Introduction:

There is no doubt that people who have taken UI/UX or product design as a career are those who have a passion for creativity and solving problems. These sets of techies love what they do, which is very vital in order to be outstanding in any profession

However, there are some unique qualities which are common among them. In this article, we are going to look at the following:

• Who is a UI/UX designer?
• 5 must-have qualities of a UI/UX designer.,
• Product design vs UI/UX design, is there any difference?

Who is a UI/UX designer?

A UI/UX designer is a creative tech professional, who through the use of research and Design thinking, is able to solve users problem with designs. He empathizes with the users of a product, looking at their pain points, he is able to come up with design solutions to meet the need of users.

Before you delve into the UI/UX design field, I feel it is imperative you know the personalized traits, that every UI/UX designer should have. Right now, you might be wondering, what exactly are these traits? Don’t worry, just relax and grab a cup of coffee, while I tell you about them.

5 must-have qualities of a UI/UX designer

We now have a good grasp of who a UI/UX designer is. Right now, we are going to look at 5 must-have qualities of a UI/UX designer. These qualities are taken from the study of over 1000 UX professionals conducted by the Nielsen Norman group. They are:

1. Great listeners,
2. Problem solvers,
3. Empathy,
4. Pay attention to details,
5. Be a good communicator.

Having listed the 5 qualities above, we are now going to take a brief look at each of the qualities we mentioned. Read below:

1. UI/UX designers are great listeners:
   As a UI/UX designer, there is a high possibility that you are going to be interfacing with a lot of persons and stakeholders involved in a project.
   This could be during ideation, researching, and getting feedback. One vital quality you must possess is the ability to listen. You have to allow whoever you are relating with to air their view, based on what they think about the idea or your sketches, wireframes etc.
   
2. UI/UX designers are problem solvers:
   By the very nature of the profession, UIUX designers are problem solvers. Once your career kicks off, the end goal of all you are going to be doing is solving problems. You are going to be using research and design solutions to solve practical business problems.
   
   This is one reason you must empathize with your users. Assume to be in their situation, understand the problem they are facing to enable you to proffer desired design solutions to their problems/needs. UIUX designers must turn problem-solving into a habit. A good example of a problem a UIUX designer can solve is: “The need to have a landing page that promotes a high conversion rate”. It is pertinent to state that, following the design process from user and product research, to the sketching of ideas, drawing of wireframes and sitemaps, interaction, feedback, can help to solve problems better.
   
3. Empathy:
   The word empathy means the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.
   UI/UX designers approach a project by empathizing(Assume to be in the shoes of your users).
   During the research stage, there is a high possibility that you are going to interact with the stakeholders involved in the project.
   This will greatly help you to understand their pain points and empathize with them. In the long run, possessing this quality as a product/UIUX designer helps a great deal to design solutions with a great user experience.
   
4. UIUX designers Pay attention to details:
   The ability to listen to every little detail from your customers or stakeholders is a key quality to possess in every profession. The UX profession is not an exception. You must learn to pay attention to every little detail in the project requirement handed over to you.
   
   Moreover, this goes beyond requirements, as a UIUX or product designer, you don’t want to use inconsistent spacing and alignment in your designs, choosing a base unit and building off your spacing (both micro and macro white space) in all screens of your design, goes a long way to tell that you know what you are doing. One thing that differentiates a pro UX designer and a beginner or someone who knows just a little is paying attention to details. Another good example is adopting the brand colour of your client and using it on all the screens of your designs.
   
5. Be a good communicator:
   UIUX design is all about solving problems. After you have listened to your client’s need and their business needs, it is now time to solve their problems. To do this you must know how to express yourself and communicate the solution they need in your designs.
   
   Product designs that are interactive will always stand out. For you to design interactive products, you must know how to communicate with your design. You should always aim to design for usability. There is no doubt that aesthetically (beautiful) pleasing designs or products are attractive to users.
   
   Nonetheless, your designs must be usable and accessible. You should learn to make the Usability of a product your top-most priority. Once you do this, your users will have a great experience while making use of the product. To achieve all these, you have to imbibe the quality to communicate with your designs.
   
   Lastly, as regards this particular quality, there is a branch of UIUX design called UX writing. This involves telling compelling stories in your design that persuades the users to do a particular thing that aligns with the goal of a product. Learning UX writing as a designer will always make you stand out.
   
   

Product designers Vs UX designers. Is there any difference?

There is a big temptation to always see UIUX designers and product designers as one and the same thing. The truth is that they are a bit different in terms of specialization. A product designer is actually a UIUX designer, which has some other further responsibilities attached. A Product designer is a UI/UX designer who has decided to specialize in product design. A product could be a mobile app, website, or desktop app. I won’t talk too much about this misconception to prevent this article from getting too long.

However, I have written a separate article on this misconception 2 years ago. Click this link to read.

Conclusion
UIUX design is a very rewarding career. There has been a spike and great demand for UIUX and Product designers around the world. So if you desire to delve into this field. Take all that is written in this article very seriously. Do your own research and even learn more.

Here is a reference link, in case you want to know more. Click it to read more. Please do leave a comment below.

Don’t forget to connect with me on Twitter and Linkedin. Thanks and see you in the next article.