What does a UX designer do?
A UX designer's primary goal is to craft digital products that create a seamless and intuitive experience for users. Ever had a negative experience using a website? Maybe you’re struggling to book a flight because there’s so many ‘add-on’ options? That’s exactly why UX designers exist - to make sure that doesn’t happen. UX Designers are responsible for identifying user needs and business goals, and shaping them into solutions using wireframes and prototypes for testing. They call upon design principles, psychology and technology to enhance the usability and accessibility of the product.
What makes a great UX Designer?
One of the key attributes of being a UX designer is being a very empathetic person that tries to understand how their user is thinking and feeling. This ultimately helps them build a better product that enhances the experience. With empathy in mind, being proactive and collaborative on how you find that solution is also incredibly important. It is a collaborative effort between product managers, developers and marketers to make sure that all perspectives are considered. This, alongside great communication to bring the different stakeholders together makes a very successful designer.
Do you have any tips on becoming a UX Designer? What are the professional requirements?
UX Design has become a very popular career choice in the last few years and I think what sets people apart is those designers who spend the time understanding the foundational knowledge of design thinking. The design process, whether this be a Fashion Design, Product Design or Graphic Design follows a similar thread of research, experimentation and iteration. Specific to UX Designers, becoming well versed in UX Design principles, user research methodologies and prototyping is an important first step.
There are no mandatory professional requirements. However, it is advantageous to have an educational background in psychology, design or design related fields. A great place to learn a lot quickly is working for an agency where you are expected to run the process many times with different clients.
What are the common misconceptions about the role of a UX Designer?
Common misconceptions about the role of a UX designer include the idea that it solely involves making interfaces ‘look good,’ when in reality, there’s a whole process to assess the holistic journey a user goes through to use a product. This is used to find better, more intuitive ways of using the product and to ensure the process does not cause any frustration or friction for the user. Additionally, some may think that UX design is a one-time task, whereas it's an iterative process that involves continuous research, testing, and refinement.
What changes would you like to see happen within your sector and the music industry in general?
It would be great to see how the design industry and UX could have an impact on the challenges we face in the music industry, particularly getting a more diverse workforce and supporting artists / grassroot venues. UX design has so much to offer in regards to understanding people’s pain points and being able to research, ideate and innovate on those problems. Therefore if we can find a way of harnessing the benefits of UX, we will be able to see the changes in the industry that we want.