Where do ux specialists come from
In recent years, many IT companies in Russia have faced an acute shortage of usability specialists. Over the past five years, software makers, for the most part, have matured to the idea that to succeed on the market it is not enough for them to release a product with some functionality, but it is also necessary that it be comfortable and beautiful. On the one hand, this trend is fueled by a developed market (many people have the necessary functionality, so they are already chosen by the “heart”), and on the other hand, Chinese and Indian developers are choking with dumping, depriving Russian software developers of such an important advantage as price.
And now, as they matured, many companies began to look for not just a “designer who can draw icons,” but serious and experienced usability specialists. And it turns out that there are very few of them.
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The funny thing is that it really is not clear who to look for. Well, what is this man called? Usability? UX Designer? What about Russian, UX-designer? Or, maybe, Interaction Designer - again, not in our opinion ... Interface Designer? Although no, this is probably more on the icons.
But if it is still possible to do without clarity in the name, then clarity in professional skills is no longer possible. And here again there is no consensus among employers. Here are some of the skills that are expected from such specialists:
Which of these skills is more important, and what can be neglected? Each employer resolves this issue based on the current situation. But you still face the painful question: do we need a “draftsman” or an “analyst from UX” rather?
A visionary employer / customer immediately asks this question. And the short-sighted is very surprised when, instead of the set of drawn screens expected by him, he receives analytical reports.
- Where is the drawn interface? - asks the project manager.
“You understand, I’m a UX specialist, I’m designing user interaction, analyzing behavioral responses, I’m still at the very beginning of the process,” a new employee who was hired two months ago for the position of “designer” is trying to justify himself.
“This is all fine, but you have been working for two months now, but I cannot give developers the screens to develop.”
- Well, I drew it, this is called Wireframes.
“These are not screens, these are black squares and stripes, I cannot give it to the coder and the programmer,” the boss boils.
- Detailed design should be worked out by another specialist, not by UX Designer.
- But you are a designer?
- Yes, but, you see, I am doing something different ...
As a result, it turns out that you need to hire another designer, and there is no money for him anymore. All analytics and painted characters are thrown into the garbage, because the deadline and code need.
I have been looking for and hiring interface designers for more than five years, and for the last two years I have been implementing UX practices in large IT companies. As a result, I have formed a certain opinion and a certain approach, which consists of two principles.
1) The UX specialist must be a universal. He must both design user interaction, and engage in analytics, and create Wireframes, and draw a clean design. Yuzabelisty who cannot make "beautifully" are not necessary. Tons of analytics and detailed user characters are of little use if there are no summary screens from the same person. In the idea of ​​"one makes the logic and wireframes, and the other draws the design," I do not believe, usually comes out a complete mess. The UX specialist designing the interface does not have to be a super schedule (elaboration of graphic themes, textures and fashionable icons can be given to specialized designers), but he should be able to do it neatly and beautifully so that, if desired, you can put it into development without involving a designer .
2) Take the designer and teach. Finding a good user friendly, and even with designer skills, is very difficult. Therefore, we practice hiring designers who have some experience with interfaces and a great desire to move in this direction. We teach them how to design interfaces, how to conduct usability testing. Our experience says that it is easy to teach a designer to engage in analytics, to think about users, to conduct usability research. But to teach the analyst to “draw design” is almost impossible. There are exceptions, but basically this rule is confirmed.
I am sure that many of my colleagues throw stones at me. I am sure that there are a million arguments about the division of labor, that UX and graphic design should not be confused, that good analytics is more important than drawing screens. The arguments are good, but personally I am not a theorist, I need to prepare about 20 UX-specialists this year to work on real projects.
I want to give only one reason to defend my practice of universal UX designers. This argument is an immature market.
90% of software makers (including the web) have a user interface (UI) and user interaction (UX) so bad that they are not fat. The interface designer of an average hand can enormously improve the majority of interfaces manufactured in Russia. We have not yet grown to America, where in the university course for yuzabelistov half of the subjects begin with the word "psychology". It is too early for us to cultivate highly specialized specialists.
We need UX universal. Lot. Therefore, we are teaching designers in Digital Design, and therefore, this year we have opened the flow of interface design at our Developer School .
Alexey Rytov
Chief UX Officer at Digital Design
And now, as they matured, many companies began to look for not just a “designer who can draw icons,” but serious and experienced usability specialists. And it turns out that there are very few of them.
')
How are you, my dear friend, are you called?
The funny thing is that it really is not clear who to look for. Well, what is this man called? Usability? UX Designer? What about Russian, UX-designer? Or, maybe, Interaction Designer - again, not in our opinion ... Interface Designer? Although no, this is probably more on the icons.
But if it is still possible to do without clarity in the name, then clarity in professional skills is no longer possible. And here again there is no consensus among employers. Here are some of the skills that are expected from such specialists:
- user interface design;
- prototyping;
- usability research;
- visual design, web design;
- iconography;
- analysis of user preferences, market analytics;
- business analytics;
- communication with the customer;
- web layout and js coding;
- etc.
Which of these skills is more important, and what can be neglected? Each employer resolves this issue based on the current situation. But you still face the painful question: do we need a “draftsman” or an “analyst from UX” rather?
So what do I get in the end?
A visionary employer / customer immediately asks this question. And the short-sighted is very surprised when, instead of the set of drawn screens expected by him, he receives analytical reports.
- Where is the drawn interface? - asks the project manager.
“You understand, I’m a UX specialist, I’m designing user interaction, analyzing behavioral responses, I’m still at the very beginning of the process,” a new employee who was hired two months ago for the position of “designer” is trying to justify himself.
“This is all fine, but you have been working for two months now, but I cannot give developers the screens to develop.”
- Well, I drew it, this is called Wireframes.
“These are not screens, these are black squares and stripes, I cannot give it to the coder and the programmer,” the boss boils.
- Detailed design should be worked out by another specialist, not by UX Designer.
- But you are a designer?
- Yes, but, you see, I am doing something different ...
As a result, it turns out that you need to hire another designer, and there is no money for him anymore. All analytics and painted characters are thrown into the garbage, because the deadline and code need.
So who needs and where to find it?
I have been looking for and hiring interface designers for more than five years, and for the last two years I have been implementing UX practices in large IT companies. As a result, I have formed a certain opinion and a certain approach, which consists of two principles.
1) The UX specialist must be a universal. He must both design user interaction, and engage in analytics, and create Wireframes, and draw a clean design. Yuzabelisty who cannot make "beautifully" are not necessary. Tons of analytics and detailed user characters are of little use if there are no summary screens from the same person. In the idea of ​​"one makes the logic and wireframes, and the other draws the design," I do not believe, usually comes out a complete mess. The UX specialist designing the interface does not have to be a super schedule (elaboration of graphic themes, textures and fashionable icons can be given to specialized designers), but he should be able to do it neatly and beautifully so that, if desired, you can put it into development without involving a designer .
2) Take the designer and teach. Finding a good user friendly, and even with designer skills, is very difficult. Therefore, we practice hiring designers who have some experience with interfaces and a great desire to move in this direction. We teach them how to design interfaces, how to conduct usability testing. Our experience says that it is easy to teach a designer to engage in analytics, to think about users, to conduct usability research. But to teach the analyst to “draw design” is almost impossible. There are exceptions, but basically this rule is confirmed.
Why generalists and why designers?
I am sure that many of my colleagues throw stones at me. I am sure that there are a million arguments about the division of labor, that UX and graphic design should not be confused, that good analytics is more important than drawing screens. The arguments are good, but personally I am not a theorist, I need to prepare about 20 UX-specialists this year to work on real projects.
I want to give only one reason to defend my practice of universal UX designers. This argument is an immature market.
90% of software makers (including the web) have a user interface (UI) and user interaction (UX) so bad that they are not fat. The interface designer of an average hand can enormously improve the majority of interfaces manufactured in Russia. We have not yet grown to America, where in the university course for yuzabelistov half of the subjects begin with the word "psychology". It is too early for us to cultivate highly specialized specialists.
We need UX universal. Lot. Therefore, we are teaching designers in Digital Design, and therefore, this year we have opened the flow of interface design at our Developer School .
Alexey Rytov
Chief UX Officer at Digital Design
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/141486/
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