5 Reasons Why UX Designers Should Work with a Consulting Firm
Every UX practitioner should do a stint in the services or consulting space. This stint is a must on your work profile. There is no doubt that product design is where the real challenge and crux of our contribution lies, however consulting is an equally exciting space in its own way.
Unlike product companies, designing for services or consulting projects is a different ball game. While we employ the same methods to deliver the user experience, the intensity and diversity of our thinking changes the way we approach work and eventually build our skillset.
Here are five reasons why you should take up that services stint in your career.
1. Domains & Markets
You get the chance to work across a diverse range of domains, right from consumer focused areas like banking, travel, housing or even projects in complex environments like oil and gas, energy, government or even space exploration, if you're lucky.
Unlike product companies, you're not limited to working a single product, a specific module with a single road map, fixing and getting that onboarding perfect for your users over weeks and even months. This is extremely deep work, unlike services, where breadth matters over depth, as you don't have the luxury of time and space to design and test all your ideas.
Working across markets, collaborating with stakeholders and researching on users from diverse cultures is a great plus on your resume and building your skillset in early years of your career. A typical consulting firm also moves you out of your comfort zone every month or quarter as most projects do not last for more than a couple of months.
2. Adaptability
You learn to adapt and be flexible on process and delivery methods. When you work for clients in a services based organisation, ideally the delivery due date is yesterday and at times today, if its planned well.
This puts you on your toes to adapt to situations and develop your own methods for designing solutions. You bill clients for the solution delivery, not the process. Clients look upto you as a consultant who can solve problems over meetings, follow-up with rapid prototypes and design experiences on the move. Time is of essence here. The bigger challenge is maintaining the quality of work.
3. Exploration
When you contribute in various forms and take up every role in the UX process, you get a hang of your strengths and weak areas. Eventually, you could capitalise and specialise on your strengths when you grow on your career. Specialisation is an outcome of exploration and understanding the breadth of the subject.
I have known designers who do not like to specialise and rather like to be involved in the end-to-end UX process. The industry calls them full stack designers, however that term sounds inappropriate as there is no stack in the first place. However, terms and jargon aside, its a great way to build a consulting, managerial and leadership career if you have a grip on a wide spectrum of skills.
4. Platforms
You get an opportunity to work on a range of interfaces, platforms and design systems. Most projects would demand you to constantly study before delivering projects. You're also exposed to several processes, collaboration and design tools.
There is a good chance that not every client team would be using the same tools you use at work. Some insist you learn their tools. This once again puts you in the learning mode in every project. Constant learning is your typical job description.
5. Advocacy
Be the change and advocate design within your organisation and outside as well. Unlike mature design driven product companies, you could possibly be working with people who have no idea of how design works nor its importance. The advocate in you kicks in here.
This is your opportunity to empathise with stakeholders and hone your persuasion skills, influence at work and build a case for design and your contribution to the project. This is making a real difference with culture through your work.
Conclusion
Take up that consulting or services opportunity and explore the field in your early years. Specialising too early is risky in these uncertain times. Do not zone yourself and lose good opportunities that could actually push your limits in terms of skills exploration, learning and advancement of your competence and confidence in this industry.
I expanded this perspective and wrote a short book, stating 10 reasons why you should work in the consulting space. (One thing leads to another)