You Might Make a Great UX Designer At Viget If…

When I was a kid, I never thought to myself, "Man, when I grow up, I want to be a UX designer … "  I'm not sure that the title even existed then.  Yet, here I am, many years later, working as one at Viget.  The different paths people take before they eventually determine this is the proper field for them are too numerous to count.  While UX designers (or whatever official title is cool this week) come from all different backgrounds and educations, I think there are certain qualities many of them have that lead them down this particular path in the first place.  These are qualities that I see in both myself and my fellow UX designers here at Viget.  If you possess these qualities, you could be a good fit here, too.   

You might make a great UX designer at Viget if …

You enjoy people watching.

Do you have an eagerness to understand the internal and external triggers that make people do what they do?  Are you intrigued by human behavior?  At the end of the day, we are designing for users.  We need to have an understanding of human behavior and a desire to understand what people want to do and why.  If you're not interested in that sort of thing, UX is not for you.  

You like to make things better.

When you see something that’s poorly designed, does it drive you crazy?  Are you constantly thinking of ways that you could improve the design of the things around you?  A desire to make things more efficient and easier to use is important.  

You communicate well.  

Whether you're speaking with your best friend or a stranger, you should be comfortable and capable of understanding what people are talking about and explaining things to them in a way that they can understand. 

You are a quick and capable learner.  

You can dive head first into a new subject and learn about it quickly.  Doing this doesn't even feel like work, because you're a curious individual who considers it fun to have the opportunity to learn something new.  

You like to get to the root of a problem.  

Do you enjoy helping your friends figure out exactly what the cause of an issue is, in order to help them determine the best course of action?  Are you the first one to break out a pros/cons list or a mind map to help them organize their thoughts?  (By the way, I consider these to be perfectly acceptable social activities -- just ask my friends.)  Problem solving is an important aspect of UX.  We need to be able to help a client or our internal team define a problem so that we can come up with the proper solution.  

You like to organize things.

This doesn't necessarily mean that your desk isn't cluttered or that you can always find everything you’re looking for, but having a natural inclination to bring order to things is important.  As a UX designer, you need to be able to organize information in way that makes the consumption of that information easy for users.  You also need to be able to bring order to the information overflow that comes at the beginning of a project when you start to meet with clients and stakeholders, review existing content, and conduct research. 

You don't shy away from sketching.  

This doesn't mean that you are Picasso.  If the farthest your sketches have gone are to your mom's fridge, that's perfectly okay.  But, you should feel comfortable grabbing a pen or a dry erase marker, sketching out an idea, and sharing it with people.

You’re happy to take the lead.

You’re not afraid to take charge of a meeting -- large or small.  Whether it’s through leading group exercises or simply just guiding the discussion, you are able to run an effective meeting.

You are able to balance the needs of many.

Are you able to take the varying desires and needs of several people and bring the group to a consensus?  Whether it's the needs of the client or business, the internal team, or the users, you should be able to help define solutions that you can stand behind as a designer, and that also meet the needs and please the various members of the team.  This is not an easy task, but it is one that you must be able to handle.

You're a team player.

You appreciate and understand the importance of the various parts of the web design process.  You are able to work well with others and are excited to have the chance to collaborate  -- whether it’s with a visual designer, developer, project manager, or any other member of the team.

You want to help make the web great.

Possessing these qualities is important, but it’s equally as important to have an interest in and understanding of web technologies, as well as the desire and ability to craft experiences for the web.

If you feel like you have the combination of the qualities above and a desire to create delightful online experiences, you might fit in well here at Viget.  We’re always looking for fresh talent to bring on board, whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out.  Think you have what it takes?  Check out our full-time and internship opportunities.  We’d love to talk to you.