Core Skills Trump Tools in UX

Photo by Daniel Chekalov on Unsplash

I’ve seen many beginners make the mistake of putting too much emphasis on learning tools like Figma and Adobe XD, instead of focusing on the core skills that truly make a good designer. While it’s important to have a solid understanding of the tools of the trade, they should never be the sole focus of your learning.

Let’s say you’re a carpenter who’s just starting out. You might be tempted to spend all your time learning how to use different saws and hammers, but that won’t make you a great carpenter. Instead, you need to learn the fundamentals of carpentry — how to measure, cut, and join wood in a way that creates strong and stable structures. Once you have these foundational skills, you can then start to explore the different tools available and how to use them effectively.

The same goes for UX design. Yes, tools like Figma and Adobe XD are important, but they are only a means to an end. What really matters is your ability to create a great user experience, and that requires a broad range of skills.

So what are these core skills? Here are a few that I believe are essential:

1. Reading books: Reading books about design theory, user psychology, and UX case studies can help you understand the principles behind great design and how to apply them to your own work.
2. Talking to people: UX design is all about understanding the needs and wants of your users, so it’s important to get out there and talk to them. Conduct user interviews, surveys, and usability tests to get valuable insights into how people use your product.
3. Practicing sketching: Sketching is a quick and easy way to explore different design ideas and iterate on them. You don’t need fancy software to do this — just a pen and paper.
4. Brainstorming: Collaboration is key to great design, so learn how to facilitate brainstorming sessions that bring together different perspectives and ideas.
5. Information architecture: Understanding how to organize and structure information in a way that’s intuitive for users is crucial to UX design. Learn how to create effective navigation systems and use tools like card sorting to test your ideas.
6. Critical thinking: UX design is all about solving problems, so you need to be able to think critically and creatively to come up with effective solutions.
7. Presentation skills: Finally, you need to be able to communicate your design ideas effectively to stakeholders and team members. Learn how to create persuasive presentations that showcase the value of your design solutions.

While it’s important to have a basic understanding of the tools of the trade, they should never be the sole focus of your learning. Instead, focus on building a solid foundation of core skills that will serve you well throughout your career as a UX designer.