Step 2: Get The Right Tools

In this chapter:

• Core tasks of UX design
• How to choose the right tool
• Recommended tools

Core tasks

Before we get into recommending any tools, let's take a look at the key tasks almost all UXers do:

• Capture a thinking process.
• Analyse research data.
• Create interactive wireframes or prototypes.
• Record user feedback (e.g. through guerrilla usability testing sessions).
• Communicate findings to the team.

It's possible to perform nearly all of these tasks with just a pencil and paper. However, the right tools will speed up the process, while making it easier for you to make changes along the way.

Of course, no one person can be expected to have in-depth knowledge of all of these subject areas. One of your career goals should be to become an expert in one or two of them, but maintain a balance across the entire spectrum. Here's what Elizabeth's self-assessment looks like:

Fig 2: Caption: Elizabeth Bacon's self-assessment, reprinted with permission

This paints an holistic picture of Elizabeth's experience. As a senior designer, Elizabeth is clearly strong in interaction design and several closely related fields. She also has a good understanding of other areas, and this balance no doubt serves her well as she interacts with developers, business owners, users, content producers, and other team members involved in her project.

The fact that all of these skills contribute to make a successful UX designer is an overwhelming prospect, but the intent here is not to suggest that you should strive to become an expert in each one of these areas—more to give an indication of just how vast the UX umbrella really is.

For now, suffice to say that no matter how skilled you become in one area, there is always more to learn.

Interview: Patrick Neeman

What do you find most frustrating about designers during the recruitment process?

Many applicants think they have to turn their résumé into an infographic to impress a recruiter who has no idea what they’re even looking for in terms of design. There is this impression that the rest of the world understands what design is and they don’t.

Isn’t there validity in feeling like you should have a résumé that speaks to being a designer?

To a point, but it’s not the résumé where you show off your design skills—you show them off in your portfolio. Your résumé is basically a listing of all your qualifications and the projects you are working on or have worked on. Nobody’s ever remarked, “Oh my god, this person has a really good résumé.”

Additionally, most applicant tracking systems (i.e. the system that holds your resume when you apply for a position) kill good-looking resumes (for example, those in an InDesign file or a PDF) and create text-based versions of them.