Identify the real UX expert
IT as the backbone of all businesses!
Well, most businesses are making the best of technology! Some of them are still grasping the idea.
A lot more IT services now exist in the market, and these services are fighting for attention. As every other business is competing with each other by getting their hands on the latest updated technology, the difference between the USPs of these businesses is disappearing faster.
It all comes down to Design
There may be some companies struggling to understand what design thinking can do for businesses -
Yet, the design is not only the business differentiator of the future but it is also becoming more and more important in the success of IT. In order to make the technology more accessible and usable, tech needs design.
These days, being able to recognize the real design expert or UX expert is going to be a crucial aspect. Here are the three most important things to remember -
- The extent of knowledge of the field
This is basically the knowledge of usability principles. For instance, is the user able to learn your interface faster? Is the designed user interface proving to be efficient in the users’ environment? How much is the recall value of the design for the users? Does it become difficult to navigate between the interfaces for them? One can also judge the efficacy of the design by observing the ability of the users to quickly manage their tasks, and avoid blunders. - Design management
There is always a strategy behind every successful design delivered. Under design management, a good designer will speak with the business stakeholders, understand their pain areas, challenges, and aspirations along with understanding the market, the competition, etc. Similarly, take a genuine interest in knowing the users’ needs, expectations. And come up with a holistic strategy marrying the two — business and user goals. And that’s the chief aspect of design management. - Methodology and process applied
The user-centered design methodology becomes the foundation of a UX design professional. Being able to orchestrate, step-by-step, in a processed manner is important to be a UX expert. To help you understand better, let’s look at some of the most important aspects of the UCD. -
— Clear understanding of what the client’s business is heading towards. A UX expert will be talking about the client’s vision, the value proposition, and the critical success factors that the client wants to achieve.
— Being extremely sensitive and empathetic to the users’ mental model. A doctor who’s about to use an application for his professional work has a different mental model, but the same person when orders grocery items for his/her home has a different mindset. We are still considering the same human being but, two different scenarios and personas. UX expert is someone who understands these nuances. These experts will design solutions catering to the apt mental models of the users.
— Most important aspect of UCD is — measurable impact or the metrics. An expert will define the success metrics and understand how the solution will add value in order to achieve the set goals.
— UX experts deliver differentiating design solutions and concepts that cut the competition off at a larger scale. Concept design becomes another important aspect for an expert to achieve the goals.UX design has moved way beyond just designing screens now. After concept design most critical phase is to test the designs. These user testings reduce the development cost and also help de-risk the products before launching in the market. It is a major advantage for businesses.
If you are a business taking the first steps towards embracing design or are looking for a UX expert to help you assess and deliver the right design solutions, check these three things with the candidates.