latest craze, while also not losing sight of what truly is important. In order to stay afloat with the latest — listen to podcasts, read recent articles, plan lunch-and-learns with your team, but remember to not become too wrapped up in the “now.” Instead, stay informed and keep that information in your pocket so that you are prepared for any situation.

“We tend to be distracted by the voices in our own heads telling us what the design should look like.”

— Michael Bierut

Each project brings new challenges that you may not be able to plan for. It’s important to not become frustrated or overwhelmed if some aspect does not go exactly as planned. If you craft a solution for a product and it does implement as intended, then have back-up solutions. There is more than one answer to the problem, and planning for the unexpected will help you adapt more quickly. While it is nearly impossible to know every single problem that could emerge, you can be aware of these potential issues and plan out how you will solve them. You should be equipped with the necessary skills and mindset that will allow you the flexibility to make changes during any stage of the process.

4. Passionate

While being passionate is applicable in any field, it is especially relevant to UX because, as a UX Designer, a lack of interest will seep through into the product. If you don’t have a passion for creating and solving problems, then you won’t be an effective UX Designer. It takes a lot of patience to craft the right solution and you have to crave thinking outside the box and digging deep.

You may need to come up with 100 different solutions before you have your “aha” moment. This probably means gathering more research, running tests, analyzing data, and creating wireframes. You have to possess that inner drive to create (and iterate and then iterate again). You can grow to love the field of UX, but this “soft skill” is more of an innate passion for design that you should already possess.

5. Open-Minded

This may not be a skill that immediately jumps into your head when you think of UX Design. Yet, if all UX Designers were narrow-minded, then it would most likely be impossible to ever accomplish anything. How can you create a great product if you are not open to new ideas and other points of view?

You need to listen to your team-members, or your users, and know when and how to utilize their ideas. You also have to be open to trying solutions that are unprecedented. The same solution is not going to work for every problem, so learning how to be accepting of new methods will go a long way.

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.”
― Frank Zappa

You have to be comfortable with the unknown and receptive of other ideas. Being tolerant of other perspectives is what separates a beginner from an expert. Think critically, but withhold judgment. Be inventive, without boundaries.

In a nutshell, you will be a much more successful UX Designer if you possess these soft skills:

1. Adaptive
2. Effective Collaborator
3. Empathetic
4. Passionate
5. Open-Minded

Soft skills are equally as important as technical skills, if not more vital. Being able to empathize with users or collaborate productively with your team is what will ultimately drive results and culminate a great product.