UX design job is not for everyone

If you think you always know best, you won’t be a good UX designer. This job requires a lot of empathy and humility, without these traits it’s better to pursue a different career.

When I was wondering what makes some people good at UX design job, I’ve realized there are two elements that are crucial and common among all UXers.

It’s empathy, the ability to imagine what other people may be feeling, and humility (or intellectual humility) which is possible when we have an open mind and listen to other people’s opinions especially when these are contrary to our ideas or assumptions but we are ready to listen and admit we were wrong and try the other solution.

Of course, it’s kind of oversimplification as both empathy and humility are very complex, but I believe you get the picture.

If you are attached to a hierarchical system and let yourself to listen only to those, who are higher than you on that ladder, you won’t be a good UX’er either. To design good experiences you need to listen to everyone and especially give voice to these whose needs are mostly ignored because too many people in the business say “we know best there’s no need to ask”. You need to be their advocate.

Working in UX means constantly testing your design decisions, listening to others and observing users, drawing conclusions, and adjusting a service or a product to serve users better. If you look at the world in a binary way, you won’t find yourself well in the UX design world which is dynamic and contextual.

This is also why we can’t fixate on “user-centered” design per se, as every service has two groups of people involved in a game — users and a service team. Good UX or sustainable UX is when we find a balance between user and service needs so both sides win, or we’re able to rationally explain why we prioritize one over another. Yes, it's also a matter of tradeoffs and difficult choices.

I’m not writing this post to upset people, but to save time those who want to jump on the UX hype wagon but aren’t aware that it’s not only a great job many people are talking about but also a big responsibility, a balancing act where personal opinions not backed up by evidence should be left aside (or at least tested).

I personally know people who are great at what they do but I have a feeling they would be horrible UX designers. And it’s ok, it’s not a job for everyone as many other professions.

Good news for those who would love to be UX designers but have problems with empathy and humility - you can learn it. for the beginning, you just need to open your mind and broaden your horizons.

If you have or you’re ready to develop skills I described and think about UX design career, keep an eye on this space. Next week I’ll write what kind of challenges UX design work comes with, so you can decide if it’s a career you want to pursue.

Thanks for reading the 42nd post from My 52 problems series.
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