Who does UX?

With UX becoming one of the hottest career paths in the past few years, specialties such as UX architect, UX designer, UX researcher, UX strategist, UX writer, and more are being born. And while they all do UX, their roles differ. An architect or a strategist has the broadest work priorities, while a researcher, designer, or writer has a tighter set of responsibilities.

As I mentor people who are just getting started, I advocate being a full-stack UXer – having a core strength and building on that with knowing how to do any of the other parts. Since UX is still a relatively new discipline – especially in the US – some companies will just need to hire one or two people to start building a team around. Those people will be full stack UXers. A designer alone won’t get the job nor will a researcher. If the company wants to figure it all out first, they may hire a strong strategist to start with plans, or an architect to start working with developers and engineers. A strategist that can design, do research, and write is one of the strongest UXers in the market – always.

UXers are curious by nature, I believe. They like to talk to people and help them solve problems, sometimes through rigorous and sometimes through soft inquiry. We’re comfortable expressing our views and opinions and will always be the strongest advocate for the needs of the user and/or customer. We understand that building rapport with a user will always get us the best and most honest feedback, and therefore, the best results in the final product. We’re okay with ambiguity because, at times, it’s all we’ve got. We can find a common strand of information across several planes or channels of expertise, problems, needs, and goals.

Understanding the functioning of a UX Team

A tight UX team is a cross-functional unit where all of those roles mentioned earlier work together to accomplish the goals. A researcher will rely on a designer to help turn wants and desires into beginning-level, low-rez wireframes. A strategist will brief the entire team on a direction for an upcoming project and review all the expectations and deliverables. A writer will ensure that everything is covered in reports and other collateral, and in some companies, even write all the copy, instructions, and error messages that go into an application, and if they aren’t directly responsible for those, they are advised and used as a final editor. An architect will be working closely with data and software people to ensure that the backend and frontend needs are understood and met. They will work through blockers with product and management to either pivot or figure out the best plans to get those blockers dissolved so progress can continue.

A tight UX team works well together and they work well in the collaboration that’s needed with product, engineering, marketing (at times), business development, and sales. Those companies that score highest on the maturity model understand this and it’s become the heart and core of the way the company does business. Challenges to thoughts and ideas have to be made but they’re made with respect for the others on the team. Not everyone agrees on direction, strategy, or tactics, so, we often use a design thinking session to whiteboard the situation and work through it visually. Together, as a unit, we move forward, making positive changes in the company and providing great value to the corporation.

I’ve trained teams around the world that comprise many mental model types. Engineers, Vice Presidents (VPs), tech managers, developers, designers, researchers, report writers, production line controllers, shipping clerks, and on and on. Some of them will use what they learned, and some won’t. I’ve gotten emails from managers telling me how vital the training was to their team. I’ve watched VPs and CEOs walk out of training for a break still talking about how they could have asked that question during interview training better. Or even still, being in character of the role they played when learning the skills needed to use empathy, build rapport, and get down to the honest problems that someone is having.

It’s quite remarkable to see changes within a corporation as they begin to embrace the principles of UX and support efforts to grow it to maturity for the benefit of all involved. A UX practice within a company can open opportunities they never knew existed. It can improve morale by pushing for better workflows and systems for higher productivity, and it can lead the company in the direction to cut inefficiencies and improve profits. In short, a strong UX team can be the driving force behind digital transformation to move a company to the next level.

To conclude, a UX practitioner is a curious, empathetic, and diligent seeker of problems to solve.