What Does It Mean To Be A UX Designer in 2024?

I recently decided to ask ChatGPT what it thought was important to know as a UXer in 2024. I was curious to see what areas or skillsets it would highlight, and to see if I agreed with them.

And honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. Especially, by the summary it gave.

“Being a UX designer in 2024 involves a blend of traditional UX skills and an understanding of emerging technologies, evolving user behaviors, and changing design paradigms.”

For me, I found it interesting how it defined our necessary skill sets as pieces that are continuing to change over time as this field and technology continues to evolve. In other words, our processes don’t just need to be iterative, our understanding of the space does too!

But let’s take this a step further and see the 8 areas ChatGPT specifically called out!

1. Technology Integration:

Understanding and leveraging the latest technologies such as AI, AR/VR, voice interfaces, and machine learning to create innovative and intuitive user experiences.

No one can deny that technology has evolved a lot over this last year. But, in my opinion, 2024 will be about learning how to use these new apps or platforms to better assist our day to days, rather than them take over these processes completely. It is less about having the work done for us, and more so about making it easier, and maybe quicker. 2024 will be a year of understanding how technology can be our assistant, rather than something we fear.

2. Human-Centered Design:

Continuously placing the user at the center of the design process, empathizing with their needs, behaviors, and pain points to create solutions that genuinely serve them.

This has always been at the center and will obviously continue to be as we move forward. But, I’d take this one a step further and add in how we can no longer just design for the mainstream user. Accessibility should play a major role in your work as a designer and in my opinion, needs to become more mainstream in this new year.

3. Adaptability and Flexibility:

Being adaptable to rapidly changing technology and design trends, and being able to pivot and learn new skills as the industry evolves.

UX is all about being adaptive as new information appears from users or stakeholders, so this one should not come as a surprise to any of you.

4. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration:

Working closely with cross-functional teams including developers, marketers, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure a cohesive and user-centric product or service.

As a UX Designer, you are the expert in this space on your team. However you need to be able to communicate that to your other product members through designs and handoff conversations. Learning how to best sell the right solution is a skill that comes with time. But as you start to learn that, don’t be afraid to stand up for your work and explain your reasoning.

5. Data-Driven Decision Making:

Using data analytics, user feedback, and user testing to make informed design decisions and continuously iterate on designs for improvement.

Data helps push conversations more so than opinions sometimes. Having the data to back you up I have found makes you more confident in these conversations. So next time you are asked why you did something, don’t hesitate to go back to the research findings!

6. Ethical Design Practices:

Upholding ethical principles in design, including privacy considerations, inclusivity, accessibility, and sustainability.

Being honest, this one I feel is left out of too many bootcamps. Thankfully there are starting to be more laws regulating products, but I truly think it is our responsibly as the designers to think about how our features can be used. However, the question still lies on the fact that all products can be used out of context and unethical behavior can be sparked outside of ways the designer never could have anticipated, so how do we account for that? Sadly It’s Frankly UX can’t answer that alone, but it is something to consider as we move into this new year! You can start by reading Mike Monteiro’s book, Ruined by Design.

7. Design Systems and Consistency:

Developing and maintaining design systems to ensure consistency across products and platforms, making the user experience seamless and recognizable.

Once again, another piece I wish was taught to juniors sooner. Designing with components saves so much time and effort, all while creating a consistent look and feel to a product or even group of products. If this concept is new to you, take a look at Atomic Design by Brad Frost .

8. Continuous Learning:

A commitment to lifelong learning and keeping up-to-date with industry trends, new tools, and design methodologies to stay relevant and innovative in the field.

It is pretty simple, but one of the most important mindset changes I have made in my career was not being afraid to ask questions. As the saying goes, “there are no stupid questions.” I have found that even when I thought it was “stupid question,” asking it only helped me. As cheesy as this one might be, it is better to ask the question then assume… because we all know what happens then!

All in all, being a UX Designer in 2024 is an exciting move! You will need a combination of foundational UX principles, an openness to learning, a focus on emerging technologies, and a commitment to creating meaningful and user-centric experiences in a constantly evolving digital landscape.

What are you excited to work on in 2024?