The field of User Experience seems to be locked in an eternal struggle. For some reason, we as designers feel the constant need to defend our field as a useful, contributing profession. In some cases, we are defending ourselves against developers, who were coding systems long before the field was conceived. In other cases, we defend ourselves to the C-level, who are constantly making judgments about how best to distribute a budget across a company or a business unit. We also feel we have to defend ourselves to potential (or even current) customers, who must be convinced to loosen the purse strings a bit more to get the product that they really need. Sometimes, we even have to defend ourselves to fellow designers, to prove to ourselves that we really do matter.
Why is this? Why don’t we see other professions waging the same battles? How come Accounting never has to justify its role in an organization? Why is UX frequently on the chopping blocks of budgets, despite the repeated proof that focused UX leads to better products and higher user acceptance?
When I was in college, I took some classes in communication, where I got to learn a bit about marketing and mass media. One of the things I learned was that literally anyone can call themselves a journalist. There are no tests to pass and no degrees to get; no qualifications of any kind are required. It’s no surprise that so many people have become bloggers and podcasters thinking they can become big. There are no barriers to entry and there is a possible payoff in the end (although the likelihood is tiny). I got this sense a lot with User Experience. Yes, there are many undergraduate and graduate programs tailored to the field, but it seems that this is only a fraction of the people claiming to be User Experience professionals. Some start in seemingly related fields, like Marketing or Programming, and gradually just fall (or are pushed) into the discipline. Others start further afield and try to wander into the domain.
I have heard from several people who are interested in being in UX, and feel that since they are smart, and pick things up quickly, they could jump right in and become a professional. They ask, ‘How can I get a job as a UX professional?’ and are surprised when the answer is to start by studying the field. Read books, take classes, and practice.
But I fear far too many of these people have wormed their way into the field without paying the necessary dues. They haven’t studied. They are relying on their natural skill set (being smart) and hoping to learn on the fly.[1] This can work, but often does not. And these failures stain not just that one person, but stain the entire field. When executives feel they can go without UX, they are considering these cases. When developers ignore our input, these people are fresh in their mind.
We are some of our own worst enemies as well. When we have a person strong in Information Architecture try to do Visual Design this reflects poorly on the field. When we have a Graphic Designer try to do new wireframes and they don’t ring true with the customer, we all lose. We delude ourselves about what we are capable of, and all our colleagues and peers pay the price.
This also applies to teaching people ‘design thinking’. While I am completely in favor of teaching design thinking to anyone and everyone, taking a course on design thinking is not the same as having a qualified UX person on the team (or having a fully stacked UX team). Design thinking helps everyone contribute, and people who can apply its principles can fill in when necessary, but sustained excellence in product design requires a skilled design team.
Doing good UX is a skill, which means it has to be learned. Trying hard is not enough. To be good at UX requires learning about good practices and bad practices, developing a broad set of tools to use and knowing when to use them, understanding how people think and act, and of course, designing and failing and learning (among other things). This can happen on the job or off the job, but it’s a steep learning curve. Hiring someone and expecting them to ‘catch on’ right away is foolish. There is a reason people get degrees – and advanced degrees – in the field. This is difficult work. I’ve been doing it almost 11 years (+ grad school), and still know I have a lot to learn.
For our field to grow, we have to establish some legitimacy. We need to understand what our barriers to entry should be. While in some cases, certification has been made a commodity and turned largely into a profit generator with little legitimacy, if done correctly, it can be one place to start. We need to understand that different parts of product design require different skills, so that we can staff accordingly. I like that so many people want to get involved in UX, but likely most every field, joining is something that has to be earned. There are no easy paths. There are no naturals. There is studying, and learning, and practicing the craft.
[1] To be sure, everyone has to learn on the fly to some degree. But without a strong feedback mechanism of what is right and wrong based on some fundamental principles, no growth can occur.