If you’re new to Build or maybe missed episodes here and there, know that I’ve previously covered a number of topics related to design like Design Sprints, Product Debt, Product Redesign, Accessibility, Being A Freelance Designer, Creative Confidence, The Rise of the Design Executive Officer, Designing With Empathy, and The Art vs Science of UX Design.
It turns out all those episodes weren’t enough, and there’s still a lot to cover!
So this month we’re going back to the theme of design, and start by covering why it’s important to work with a user experience (UX) designer. Given the significant shift to designing user-friendly interfaces, it might feel like I am preaching to the choir. However, some companies still struggle to justify the work of a UX designer. Plus, given how young the field is, it’s continually evolving, and people are always writing in and requesting I cover design 🙂
People still aren’t sure how a UX designer adds value, how to go about hiring and vetting them, and how they can work with software engineers and product managers effectively.
Just like how software engineering has become more specialized over the years, design has faced a similar change. However, people still grapple to understand the nuances between a graphic, visual, and UX designer.
How A UX Designer Is Different From Other Types Of Designers
In today’s episode, we’ll dive into the different types of designers out there. Then talk about some of the myths around user experience design. In next week’s episode we’ll go into more depth. We’ll talk about what UX designers can do to stand out. How companies can go about hiring and vetting them. And how they can work effectively with software engineers and product managers.
Our special guest is Sarah Doody, a UX designer and entrepreneur.
You’ll learn the following from Sarah:
- Benefits of having a UX designer on your team from the beginning
- Why user research is an investment
- How to co-design and how it helps handle pushback and the handoff period
- How design-minded companies outperformed S&P 500 for ten years
Listen to the episode on iTunes!
You can listen to this episode of Build on iTunes.
Here are some additional resources mentioned in the show
Slack / Facebook Groups Related To UX
- Designer Hangout
- With Candles (for junior designers)
- User Defenders
- UX Careers Tribe (this is Sarah Doody’s group)
- Design X
- Mixed Methods
UX Career Resources From Sarah Doody
- Design Value Index
- UX Portfolio Formula (use code BUILDSHOW for 50% off)
- Free UX Portfolio Blueprint
- UX Careers & Job Interview Playlist
