Is UX Design Right For Me?

In our previous video, we discussed the importance of empathy within UX design. 0:00 User Experience designers recognize that not every user 0:07 approaches problems the same way they do, and 0:11 are constantly seeking out perspectives different than their own. 0:14 UX designers need to be good listeners, since listening to 0:20 users describe their frustrations is the best way to solve pain points, 0:24 a term that refers to problem areas within a product causing frustration or 0:30 preventing users from reaching their goal. 0:35 Many UX designers are interested in psychology as well. 0:39 Designers who understand how the human brain makes decisions, 0:44 and what visuals attract the human eye, 0:48 can take advantage of that information to design more intuitive products. 0:51 Of course, User Experience design is just as much an art form as it is a science. 0:57 If you're interested in working with color, keeping a sketchbook, 1:03 practicing creative writing, or working with photography, 1:08 you'll find that User Experience design offers a great creative outlet. 1:12 UX designers tend to be curious by nature and passionate about problem solving. 1:18 If something works, they want to know why it works. 1:24 If something in a product causes frustration, 1:28 UX designers like to chat with users about why it was frustrating, 1:31 to observe those users and find out what they were doing when they 1:36 got stuck, and to test out a variety of solutions, 1:40 until that obstacle between users and their goal is removed. 1:44 So UX designers are empathetic and good listeners. 1:51 Some are interested in psychology and some practice visual art. 1:56 UX designers are curious and are dedicated problem solvers. 2:02 There's one quality missing from this list, and 2:07 it's probably the most important quality of all. 2:10 UX designers should be great communicators. 2:13 When I say communication, 2:18 I'm partly describing what effective design should achieve. A successful 2:19 door handle communicates its function to users: don't push me, pull me. 2:25 A successful sign up button on a website speaks clearly to users, 2:30 this is what you click if you'd like to join our mailing list. 2:35 UX designers also tend to spend a good portion of their 2:40 work day communicating with others. 2:44 We communicate with clients throughout each project, 2:47 whether we're identifying goals and strategies or presenting design solutions. 2:51 We communicate with users, interviewing them about their 2:57 habits and observing them using our products. 3:01 And we communicate with team members, 3:04 such as the developers who use code to bring our ideas to life. 3:07 If you're looking at this list of qualities and thinking, 3:13 that sounds like me, UX design might be a great fit for you. 3:16 In our next video, we'll take a look at the skills UX designers need to succeed 3:21 in the industry, skills taught here in the UX curriculum at Treehouse. 3:26

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