Is the UX era truly ending?
The dilemma about the respective duties of product designers and product managers is causing a great deal of misunderstanding in the UX industry. In addition, a deluge of articles claims that the UX age is coming to an end.
Working with a number of newbies in this field has made me realize how heavily this job has been distorted, most likely by new programs or universities.
Now let’s identify the true location of the issue:
The term “UX Design”
We have no idea who in the world divided this one thing into two: UI and UX. The entire design process, from beginning to end, is contained in the user experience. Why do we have separate job titles for UX and UI? User Interface is a part of UX itself.
What are the KRAs of a Product designer?
Product managers and Product designers share a common set of key responsibilities at some point.
In order to find solutions, PMs and designers must get together to brainstorm. This kind of teamwork is actually necessary.
However, problems arise when a UI designer can’t handle an ideation or problem-solving task because it falls outside of his area of expertise or when the UX designer can’t produce high-quality user interface design.
Let’s say someone is seeking a UX job with expertise in only ideation & problems solving but lacks design harmony. Why would a company hire a UX designer when a product manager could do the same task when they are all looking for ways to cut costs in this recession?
In short, if you don’t have design harmony, please don’t call yourself a designer. The argument that design is a process has been made far enough throughout history. Design harmony is undoubtedly a part of that process.
Intellectuals refer to this as the end of the UX Design Era because it resulted in a decrease in the market’s demand for UX designers. However, this could more accurately be called the “era of correction of past mistakes.” The market learned that individuals with strong visual design abilities and design process ideation are financially justified.
Are UX designers aware of current market demands?
Keep in mind that the field of UX design evolves rapidly, and there may be new developments or shifts in emphasis since then. Instead of being adamant about our skills, we need to be updated with the new trends as well. A few of the trends include:
- AI and Machine Learning Integration
With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, UX designers are finding new opportunities and challenges in designing interfaces that intelligently adapt to user behavior or utilize predictive analytics to enhance the user experience. - Voice User Interface (VUI) Design
As voice-activated devices and virtual assistants become more prevalent, UX designers are exploring how to create intuitive and user-friendly voice interfaces - Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
Designing for AR and VR experiences has gained traction, particularly in industries such as gaming, education, and e-commerce. UX designers are faced with unique challenges in creating immersive and user-friendly interfaces for these technologies. - Motion Design
Users’ attention spans are getting shorter by the day, so in order to keep them on the platform, we need to make our design more interactive. Here motion comes into the picture as it engages users quite well and also creates a smooth experience where still design can’t work. Motion enters the picture here because it effectively engages users and produces a seamless experience where the still design is unable to do so.
The age of UX design is far from over. Nonetheless, there is now a noticeable divide between designers and non-designers. The good news is that opportunities in product management will be available to those who do not have backgrounds in visual design.
