i am a product design student looking for internships for my grad project, i recently went through most of the indeed job opportunities,and when i saw this video, finally! yes am not in some wrong world! people do expect these things out of a product designer now, and it just makes me push my work area to larger boundary,i AGREE with this video...this video helps me make decisions...a big thank you! .....nice scarf btw..:D
@@nidsssss1 Thank you Nidhi, great to see the trends we discovered in this video resonated with some of your own experiences. Have you found a placement or internship yet? Would you define your skill-set as a 'Product Designer' now?
Helpful video (and great scarf:-)! I have a theory that many companies do their own "flavor" of UX - sort of like Agile. This creates confusion when searching for jobs because even though you may know the tools (Sketch, Figma, etc.) and the processes, the way you approach things still may not be the way that company defines a successful UX approach. For example, some companies want to spend minimal time on prototyping and more time on testing. Others feel testing is less valuable (don't get me started there) and that detailed wires/mocks are what's needed. Still others express that working on the problem should take the most time. My theory is that is creates confusion in terms of expectations both from the company and the candidates sides. What do you guys think? Will it become more standardized in the future? Or, is it not really an issue?
@@HollyReynolds great comment. Really nice to see your take on it. This was our main thought behind producing a video on UX definition(s). We felt that there was so much out there, and it was so varied, it was best to look at what the big / global tech companies were doing now (with their job ads), and how that would trickle down through the industry. You're totally right, it can create confusion! Particularly for applicants of these job roles. From what we can see they are now compartmentalising these roles into more defined positions (at the Google / Twitter / Facebook end of the spectrum), and what we'll see is UX is no longer used as a 'catch-all' description and there'll be more specialities within product design roles.
I have been a UX/UI or Product Designer for over 9 years. A couple of years ago it was product designer and now I see companies going back to UX/UI Designer. I consider myself a designer and I solve problems with design. I think companies get hung up on titles. UX Design is about focus on pulling needs and wants from the user. Validate design decisions back to the user. Talking to the stakeholders about ‘value’. What do they hope to gain from a value perspective and how do they plan to measure that (metrics). You work with engineering to build the product and work with them on Level of Effort to release versions to meet deadlines set by stakeholders.
Hi Chris, thanks for your insights! It's interesting that you say companies are shifting back to UX / UI titles. We thought it would be useful to see how trends were moving as we go into the new year, particularly for people trying to 'define' these areas of design, or trying to start a career in these fields. With large tech companies compartmentalising these roles much more rather than having UX as a 'catch all' term, we wanted to expand on that definition by looking at specific job roles and what was expected for each.
AJ&Smart, right. I love your videos but I am seeing companies hire End 2 End designers. Where you do research, UI, blueprints, journey maps, usability testing, interaction design, etc. The industry seems to be going back and forth, at least here in the US. Some people like doing it all, some people want to hone in on certain parts. I thinks it’s all okay as long as you recognize what you like to do and what the industry is looking for. Keep producing videos!
@@chriscarter3172 thanks! It's interesting to hear that! It does seem to be in a state of flux. But enjoying your role and getting value and fulfilment from it is also vitally important too, correct!
As someone who has straddled the communication space, and the computer science space in school, I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go in. Now I can do both!
5 ปีที่แล้ว +1
This is gold for graphic/visual designers looking for a change of focus in their career path! Thanks a lot 🙏🏻
So, this is what you mean with refreshing your marketing strategy. TOTALLY ❤️ how you're sharing the analysis behind, not just giving an opinion 🥳 Keep inspiring the product community!
Awesome video! I believe we should look at both sides, the academic to know where this all comes from and the market to understand the current needs from companies. I think we have to be aware that this changes a lot as you said and with the knowledge in mind know how to distinguish a bad job offer from a good one. What I see is that the Product Designer role will require more business skills and that we will have roles like Researcher, Service Designer and Product Designer. This sounds like horoscope predictions 😅
Sure! We see that Product Designer is becoming a more focused area, and UX hopefully will be a less 'catch-all' term. Totally agree we should look at both sides as well. The training of new designers will hopefully also be able to expand into these areas! In regards to the bad job offers, we agree, though it's often perhaps just recruiters not being specific enough with what they need as a business as well.
Where i work, we have different roles. We have some Experience Strategist, their goals is to research the Brand DNA (Why / How / What ) and how people lives in order to see if there is any match. We have some UX researcher who looking to User experience about ecosystems or services. We have some UX Designer (or Product Designer) who build the best experience according to the Brand DNA and People needs. We have some UI Designer, who build the design system, respect the Brand DNA et Art Direction and who work with developpers We have some Art Directors / Creativ people, who build the Brand langage (visual, strategy, social media etc). I don't think you need to be UX something to work for the Experience. And i don't think only UX something is required to build the best Brand Experience for people.
Hey Pierre-Eric! Great take on this and an interesting insight. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Glad that the roles are more defined, with elements of flexibility, in your place of work!
Hey Erika! Haha very kind thanks! Glad the videos have been helpful to you. Ha, there's no set hiring criteria based around humour BUT it certainly helps!
Thanks so much, Jonathan. This was really helpful. As a current UX student, I feel like I'm swamped with information on what I should be studying/reading/learning more about and looking for my first job has felt overwhelming. Even looking at Junior/Internship positions I have felt under qualified to take on the enormous amount of tasks assigned to the UX/UI designer & researcher (it's good to know that separations are coming in the near future!). This has been a really great way for me to understand which direction the industry is heading, and also on how to read and understand what companies are actually looking for. Loving all your AJ&Smart content!
Thanks Katie, really appreciate that! It can be daunting but just aim to be humble about what you know and don't know, and be excited and eager, and you'll go far for sure! Jobs ads featured in your area are always a great way to get the temperature of what local employers are looking for and need.
Thank you so much for this video! What a great point that the job market determines what UX is vs. academics. Hadn't thought about it that way! Super, super helpful as I'm evaluating if UX is what I want to do.
Perfect. I watched the video assuming it would be nonsense and slightly amusing (because it has UX design in the title and we all know that is a term that doesn't actually mean anything, as you said yourself) but yep, just ask people what they mean when they say UX design is the best advice I can think of. Of course, we shouldn't expect what facebook does to be the same as what anyone else will do in the future. All companies have unique needs etc... and who knows facebook might be wrong and they might have screwed up.
I think this is a super useful video. More than I expected. It would be great to see a video on how recent graduates from masters programs such as a Master of Science in Information (MSI) can advocate for themselves better when applying to jobs. I'm in a position where most of my background has been in education, as an English and science teacher. I have recently graduated with a Master of Public Policy and MSI degrees. I'm looking to do UX (or product) design for an international education entity. My coursework has prepared me to work in the field but I don't have an expensive portfolio. I think a video orientated to people like me, who are looking to make career pivots, would be great!
got half way through the video thinking... I know this voice. Then it clicked! Jake,Jake,Jake,Jake JoooHHnnnATTHHAN! Greatly appreciate you guys. Religiously listen to your podcasts. Always learning something about design through you guys.
Hey Iris, great question. We would categorise 'UX' as somewhat of an umbrella term nowadays, as explained in the video, employers are now breaking up the definition of UX and categorising product designers, UX researchers, Interactive Designers et al, as unique and focussed roles. Design thinking can be applied generally to the strategies you use to approach problem solving, in most instances, and would involve things like research, feedback, testing, and working through different iterations of products, see our Design Sprint methodologies for instance. Can you expand on Human Center Interaction though?
Hi Guys! Great video as always! Just wondering if you would do a which Bootcamp is great for learning UX, UI vs going for a degree? That would be super helpful..infinitely helpful --Best
Hey that's great to hear! We're putting out new videos every week all about UX Design, Product Strategy, Design Sprints, getting jobs in different UX fields, Prototyping, design case studies, tech news and loads loads more! Hope you like it! If you liked this UX video you might also like: th-cam.com/video/dWZNtpNRpG8/w-d-xo.html IT'S PACKED with UX / Ui Resources to check out! Thanks for taking the time to comment too!
Fast forward 3 years later: If the job description says "Interaction Designer" - you're gonna need to know React. If it says, "UX Designer" - you need to know React. If it says "UI Engineer" - it means React Engineer. If it says "UI/UX Expert" - it means React Expert... etc, etc. (I even know a "Product Designer" who writes React - just sayin)
Hi there. This was a fantastic video, thanks for taking the time to make it my man! I have a few questions: After all the requirement gathering, wire-framing, user flow mapping etc... What exactly is it that the Product Designer hands off to the developers? An Adobe XD file? What/where is the value a Product Designer adds to a company? Please forgive my ignorance as I'm just beginning learn about this.
This was a great video! I'm totally new jumping into this field and I feel like I have a good understanding of what to study and look for to further my new career direction. :) Thanks!
Thanks so much Taejun! Really appreciate the feedback! We have a video out soon on the differences between junior and senior roles too so keep watching!
As someone who kind of wears all the "UX hats" on my PhD course at the moment. I found it super confusing when I first starting to looking for jobs in companies that were separating out different roles. But then I soon realised then how much sense it makes! For me, I realised what "hat" I actually wanted to wear the majority of the time (Researcher Hat) so I can now focus on being more T shaped with my knowledge. My question would be where would design sprint facilitators fit? Do you think they would they be classed as UX Researcher?
Thanks for the insights Cameron, interesting question too. We would say that for sprint facilitation, you don't even necessarily need a design background, let alone any UX researcher experience. It would probably be helpful, from an empathy / problem solving point of view, but sprint facilitators would probably fall into a rather unique bracket among themselves.
@@AJSmart That's true! Actually, I guess the facilitator needs to have energy and superb communication skills. I was thinking of UX Researchers because we normally do run a workshop, focus groups and interviews. Which usually require those types of skills. But yeah I can see the argument for them having a unique bracket :)
@@cdsteer94 Sure, and there are of course research practices within the Sprint weeks, but being a great communicator and having a positive energy within the dynamics of the sprint would count for a lot more in a facilitator role, agreed.
I think they separate certain roles because of the company. Google and Facebook are massive companies and that's why they can afford to just have product designers whereas the small water company is combining them all into one. It can also be based on the fact that companies are run differently and therefore have different job descriptions and roles within their infrastructure.
Sure that's a good point, but then smaller companies with less budget will ask a 'designer' to do all of this then? So it's good that the industry is re-shuffling so to speak into more specialised roles.
As UX design is still new to me, this video helped me a lot! However I am still confused about the practical separation of UX and UI, are they 2 different jobs? For example where I live (Israel), all the job ads are looking for "UX\UI designers" and they require knowledge of User Experience design as well as knowledge in Photoshop, Illustrator, and so on. On the other hand the course that I am doing right now focuses on UX only, building wireframes and research, and according to my mentor, my final portfolio shouldn't be in high fidelity, only full wireframes and page layout (in black and white). Is that what companies are looking for when searching for Ux designers\product designers?
This is a very useful video as always. Nowadays I'm a UX/UI/U... designer and I have seeing companies asking more and more different things at the same time. How do you call that dude with the 'S' on his chest? Yes, the Super Designer who knows everything from designing, coding, SEO, hand drawing and more. Something I'm really interested to understand better is how companies in different countries understand this role the UX designer. I have seeing different job descriptions (on different countries) asking the same "core" knowledge but with really different "extras". Sometimes this is a big plus to coding skills and sometimes as a researcher.
I’m interested in studying UX design through a post bacc or extension program. What are some of the questions I should ask or thing I should look for when finding a good program that has me prepared to me to be successful in this field in 2019 and beyond?
Hey Imani! Great question, we'd check to see if there are any job placements or internships built into the programme, also if they offer any kind of post-course employment scheme with potential agencies / businesses. These are usually good indicators.
the video is super nice and long. Many people will perhaps disagree on this. But I do believe that the roles should be clearly defined and separated since most of the people can not handle everything. Btw the neck scarf and the shirt look like he is wearing a turtle neck=)))
Thanks Jayden! This is the trend that we found when researching the job links in the video. The large tech leaders are now breaking these roles up, while more localised job ads still expect a UX / Product designer to do many different, rather undefined roles.
I saw job post about UI/UX designer position but has to be able to do HTML5, CSS, Bootstrap, JQuery, HighchartsJS, PHP, .Net, WordPress, SQL. Not only that, the candidate also need to do exposure to cloud hosted infrastructure, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google. WOW!
Hey Shirleen, we see these all the time too, we're beginning to think they're maybe doing it tongue-in-cheek aha! Sounds like a very specific UX Engineer, if not Developer role?!
Unpopular opinion: This seems like a powerful trend, with a detailed methodology, but I am not seeing much difference in the end result, apps still look like apps and websites still look the same, nor am I seeing this implemented in real world cases very much thus far, why is it so popular? Love your videos tho!
So if I come from a quality control manufacturing background and I head off to UX bootcamp in a year, will I land a job? An internship? Anything? Or do I need a degree in something?
Hey Alan, that's fair, though these titles will probably still change over time as the industry norms change. With UX titles being more compartmentalised to cater to more specific job roles, it hopefully means training and educational programmes can be refined to reflect this too.
UX Design is the practice of fracturing the development process to the point where none of the seperate development island have to know or care the bare minimum about that data the project works with or the needs of the end user it tries to cater to.
Thanks for the explanation on UX actually is! It seems that Product design gravitates more to ittiration. Isn't that the UI aspect? Does product design have more of an overlap with UI jobs?
As you said that you need to develop apps and websites , so Do a Ui/Ux designer needs to know coding too or development part will be assigned to back end developers ?.
Thanks Vera, all the links mentioned are in the video description above. Some may have expired since the time of filming so may not be featured or may not display the same as they do in the video though.
Thank you so much for such an informative video. I am a healthcare professional trying to get into a career that is creative and therefore suit my interests more. When you said that most online courses are outdated, are there any that you would recommend that would be more useful for this year? Thanks in advance ☺️
Hey Nina, thanks for the lovely feedback and best of luck on your new journey! Sure thing, we recently released a video with a lot of reputable and robust online courses. Some are tasters and samplers, but all should still be free to access - th-cam.com/video/LupF26_Zs5Y/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps!
Hi Jonathan here we are in plenty 2021 do you still think that the UX designer label have evolved nito product designer? It would be interesting a 2021 version of this video Cheers from Edinburgh
Hi! Thanks for the info. Can you give me some guidelines on what courses do you recommend for becoming a UX designer? I graduated in 2016 as a multimedia designer and I was fond of UX design back then but I haven't done anything since then. :D
Hey Lulian, we just released a video JAM-PACKED with free UX / Ui courses and resources. Hopefully one of these will come useful for you? th-cam.com/video/LupF26_Zs5Y/w-d-xo.html We have a bunch of videos on our channel for people looking to get started / familiar with UX / Product Design so it's worth a look. Also check out the iOS Guidelines free online, as well as Material Design! Let us know if you have any other questions?
Well, some companys have a completely wrong vision of what User Experience Design is... So it is not that simple to follow the market, unless you are ready to do anything and everything just to earn money... But it is not the point, is it?
We mainly look at the Silicon Valley companies for a secure point of reference here. Companies DO get it wrong, you're correct, but what we're looking at here is how the /digital tech leaders describe the roles in much more succinct ways, which will eventually better inform the rest of the companies operating even at small scales of what they should be looking for and prioritising when hiring staff. When we reference the market, we mean look at the terms that the major tech companies use to describe the roles. Hope this helps?!
I don't think you can get the term 'User Experience Design' wrong. there isn't a definition. And to suggest you are designing what a user will experience is obviously not the correct definition. it's an ambiguous job title, if you don't ask what someone means when they say UX Design and take the job anyway... you should expect to do anything and everything. If I was hiring a flurmenstagergator you'd ask what that is before accepting the job
Thanks! We have a few others on UX Design / Resources here: th-cam.com/video/dWZNtpNRpG8/w-d-xo.html & th-cam.com/video/4mIr6CvW1nY/w-d-xo.html Hope they help!
Thanks a million Jonathan, and I will be looking forward to the video about Product Design. As regards to this video, isn’t it wishful thinking? Surely the multi-million dollar firms can have separate departments for research, design, and development, but the smaller firms can only afford one to hire the Jack of all Trades. I see where you are coming from, and I suppose that the best thing is to get the 2 years or plus experience on your Resume. I would hope that 3rd level institutes would start looking into developing curriculum for Digital Product Design.
Hi Michael, sure this is a valid point. Though the argument made in the video is that it's much more unlikely that you'll get a UX / Product Designer that will be able to do all of these things, engineering et al, to a super high standard at least, and so in the long run it may be more cost effective to invest in a small but specialised team. A totally valid point however!
Hi, I am Divyanshu from India. I am new in designing feild . I have learned UI design course online. And now I'm doing logo designing course. Actually I am very confused about what should I do? Which designing field I should go? And one more thing , Can I learn online or should I go to design school?
Hey Divyanshu, great questions! We actually have a video coming out next week about Product Design, and how to learn / get roles in that field, so keep an eye out for that. Which areas of design are you most interested in / get the most value from? What are the employers around you looking for in terms of skills sets? I would suggest going through the job adverts of agencies / companies you would want to work for and looking at what skills they require, and how that fits with your current skill set, then try to learn new skills in any areas where you don't feel as strong.
@@divyanshupundir9001 Sure, it really depends on what kind of work inspires you the most. Normally we'd advise against 'pigeon-holing' yourself into one particular field. But it really depends on what area you want to work in, and what those companies / agencies are looking for in the job ads. Does this help?
If User experience for intangible products is taking over the term "Product design" then I wonder where do the "Product designers" of tangible products stand ?
That's a fair question, from our end we'd class digital apps and services as products too of course.Will be interesting to see if this shifts or if there's a title change in future for either industry of course.
The definition of us designer is good. But... it seems that most companies when asking for us designer are looking for graphic artists instead of actual practical user interaction professionals. For example did nintendo hire one when they created their online store? It is a painful experience to use it.
I'm currently a sophomore, majoring in IT. I'm thinking of switching into UX design, but I need some guidance. How would I go about starting a portfolio?
Hey Elena, cool to hear you're thinking of getting into the industry. Firstly there are loads of free resources out there, from online tutorials and videos, to software trials etc to help you get started. We just released a video ( th-cam.com/video/NIkg3Ui7ITY/w-d-xo.html ) which should have some useful tips for you. Portfolio wise, best thing to start with would be to look at existing job ads in those industries, for large and small companies, and see what skills they're actually looking for. Then try to give yourself some self-initiated projects, or get some work in those areas to build up your skillset and portfolio. Hosting work on sites like Behance, or Dribble, or even designing and building your own website (great UX practice too) will be very advantageous! Hope this helps?
can you explain the difference of UX Design and UX Research. So you mentioned companies are starting to separate these two roles, yet on any UX design videos, you will see that the UX Design thinking process includes all of the research, ideation, then moving to wireframes and prototype. So if UX Design don't need to do research any more and just do wireframes, aren't they just visual designers in the end?
UX Research would be a specific role just focussing on researching the users, conducting tests, recording data and informing the wider team of the needs and requirements etc etc. UX Designer usually implies a kind of umbrella term for all these different specialities. But we see more Silicon Valley companies splitting these into specialist roles now.
Back In our country (Kenya)... companies are insisting that Graphic Designers also be well versed in Motion Graphics and Web Design which I find to be a bit unfair while still wanting to pay them very little..
Sketch is a great tool and has a lot of cool plugins for different purposes. Figma and Invision / Invision Studio are equally as powerful. It depends on what tools your agency or business lean towards really. Also depends on what OS you are operating, as Sketch is only available on Mac OS currently. We'd recommend checking out all 3 for sure!
I am starting my career in UX (coming from Software Engineering) and I found this video really informative and engaging. Thank you guys. Hope to work with you soon! 😊
Hi there, so i'm studying in an institute where i have to choose which discipline i'd want to study so, graphic design and product design but curriculum is completely different, in the sense product design course focuses on shape ,structure and working of the product. Considering the industry requirements which is a viable option? or would it matter as long as you're skilled in the category of work?
I think the confusion lies in the term. The "product design" here means a marketing tool, which can be an entire online graphic experience. In your case you are designing physical product like an arm chair or some tool etc. In this instance your your product would be a digital online market for an investment group that offers new investment "product". Don't let the words confuse you. Each field has different meaning for the same word.
Hey Bruce, good question, to be honest just the drive and willingness to learn. Especially if it's a career change it can be daunting learning something new, especially if from scratch. But just dive in and get started! Learn some basic principles and practices online to help get a better understanding of terminology and principles. There are loads of great resources even just here on TH-cam, check out these channels for starters: The Futur - th-cam.com/users/TheSkoolRocks AJ&Smart (our own) - th-cam.com/channels/eB_OpLspKJGiKv1CYkWFFw.html Flux - th-cam.com/channels/N7dywl5wDxTu1RM3eJ_h9Q.html Jesse Showalter - th-cam.com/users/JesseAtomic
Hey Efren, the Product Breakfast Club should be on ALL podcast apps, or you can find it directly on iTunes here: itunes.apple.com/de/podcast/the-product-breakfast-club/id1320916842?mt=2 and also on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/show/1qvzYYHQko5sMuKWmoundZ Hope this helps! Happy listening!
What questions do you have about UX design? Also... how does everyone really feel about Jon's neck scarf?
i am a product design student looking for internships for my grad project, i recently went through most of the indeed job opportunities,and when i saw this video, finally! yes am not in some wrong world! people do expect these things out of a product designer now, and it just makes me push my work area to larger boundary,i AGREE with this video...this video helps me make decisions...a big thank you! .....nice scarf btw..:D
@@nidsssss1 Thank you Nidhi, great to see the trends we discovered in this video resonated with some of your own experiences. Have you found a placement or internship yet? Would you define your skill-set as a 'Product Designer' now?
Helpful video (and great scarf:-)! I have a theory that many companies do their own "flavor" of UX - sort of like Agile. This creates confusion when searching for jobs because even though you may know the tools (Sketch, Figma, etc.) and the processes, the way you approach things still may not be the way that company defines a successful UX approach. For example, some companies want to spend minimal time on prototyping and more time on testing. Others feel testing is less valuable (don't get me started there) and that detailed wires/mocks are what's needed. Still others express that working on the problem should take the most time. My theory is that is creates confusion in terms of expectations both from the company and the candidates sides. What do you guys think? Will it become more standardized in the future? Or, is it not really an issue?
@@HollyReynolds great comment. Really nice to see your take on it. This was our main thought behind producing a video on UX definition(s). We felt that there was so much out there, and it was so varied, it was best to look at what the big / global tech companies were doing now (with their job ads), and how that would trickle down through the industry.
You're totally right, it can create confusion! Particularly for applicants of these job roles. From what we can see they are now compartmentalising these roles into more defined positions (at the Google / Twitter / Facebook end of the spectrum), and what we'll see is UX is no longer used as a 'catch-all' description and there'll be more specialities within product design roles.
@@AJSmart Totally agree! Thanks as always for your insight and creating such helpful content!
I have been a UX/UI or Product Designer for over 9 years.
A couple of years ago it was product designer and now I see companies going back to UX/UI Designer. I consider myself a designer and I solve problems with design. I think companies get hung up on titles.
UX Design is about focus on pulling needs and wants from the user. Validate design decisions back to the user. Talking to the stakeholders about ‘value’. What do they hope to gain from a value perspective and how do they plan to measure that (metrics). You work with engineering to build the product and work with them on Level of Effort to release versions to meet deadlines set by stakeholders.
Hi Chris, thanks for your insights! It's interesting that you say companies are shifting back to UX / UI titles. We thought it would be useful to see how trends were moving as we go into the new year, particularly for people trying to 'define' these areas of design, or trying to start a career in these fields. With large tech companies compartmentalising these roles much more rather than having UX as a 'catch all' term, we wanted to expand on that definition by looking at specific job roles and what was expected for each.
AJ&Smart, right. I love your videos but I am seeing companies hire End 2 End designers. Where you do research, UI, blueprints, journey maps, usability testing, interaction design, etc. The industry seems to be going back and forth, at least here in the US. Some people like doing it all, some people want to hone in on certain parts. I thinks it’s all okay as long as you recognize what you like to do and what the industry is looking for. Keep producing videos!
@@chriscarter3172 thanks! It's interesting to hear that! It does seem to be in a state of flux. But enjoying your role and getting value and fulfilment from it is also vitally important too, correct!
@@chriscarter3172 Totally! Thanks!
be glad there is no gradation like in programming: junior, middle senior
that's how motherfuckers get a cheaper workforce
Wooahhhh, AJ predicted the future!!! Literally every company is looking for a Product Designer!!!!
As someone who has straddled the
communication space, and the computer science space in school, I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go in. Now I can do both!
This is gold for graphic/visual designers looking for a change of focus in their career path! Thanks a lot 🙏🏻
So, this is what you mean with refreshing your marketing strategy. TOTALLY ❤️ how you're sharing the analysis behind, not just giving an opinion 🥳 Keep inspiring the product community!
Thanks for the feedback Carlos! Glad you enjoyed it!
I can't event describe how useful this video is ! Thank you so much :)
Very kind of you to share this Khosbayar, thank you!
Hi AJ,
You are teaching a fantastic way with a more practical approach.
Awesome video! I believe we should look at both sides, the academic to know where this all comes from and the market to understand the current needs from companies. I think we have to be aware that this changes a lot as you said and with the knowledge in mind know how to distinguish a bad job offer from a good one. What I see is that the Product Designer role will require more business skills and that we will have roles like Researcher, Service Designer and Product Designer. This sounds like horoscope predictions 😅
Sure! We see that Product Designer is becoming a more focused area, and UX hopefully will be a less 'catch-all' term. Totally agree we should look at both sides as well. The training of new designers will hopefully also be able to expand into these areas! In regards to the bad job offers, we agree, though it's often perhaps just recruiters not being specific enough with what they need as a business as well.
I love your personality and the way you talk, please do more !
Thanks so much Chelbi!
Where i work, we have different roles.
We have some Experience Strategist, their goals is to research the Brand DNA (Why / How / What ) and how people lives in order to see if there is any match.
We have some UX researcher who looking to User experience about ecosystems or services.
We have some UX Designer (or Product Designer) who build the best experience according to the Brand DNA and People needs.
We have some UI Designer, who build the design system, respect the Brand DNA et Art Direction and who work with developpers
We have some Art Directors / Creativ people, who build the Brand langage (visual, strategy, social media etc).
I don't think you need to be UX something to work for the Experience. And i don't think only UX something is required to build the best Brand Experience for people.
Hey Pierre-Eric! Great take on this and an interesting insight. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Glad that the roles are more defined, with elements of flexibility, in your place of work!
c'est quoi le nom de la firme stp ?
I’ve been enjoying watching your videos more than Netflix these days! So fun and informative :) A huge fan of you and Brittni from Korea!
Hey Erika! Haha very kind thanks! Glad the videos have been helpful to you. Ha, there's no set hiring criteria based around humour BUT it certainly helps!
What confuses me is if UX design is more connected to Design degree or IT? If I want to become a IX designer, which courses should I look for ?
Great description for someone interested in a career transition into UX/Product Design (like me)! Thanks a mil!
This is super cool, love this approach of defining designer role :)
Thanks Michal, very much appreciated!
Loved this video. Really nice of you to dissect several job descriptions. Thanks for being a servant to the design community. Bravo! :)
Thank you so much Joshua, that's very kind! Glad it was of use!
I love your Totoro!
Thank you for the goo explanation. Great content as always!
Thanks Vladimir!
Thanks for the video! This is great for aspiring folks like me trying to figure out the difference in UX/UI/Product Designer.
Thanks for the feedback Pablo! Glad the video has helped!
I really enjoyed your vid, super basic and valuable information and if disentangled the field for me, I’d love to get an updated on for 2020! Thx.
really like you Jonathan. just watching your face makes me happy all the time ❤️
Thanks so much, Jonathan. This was really helpful. As a current UX student, I feel like I'm swamped with information on what I should be studying/reading/learning more about and looking for my first job has felt overwhelming. Even looking at Junior/Internship positions I have felt under qualified to take on the enormous amount of tasks assigned to the UX/UI designer & researcher (it's good to know that separations are coming in the near future!). This has been a really great way for me to understand which direction the industry is heading, and also on how to read and understand what companies are actually looking for. Loving all your AJ&Smart content!
Thanks Katie, really appreciate that! It can be daunting but just aim to be humble about what you know and don't know, and be excited and eager, and you'll go far for sure! Jobs ads featured in your area are always a great way to get the temperature of what local employers are looking for and need.
Your channel is my most favourite youtube channel and is definitely a perfect guide for the UX / UI industry..Keep up the goooood work🤩🤩
Wish I got paid every time you said "Interesting" and "Strategy". Everything said in the last 5 mins was enough.😊
aha very true!
I love how you broke this down. Great video and very useful!
Thanks! What more would you like to know about UX / UX roles?
Man.. you have clarified me sooooo many things.. great video.
Thank you so much for this video! What a great point that the job market determines what UX is vs. academics. Hadn't thought about it that way! Super, super helpful as I'm evaluating if UX is what I want to do.
Thanks a lot Rachel! Glad it was helpful for you!
Really enjoyed your video! It fits into the real world
enjoyed listening you , nice video cleared lots of thoughts
Perfect. I watched the video assuming it would be nonsense and slightly amusing (because it has UX design in the title and we all know that is a term that doesn't actually mean anything, as you said yourself) but yep, just ask people what they mean when they say UX design is the best advice I can think of.
Of course, we shouldn't expect what facebook does to be the same as what anyone else will do in the future. All companies have unique needs etc... and who knows facebook might be wrong and they might have screwed up.
Thank you for your insight Jonathan I always enjoy hearing how you think very inspiring!
Thanks Michael!
UXers you neeeed to watch this 🔥
Thanks Laura!
I think this is a super useful video. More than I expected. It would be great to see a video on how recent graduates from masters programs such as a Master of Science in Information (MSI) can advocate for themselves better when applying to jobs. I'm in a position where most of my background has been in education, as an English and science teacher. I have recently graduated with a Master of Public Policy and MSI degrees. I'm looking to do UX (or product) design for an international education entity. My coursework has prepared me to work in the field but I don't have an expensive portfolio. I think a video orientated to people like me, who are looking to make career pivots, would be great!
got half way through the video thinking... I know this voice. Then it clicked! Jake,Jake,Jake,Jake JoooHHnnnATTHHAN! Greatly appreciate you guys. Religiously listen to your podcasts. Always learning something about design through you guys.
Hahahah that's amazing! Nice that you knew us from before!
Hi, I would like to know what is Jon's take on the difference between UX, Design Thinking and Human Center Interaction?
Hey Iris, great question. We would categorise 'UX' as somewhat of an umbrella term nowadays, as explained in the video, employers are now breaking up the definition of UX and categorising product designers, UX researchers, Interactive Designers et al, as unique and focussed roles. Design thinking can be applied generally to the strategies you use to approach problem solving, in most instances, and would involve things like research, feedback, testing, and working through different iterations of products, see our Design Sprint methodologies for instance. Can you expand on Human Center Interaction though?
Omg! Thanks for this video 🙏🏻
Hi Guys! Great video as always! Just wondering if you would do a which Bootcamp is great for learning UX, UI vs going for a degree? That would be super helpful..infinitely helpful --Best
Just found this channel and i love it
great content!
Hey that's great to hear! We're putting out new videos every week all about UX Design, Product Strategy, Design Sprints, getting jobs in different UX fields, Prototyping, design case studies, tech news and loads loads more!
Hope you like it! If you liked this UX video you might also like: th-cam.com/video/dWZNtpNRpG8/w-d-xo.html
IT'S PACKED with UX / Ui Resources to check out! Thanks for taking the time to comment too!
Fast forward 3 years later: If the job description says "Interaction Designer" - you're gonna need to know React. If it says, "UX Designer" - you need to know React. If it says "UI Engineer" - it means React Engineer. If it says "UI/UX Expert" - it means React Expert... etc, etc. (I even know a "Product Designer" who writes React - just sayin)
Hi there. This was a fantastic video, thanks for taking the time to make it my man! I have a few questions: After all the requirement gathering, wire-framing, user flow mapping etc... What exactly is it that the Product Designer hands off to the developers? An Adobe XD file? What/where is the value a Product Designer adds to a company? Please forgive my ignorance as I'm just beginning learn about this.
shouldn't they specify if they need a Web UX designer, an App UX designer, a Packaging UX designer, etc?
Jonathan, love the way you explain things in a very concise and practical way!
thanks Steven!
This was a great video! I'm totally new jumping into this field and I feel like I have a good understanding of what to study and look for to further my new career direction. :) Thanks!
Great Niko, thanks for commenting and best of luck with your new journey!
Super helpful and informative Jonathan!! Thank you!
Thanks Rajiv!
Best explanation EVER!! Very simple and thorough
Thanks ;)
Thanks so much Taejun! Really appreciate the feedback! We have a video out soon on the differences between junior and senior roles too so keep watching!
i just copped “the design of everyday things”.
it just arrived @ my house today lmao
As someone who kind of wears all the "UX hats" on my PhD course at the moment. I found it super confusing when I first starting to looking for jobs in companies that were separating out different roles. But then I soon realised then how much sense it makes! For me, I realised what "hat" I actually wanted to wear the majority of the time (Researcher Hat) so I can now focus on being more T shaped with my knowledge.
My question would be where would design sprint facilitators fit?
Do you think they would they be classed as UX Researcher?
Thanks for the insights Cameron, interesting question too. We would say that for sprint facilitation, you don't even necessarily need a design background, let alone any UX researcher experience. It would probably be helpful, from an empathy / problem solving point of view, but sprint facilitators would probably fall into a rather unique bracket among themselves.
Great question 👍👍👍👍
We agree! Thanks Ahmed!
@@AJSmart That's true! Actually, I guess the facilitator needs to have energy and superb communication skills. I was thinking of UX Researchers because we normally do run a workshop, focus groups and interviews. Which usually require those types of skills. But yeah I can see the argument for them having a unique bracket :)
@@cdsteer94 Sure, and there are of course research practices within the Sprint weeks, but being a great communicator and having a positive energy within the dynamics of the sprint would count for a lot more in a facilitator role, agreed.
I think they separate certain roles because of the company. Google and Facebook are massive companies and that's why they can afford to just have product designers whereas the small water company is combining them all into one. It can also be based on the fact that companies are run differently and therefore have different job descriptions and roles within their infrastructure.
Sure that's a good point, but then smaller companies with less budget will ask a 'designer' to do all of this then? So it's good that the industry is re-shuffling so to speak into more specialised roles.
Really helpful, thank you!
As UX design is still new to me, this video helped me a lot! However I am still confused about the practical separation of UX and UI, are they 2 different jobs? For example where I live (Israel), all the job ads are looking for "UX\UI designers" and they require knowledge of User Experience design as well as knowledge in Photoshop, Illustrator, and so on. On the other hand the course that I am doing right now focuses on UX only, building wireframes and research, and according to my mentor, my final portfolio shouldn't be in high fidelity, only full wireframes and page layout (in black and white). Is that what companies are looking for when searching for Ux designers\product designers?
Hey Tamar! Great questions, we actually have a video that should really help you out here: th-cam.com/video/LWLRTIkRDqA/w-d-xo.html
This is a very useful video as always. Nowadays I'm a UX/UI/U... designer and I have seeing companies asking more and more different things at the same time. How do you call that dude with the 'S' on his chest? Yes, the Super Designer who knows everything from designing, coding, SEO, hand drawing and more. Something I'm really interested to understand better is how companies in different countries understand this role the UX designer. I have seeing different job descriptions (on different countries) asking the same "core" knowledge but with really different "extras". Sometimes this is a big plus to coding skills and sometimes as a researcher.
Exactly, great point Carlos and thanks for sharing! Often employers want a "Creative Director" skillset for the salary of a Junior too ahah!
That's them being humorous.
I’m interested in studying UX design through a post bacc or extension program. What are some of the questions I should ask or thing I should look for when finding a good program that has me prepared to me to be successful in this field in 2019 and beyond?
Hey Imani! Great question, we'd check to see if there are any job placements or internships built into the programme, also if they offer any kind of post-course employment scheme with potential agencies / businesses. These are usually good indicators.
the video is super nice and long. Many people will perhaps disagree on this. But I do believe that the roles should be clearly defined and separated since most of the people can not handle everything. Btw the neck scarf and the shirt look like he is wearing a turtle neck=)))
Thanks Jayden! This is the trend that we found when researching the job links in the video. The large tech leaders are now breaking these roles up, while more localised job ads still expect a UX / Product designer to do many different, rather undefined roles.
I saw job post about UI/UX designer position but has to be able to do HTML5, CSS, Bootstrap, JQuery, HighchartsJS, PHP, .Net, WordPress, SQL. Not only that, the candidate also need to do exposure to cloud hosted infrastructure, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google. WOW!
Hey Shirleen, we see these all the time too, we're beginning to think they're maybe doing it tongue-in-cheek aha! Sounds like a very specific UX Engineer, if not Developer role?!
As a beginner shall i take up Adobe XD? Is it good for future employability?
Unpopular opinion: This seems like a powerful trend, with a detailed methodology, but I am not seeing much difference in the end result, apps still look like apps and websites still look the same, nor am I seeing this implemented in real world cases very much thus far, why is it so popular? Love your videos tho!
So if I come from a quality control manufacturing background and I head off to UX bootcamp in a year, will I land a job? An internship? Anything? Or do I need a degree in something?
Thank you guys so much for this video!
How was it working with Iman gadzhi and can you share tips on starting an ui,ux design agency?
Thanks for the idea!
That's really helpful bro! Thanks a lot!
Great to hear! Thanks!
I think those more specific titles only applies to massive companies, smaller ones will still use UX designer to cover all aspects.
Hey Alan, that's fair, though these titles will probably still change over time as the industry norms change. With UX titles being more compartmentalised to cater to more specific job roles, it hopefully means training and educational programmes can be refined to reflect this too.
Woow. This was great!
Thanks Eduardo!
UX Design is the practice of fracturing the development process to the point where none of the seperate development island have to know or care the bare minimum about that data the project works with or the needs of the end user it tries to cater to.
Thanks for the explanation on UX actually is! It seems that Product design gravitates more to ittiration. Isn't that the UI aspect? Does product design have more of an overlap with UI jobs?
As you said that you need to develop apps and websites , so Do a Ui/Ux designer needs to know coding too or development part will be assigned to back end developers ?.
Nice video content. Could you put external links for all the articles you mentioned on the video?
Thanks Vera, all the links mentioned are in the video description above. Some may have expired since the time of filming so may not be featured or may not display the same as they do in the video though.
Wish I found this before the interview... As a product designer I still don't know how much coding they expect from me
How did the interview go?!
@@AJSmart equally good & weird 🤭
Thank you so much for such an informative video. I am a healthcare professional trying to get into a career that is creative and therefore suit my interests more. When you said that most online courses are outdated, are there any that you would recommend that would be more useful for this year? Thanks in advance ☺️
Hey Nina, thanks for the lovely feedback and best of luck on your new journey! Sure thing, we recently released a video with a lot of reputable and robust online courses. Some are tasters and samplers, but all should still be free to access - th-cam.com/video/LupF26_Zs5Y/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps!
Hi Jonathan here we are in plenty 2021 do you still think that the UX designer label have evolved nito product designer?
It would be interesting a 2021 version of this video
Cheers from Edinburgh
Thank you so much for the video with the references :)
Thanks!
Hi! Thanks for the info. Can you give me some guidelines on what courses do you recommend for becoming a UX designer? I graduated in 2016 as a multimedia designer and I was fond of UX design back then but I haven't done anything since then. :D
Hey Lulian, we just released a video JAM-PACKED with free UX / Ui courses and resources. Hopefully one of these will come useful for you? th-cam.com/video/LupF26_Zs5Y/w-d-xo.html
We have a bunch of videos on our channel for people looking to get started / familiar with UX / Product Design so it's worth a look.
Also check out the iOS Guidelines free online, as well as Material Design!
Let us know if you have any other questions?
@@AJSmart but these courses are without certification so would it help apart from learning??
As soon as the vid started i liked subbed and commented this
That's what we like to hear! THANKS! We have a whole bunch of UX related vids on our channel to enjoy too! Thanks for the comment!
Well, some companys have a completely wrong vision of what User Experience Design is... So it is not that simple to follow the market, unless you are ready to do anything and everything just to earn money... But it is not the point, is it?
We mainly look at the Silicon Valley companies for a secure point of reference here. Companies DO get it wrong, you're correct, but what we're looking at here is how the /digital tech leaders describe the roles in much more succinct ways, which will eventually better inform the rest of the companies operating even at small scales of what they should be looking for and prioritising when hiring staff.
When we reference the market, we mean look at the terms that the major tech companies use to describe the roles. Hope this helps?!
I don't think you can get the term 'User Experience Design' wrong. there isn't a definition. And to suggest you are designing what a user will experience is obviously not the correct definition. it's an ambiguous job title, if you don't ask what someone means when they say UX Design and take the job anyway... you should expect to do anything and everything. If I was hiring a flurmenstagergator you'd ask what that is before accepting the job
Would you recommend interaction design foundation courses for UI design?
Well said and really helpful, thanks.
Thanks Simon, glad it was helpful, we have a lot of more recent UX related videos on our channel now too!
very helpful
I liked this video very much!
Thanks! We have a few others on UX Design / Resources here: th-cam.com/video/dWZNtpNRpG8/w-d-xo.html & th-cam.com/video/4mIr6CvW1nY/w-d-xo.html Hope they help!
Thanks a million Jonathan, and I will be looking forward to the video about Product Design.
As regards to this video, isn’t it wishful thinking?
Surely the multi-million dollar firms can have separate departments for research, design, and development, but the smaller firms can only afford one to hire the Jack of all Trades.
I see where you are coming from, and I suppose that the best thing is to get the 2 years or plus experience on your Resume.
I would hope that 3rd level institutes would start looking into developing curriculum for Digital Product Design.
Hi Michael, sure this is a valid point. Though the argument made in the video is that it's much more unlikely that you'll get a UX / Product Designer that will be able to do all of these things, engineering et al, to a super high standard at least, and so in the long run it may be more cost effective to invest in a small but specialised team. A totally valid point however!
till what year of age according to you a graphic designer can work ? i mean as a career ? 65?
Obviously....I found it useful.. thanks :)
Thanks!
Hi, I am Divyanshu from India. I am new in designing feild . I have learned UI design course online. And now I'm doing logo designing course. Actually I am very confused about what should I do? Which designing field I should go?
And one more thing , Can I learn online or should I go to design school?
Hey Divyanshu, great questions! We actually have a video coming out next week about Product Design, and how to learn / get roles in that field, so keep an eye out for that. Which areas of design are you most interested in / get the most value from? What are the employers around you looking for in terms of skills sets?
I would suggest going through the job adverts of agencies / companies you would want to work for and looking at what skills they require, and how that fits with your current skill set, then try to learn new skills in any areas where you don't feel as strong.
@@AJSmart Thanks for the advice.And I'll be waiting for the video.
@@divyanshupundir9001 Excellent thanks!
@@AJSmart Hey! I just wanna ask one more question , Is UI designing is a good field? Or Should I go in Graphics designing.
@@divyanshupundir9001 Sure, it really depends on what kind of work inspires you the most. Normally we'd advise against 'pigeon-holing' yourself into one particular field. But it really depends on what area you want to work in, and what those companies / agencies are looking for in the job ads. Does this help?
Thank you!)
Great info here, thanks!
Thanks Ethan!
If User experience for intangible products is taking over the term "Product design" then I wonder where do the "Product designers" of tangible products stand ?
That's a fair question, from our end we'd class digital apps and services as products too of course.Will be interesting to see if this shifts or if there's a title change in future for either industry of course.
The definition of us designer is good. But... it seems that most companies when asking for us designer are looking for graphic artists instead of actual practical user interaction professionals. For example did nintendo hire one when they created their online store? It is a painful experience to use it.
I'm currently a sophomore, majoring in IT. I'm thinking of switching into UX design, but I need some guidance. How would I go about starting a portfolio?
Hey Elena, cool to hear you're thinking of getting into the industry. Firstly there are loads of free resources out there, from online tutorials and videos, to software trials etc to help you get started. We just released a video ( th-cam.com/video/NIkg3Ui7ITY/w-d-xo.html ) which should have some useful tips for you.
Portfolio wise, best thing to start with would be to look at existing job ads in those industries, for large and small companies, and see what skills they're actually looking for. Then try to give yourself some self-initiated projects, or get some work in those areas to build up your skillset and portfolio.
Hosting work on sites like Behance, or Dribble, or even designing and building your own website (great UX practice too) will be very advantageous! Hope this helps?
Is product designer the same as industrial designer?
can you explain the difference of UX Design and UX Research. So you mentioned companies are starting to separate these two roles, yet on any UX design videos, you will see that the UX Design thinking process includes all of the research, ideation, then moving to wireframes and prototype. So if UX Design don't need to do research any more and just do wireframes, aren't they just visual designers in the end?
UX Research would be a specific role just focussing on researching the users, conducting tests, recording data and informing the wider team of the needs and requirements etc etc. UX Designer usually implies a kind of umbrella term for all these different specialities. But we see more Silicon Valley companies splitting these into specialist roles now.
Back In our country (Kenya)... companies are insisting that Graphic Designers also be well versed in Motion Graphics and Web Design which I find to be a bit unfair while still wanting to pay them very little..
Hmm that's a huge problem!Particularly around the pay / compensation!
I love this video
Thanks Sue! Hope it's helpful!
@@AJSmartI am an UX designer as well and it is very helpful!! I love how he talks in the video.
I LOVE THAT T-SHIRT, JON!
"This video is brought to you by Buffs"
Super helpful
Thanks Kunal! Glad it helped! Thanks for commenting!
Your hair looks great!
as always?!
Is Sketch a necessary basic tool that I should know?
Sketch is a great tool and has a lot of cool plugins for different purposes. Figma and Invision / Invision Studio are equally as powerful. It depends on what tools your agency or business lean towards really. Also depends on what OS you are operating, as Sketch is only available on Mac OS currently. We'd recommend checking out all 3 for sure!
Fantastic stuff!
yessir!
I loved your video!
Thanks!
I am starting my career in UX (coming from Software Engineering) and I found this video really informative and engaging. Thank you guys. Hope to work with you soon! 😊
@@PaoloDomingoVlogs Thanks so much that's great to hear. And good luck in your new career!
Hi there,
so i'm studying in an institute where i have to choose which discipline i'd want to study so, graphic design and product design but curriculum is completely different, in the sense product design course focuses on shape ,structure and working of the product. Considering the industry requirements which is a viable option? or would it matter as long as you're skilled in the category of work?
I think the confusion lies in the term. The "product design" here means a marketing tool, which can be an entire online graphic experience. In your case you are designing physical product like an arm chair or some tool etc. In this instance your your product would be a digital online market for an investment group that offers new investment "product". Don't let the words confuse you. Each field has different meaning for the same word.
Do you not just think that the likes of Facebook and whatnot (live services) want to differentiate themselves from creative agencies?
What would it take for me to become a UX Designer ?
Hey Bruce, good question, to be honest just the drive and willingness to learn. Especially if it's a career change it can be daunting learning something new, especially if from scratch. But just dive in and get started!
Learn some basic principles and practices online to help get a better understanding of terminology and principles. There are loads of great resources even just here on TH-cam, check out these channels for starters:
The Futur - th-cam.com/users/TheSkoolRocks
AJ&Smart (our own) - th-cam.com/channels/eB_OpLspKJGiKv1CYkWFFw.html
Flux - th-cam.com/channels/N7dywl5wDxTu1RM3eJ_h9Q.html
Jesse Showalter - th-cam.com/users/JesseAtomic
Hi! I am currently learning UX/UI design. My question is am I to old to start that career path since I am 32 years old?
Hey Vladimir, no not at all! We know lots of people making career changes into this very lucrative and in demand field, who are all ages! Go get em!
@@AJSmart Oh cool awesome! What boot camp would you suggest? :D
Great question, I’m in a similar situation.
How can I find this episode on podcast?
Hey Efren, the Product Breakfast Club should be on ALL podcast apps, or you can find it directly on iTunes here: itunes.apple.com/de/podcast/the-product-breakfast-club/id1320916842?mt=2 and also on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/show/1qvzYYHQko5sMuKWmoundZ Hope this helps! Happy listening!