User Experience Designer / UX Designer
A User Experience Designer reports into A UX Manager or UX Lead. In some organisations, a UX Designer may work alongside a UI Designer or in smaller companies, these roles may be combined into one job role.
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What is a UX Designer?
A User Experience (UX) Designer is a professional who is responsible for ensuring that a product or service is designed with the user in mind. They are responsible for designing the entire user experience, from the initial idea to the final product, with the aim of making the product easy to use, intuitive, and enjoyable for the end user.
Through research, wireframes, prototypes, and testing, a UX Designer works to create a product that meets the needs and expectations of its users while also meeting the business goals of the company.
What does a UX Designer do?
The primary goal of a UX Designer is to create a product that meets the needs and expectations of its users. To achieve this, a UX Designer must have a deep understanding of the users and their behaviours, as well as the context in which the product will be used. They must also understand the business goals of the company they work for, as well as any technical constraints that may affect the design of the product.
A UX Designer’s role typically starts by conducting research to understand the users and their needs. This research can take many forms, such as user interviews, surveys, or focus groups. The goal of this research is to gather information about the users, their behaviours, and their pain points. This information is then used to create user personas, which are fictional characters that represent the different types of users who will be using the product.
Once the user personas are created, the UX Designer will move on to creating wireframes and prototypes. Wireframes are basic, low-fidelity representations of the product that show the layout, navigation, and functionality. Prototypes are more advanced versions of the product that are designed to mimic the final product as closely as possible. Both wireframes and prototypes are used to test the product with users, to get feedback on the design and to identify any usability issues.
The UX Designer will then use the feedback from testing to refine the design of the product, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. This process of testing and refining continues until the product is ready for launch.
Discover ‘What is a UX Designer‘ in our latest blog.
UX Designer salary
In today’s market, a salary of £45,000 to £60,000 would be expected at a User Experience Designer level.
The opportunity to hire more comes with gaining the skills required for promotion. The roles that UX Designers often move into include:
UX Lead: Providing strategic direction and mentorship to junior team members and providing high-level design decisions. Driving user research initiatives, and ensuring the overall quality of user experiences across projects are key roles within this job.
UX Director: Overseeing a team of designers, set the UX strategy for the organisation, and collaborate closely with stakeholders at the executive level. You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the overall user experience culture within the company.
UX Researcher: Transitioning over as a UX Researcher. These roles focus more on understanding user needs, conducting in-depth research, and developing user-centred strategies for product development.
UX Designer job description
A typical User Experience Designer / UX Designer job description will read something like the below:
We are looking for a UX Designer to design software and platforms that meet our customers needs. This role will require the candidate to combine interfaces and workflows to enhance the customer experience, using analytics to understand customer pain points and creativity to solve user problems.
The User Experience Designer’s main responsibilities:
- Understand product specifications and guidelines
- Design and conduct user research to gather feedback to develop user personas and storyboards
- Conduct competitor analysis and provide learnings and recommendations for the rest of the UX team
- Determine information architecture and create sitemaps
- Use user personas to develop wireframes and prototypes that are fit for purpose and create user friendly and intuitive products that attract and retain users
- Make unique graphic designs including menus, tabs and widgets
- Make layout changes in line with user feedback including fonts, colours, images, style guidelines etc
- Track usability goals and prepare reports for senior management
- Coordinate with UI Design team on issues like navigation, page routing, product page design and any other issues
- Keep up to date with the competitive marketplace and industry trends and make changes to the UX strategy accordingly
To be successful in this UX Designer role, you will:
- Have a background within project management and research
- Proven experience within another UX Designer or similar role
- An excellent portfolio of previous UX design for web and mobile platforms
- Have a BSc in computer science, engineering or a related field
- Knowledge of coding languages including HTML / CSS
- Excellent knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and other software
- Be able to communicate with peers, senior members of the UX team, senior management and external stakeholders
- Have the ability to take initiative
What makes a stand out UX Designer candidate?
A standout UX Designer candidate possesses a combination of technical skills, industry knowledge, and personal qualities that make them highly desirable to employers.
Strong design portfolio
A standout candidate will have a well-crafted and diverse design portfolio that showcases their ability to solve complex design problems and create intuitive and visually appealing user experiences. The portfolio should demonstrate their process, including research, wireframing, prototyping, and visual design skills.
Solid UX design skills
Employers look for candidates with a strong foundation in UX design principles and methodologies. This includes expertise in user research, information architecture, interaction design, prototyping, usability testing, and data analysis. Proficiency in relevant tools such as Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, or InVision is also valuable.
Continuous learning and adaptability
The field of UX design is constantly evolving, and standout candidates demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning. They stay up-to-date with the latest design trends, tools, and technologies. They are adaptable and open to feedback, willing to iterate on their designs, and embrace new approaches to problem-solving.
Business understanding
Employers value UX Designers who can balance user needs with business objectives. A standout candidate understands the broader context of the organisation they work for and can align design decisions with the company’s goals. They can effectively communicate the value of UX design and demonstrate how it contributes to business success.
Curiosity
A standout UX Designer candidate exhibits a genuine passion for the field. They are curious about human behaviour, technology, and design trends. They actively seek opportunities to expand their knowledge, explore new ideas, and experiment with different design approaches. Their enthusiasm for UX design shines through in their work and interactions.
User Experience Designer FAQs
- What does a User Experience Designer do?
- A UX Designer designs software and platforms that meet customers needs. This role requires knowledge and experience of combining interfaces and workflows to enhance the customer experience, using analytics to understand customer pain points and creativity to solve user problems.
- Is a UX Designer a good career?
- Yes, a UX Designer job is considered a good career. In today’s market, a salary of £45,000 to £60,000 would be expected at a User Experience Designer level.
- Is a UX Designer highly paid?
- In today’s market, a salary of £45,000 to £60,000 would be expected at a User Experience Designer level.
- What is a UX Design salary?
- In today’s market, a salary of £45,000 to £60,000 would be expected at a User Experience Designer level.
