The UX design field is a broad one. There are many processes and activities involved in creating a positive user experience. These processes can be broken down into bits for ease and speedy delivery for different teams to work on while constantly collaborating.
Sometimes, tracking down user experience as a career becomes difficult because various organizations have additional requirements based on specific departments or roles.
These varied requirements and responsibilities have evolved to become careers independently, although still under UX as a field.
This article highlights some of these career paths and their job descriptions. You can check the one that resonates well with your present duties and choose it as your career path.
Career Paths in UX Design
These career paths are offshoots of the general requirements of a UX designer. However, the responsibilities the skill set imposes can be overwhelming for one person.
We have different career paths in the UX field; even if you start as a generalist, you can start preparing on which direction to focus on as a specialist later.
Some of the career paths in UX include:
UX researcher
UX writer
UX strategist
Information Architect
UX manager
UX consultant
These career paths are offshoots of the general requirements of a UX designer. However, the responsibilities the skill set imposes can be overwhelming for one person.
UX Researcher
If you are familiar with the UX design process, you will understand how important research is. We can create the best solutions for our users when we know their needs and desires better. Many UX designers specialize solely in this aspect, becoming UX researchers.
As the name implies, UX researchers are concerned with all aspects of research. They conduct research with real users, collecting data on how people think, feel, and behave.
UX researchers are responsible for defining the scope of each study, establishing research objectives, and finding suitable participants for research.
Following the research session, they will analyze and translate the data into actionable insights and product requirements. UX researchers are also involved in creating user personas and customer journey maps.
Related article: How to become a UX Designer in 2022
UX Writers
UX writers craft all the copy in a design. They write all the text that a user will contact while using the product. UX design is incomplete without text that speaks back to the user.
They collaborate with UX researchers to understand their audience. The information from researchers will help them know the level of simplicity required in crafting copies for the design.
UX writers are different from other copywriters, even though they use copywriting skills. Copywriters aim to convince people about a product or service, while UX writers write to guide.
UX researchers are responsible for defining the scope of each study, establishing research objectives, and finding suitable participants for research.
Following the research session, they will analyze and translate the data into actionable insights and product requirements. UX researchers are also involved in creating user personas and customer journey maps
UX strategist
We can think of UX strategy as the combination of UX design and business strategy. UX strategists bring a user-centered mindset to the boardroom while ensuring that the design team works toward the business goals.
The UX strategist considers business needs and advises key decision-makers on how to compete in their chosen market, deeply understanding UX and the importance of putting the user first.
They also assist in defining the company's UX vision and mission, resulting in a UX roadmap. The role of the UX strategist is also analytical. They analyze data to identify strategic market opportunities and determine the product's direction to benefit both the business and the user.
Information Architect
An Information architect organizes the content across a product or system. They use data from user research to determine how users can easily access information.
An information architect considers the user's journey through the site to decide how to organize the information on each page and how the pages can connect to create logical navigation.
They aim to make it as simple as possible for users to find what they're looking for. Information architects also work with UX writers to develop labels to help users understand the navigation options.
An Information architect organizes the content across a product or system. They use data from user research to determine how users can have easy access to information.
UX Manager
UX managers are in charge of nurturing the design team. They encourage collaboration among workers and translate stakeholder needs to designers.
While they do not usually do design or research, they ensure that every designer, researcher, analyst, and developer is on the same page.
UX Consultant
UX consultants use the technical skills in UX to solve problems. They can prototype, create maps, conduct user research, and measure usability.
A UX consultant is dependent on the problem they want to solve. It may help with user research, wireframes, or training the design team.
UX consultants are like generalists. This field has to do with lots of experience in the UX field. Someone with years of experience in the UX field can easily fit in as a consultant.
Related article: Pro Tips on How to Learn UX Design
Final thoughts
You might start off being a generalist in UX design. Not all organizations separate their consultant's work depending on their roles. So, it is vital to learn everything that UX design entails. As you move up the ladder, you can focus on one area and build your career on it. Start your career in UX design today