As a UX Designer, I spend a lot of time explaining what I do. I even have clients, that specifically hired me as UX Designer, ask me what I do! In short, most people don’t fully understand the fundamental responsibility of a UX Designer: user experience.
There’s a lot of confusion around UX and UI. Many designers, myself included, are skilled in both areas, but they are very different. I’ve covered the differences between UX vs UI Design in another article. So this post is focused on what I do when I put on my “UX Design” hat.
A UX Designer is the voice for the users
I usually explain that I am an advocate for end users. When I design a user experience, I put myself in the shoes of the people who will actually use the website or app. Throughout the process of developing a product or app, numerous people are involved with different agendas, goals, etc. And often those perspectives drive specifications and development of the finished product.
The primary responsibility of a UX Designer is to interject the users’ perspective into those processes. I often find myself taking a contrarian stance on certain features when they provide a business benefit, but don’t provide a benefit for the end user.
An advocate for the users
This has become my guiding principle. From research through design to product validation, I focus on 3 questions:
- What do the end users want?
- Are we giving it to them?
- Are they satisfied with how the process worked?
This is how I maintain a perspective as an advocate.
If the users don’t want it, we’re not going to build it.
When the users aren’t getting what they want, we’re going to change it.
Whenever the users aren’t’t satisfied with the process, we’re going to improve it.
Being an advocate simply means openly supporting a specific cause or concept. The cause is end user satisfaction. Being an advocate for a specific perspective among numerous perspectives can create tension though, which leads me to my last point…
A UX Designer often lives on an island
In my experience, UX team members are in the minority in most organizations. It’s not uncommon to have a single UX designer involved in a project with 10 or more contributors. When disagreements arise, this often leaves the UX Designer singled out.
Therefore, it’s critical for any UX Designer to know what they believe and stand strong in those beliefs. There is a fine line between being an advocate and just plain difficult though. So when I take a stance that I know will leave me on an island, I always make sure that the specific topic is worth it.
It’s all about principle
UX Design requires a unique skillset, but none of that matters without the core principle of advocating for users. A great UX designer is guided by a set of values that don’t vary or fade. Flowcharts and prototypes are great, but the most valuable thing any UX designer can do is make sure that the finished product does what the user needs it to do – as intuitively and effortlessly as possible.