Anyone who has worked with me will have heard me bang on about what I call a 360.
What is a 360?
A 360 is a UXer who has moved outside of one core capability — UX Design, UX Research, UX Strategy, IA, UI and so forth — and has trained themselves, or gained experience, in other areas. They can face into a project from any angle; 360°.
Of course this is not essential in order to work in UX, and specialists are extremely valuable on specialist tasks or highly complex projects. However being a 360, if you so choose, makes you more valuable to an employer, to the rest of your team or as a freelancer — because you can take on more projects and deliver credible and in many cases, excellent results.
How do you get there?
It’s hard work to become one and it’s hard work to train one. But as a hiring manager, you won’t be able to buy them in unless you have All The Money. And as a UXer, why wouldn’t you want to get better at your craft and make All The Money.
Here’s how to round out your UX skill set — without going back to University.
