As a UX designer, you have a unique way of solving problems, creating solutions, and communicating your vision. But how do you refine your UX style and make it more consistent, effective, and memorable? Here are some tips to help you develop and polish your UX style.
The first step to refining your UX style is to understand your own skills, preferences, and areas of improvement. You can do this by reviewing your past projects, collecting feedback from clients, users, and peers, and taking online assessments or courses. By identifying your strengths and weaknesses, you can focus on enhancing your core competencies and addressing your gaps.
It is an effective step having progressive output. It emphasizes on self awareness as well as continuous learning which are important aspects of professional development in the field of UX designng.
Recognizing one's strengths and weaknesses is pivotal for growth in UX. Reflect on past work, actively seek diverse feedback, and utilize assessments to pinpoint your expertise and areas needing attention. This self-awareness enables targeted growth and refined expertise.
I completely agree with this. One of the most underrated yet unquestionably necessary tasks for everyone, whether they are a designer or not, is understanding themselves. When you don't even understand yourself, how can you understand others? Knowing your skill sets and capabilities is important, especially when working against the odds. For all of us, it's a task that will cost lives.
It’s important to understand where you excel and where you can grow in your design skills - soft or hard skills. As a designer you need both. Specially with soft skills, it’s important to understand what might be something that could hinder your collaboration with stakeholders. We’re always growing, stay on top of it and it will only help!
The next step to refining your UX style is to find your inspiration and learn from other designers. You can do this by browsing online portfolios, blogs, podcasts, books, and magazines, and following UX influencers and communities. By finding your inspiration, you can discover new trends, techniques, and tools, and develop your own taste and perspective.
Inspiration is definitely important however, don’t get stuck in the Dribbble world where you only focus on the aesthetics. Aesthetics are important but making decisions just based off of that is not wise. Have a collection of sites that you use for inspiration with a combination of UI, UX, research and industry specific content.
Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources fuels creativity in UX. Engage with diverse content, from portfolios to UX communities. This exposure not only keeps you updated with evolving trends but also helps in shaping a unique and informed design perspective.
Finding inspiration and learning from other designers not only help you refine your UX but also can expose you to the ideas and approaches that will help expand your creative horizons. Following UX influencers and being a part of such communities will keep you updated on industry trends and you also can get valuable insights from professionals.
To define your UX style, study existing styles, and techniques, reflect on your values, experiment and seek feedback, build a portfolio showcasing your evolving style, stay informed about industry trends, consider mentorship, and allow your style to grow naturally with experience and exposure to diverse design challenges.
The third step to refining your UX style is to experiment and iterate with different ideas, methods, and mediums. You can do this by sketching, prototyping, testing, and refining your concepts, and trying out new platforms, formats, and styles. By experimenting and iterating, you can explore your creativity, test your assumptions, and learn from your mistakes.
By experimenting and iterating you not only learn from your own mistakes but also adapts to changing trends. This step will give you holistic view of the design and you can learn what doesn't work, what works well and why. UX design is an evolving field and staying agile and open to change is crucial.
The fourth step to refining your UX style is to document and showcase your work and process. You can do this by creating a portfolio, a case study, a blog post, or a presentation, and highlighting your goals, challenges, solutions, and results. By documenting and showcasing, you can demonstrate your value, communicate your story, and attract new opportunities.
Think of every project as you’re building a case study - what are the goals, problems to solve for personas, jobs to be done, solutions, test results and lastly metrics that tie everything back. Apart from the basics above, share how you think and how you communicate. That’s a key factor in hiring process.
This step works as a bridge that connects your creativity to the world. It's like a masterpiece in an art museum. By creating case study, portfolio or a presentation allows you to articulate your overall design journey, the challenges you met and overcame and delivering solution. Through this step, you not only reflect on your growth but also communicate your narrative to broader audience which can help you attract new opportunities.
The fifth step to refining your UX style is to seek feedback and mentorship from others. You can do this by joining online or offline networks, groups, or events, and asking for advice, critiques, or recommendations from experienced or aspiring UX designers. By seeking feedback and mentorship, you can gain new insights, perspectives, and connections, and improve your skills and confidence.
If you work with other designers, always get different perspectives. Sometimes we don’t see what’s right in front of us and we can’t always think of everything. Rely on your tribe but at the end trust your instincts. Be open minded and don’t take it personally. If you don’t work with other designers, try joining communities where you can get feedback. Feedback from other designers only opens our eyes and minds for better mindset for Stakeholder feedback.
Seeking feedback and mentorship is like compass guiding you to your design journey, especially from experienced designers who have been through the challenges you can encounter. It will help you navigate your path more effectively. Joining and following design communities and getting feedback from there will have more perspectives which you may have not think of.
I personally have 2-3 designer friends I go to all the time for feedback, they don't know it, but I consider them my mentors. The reason for this is either they have a lot more experience than I have, or their journey has been different to mine, therefore the people and products they have interactive with overtime give them a different perspective. So if you're just starting out, ask the junior next to you for feedback, or that intern who's getting coffee, or your grandma, who's just proud of you no matter what. If you've been in the game for a long time, wouldn't hurt to ask the people you're managing to give feedback, doesn't make you seem weak.
The sixth and final step to refining your UX style is to keep learning and growing as a UX designer. You can do this by setting goals, taking courses, reading books, attending webinars, or pursuing certifications. By keeping learning and growing, you can stay updated, relevant, and curious, and develop your own unique and distinctive UX style.
The key to refining your UX style is to never stop learning. Whether it's setting new goals, taking online courses, or simply staying up to date with ongoing trends. This process keeps your skills fresh, ensures your designs stay relevant, and allows you to develop your own unique UX style that evolves with each new lesson learned.