The Second Job


The UX designer has two jobs: to design, and to advocate. You should evaluate a candidate on both these aspects. Design is only one side of the coin. Selling design, advocating with internal and external stakeholders on and about design is the other side. You should look for their passion for the subject and their contribution to the design community and industry. This is going over and above the job description to stand for design and advocate for the user needs in the best possible manner. A design advocate can have a tremendous impact on your team in terms of learning and the respect that they command from both internal and external stakeholders.

Creating a better world is an outcome of continuous design advocacy. With constantly changing projects, UX designers work with people who have no idea of how design works, nor its importance in business. This is where the evangelist in them kicks in. This is the UX designer’s opportunity to show leadership, empathize with stakeholders, build a case for design, and educate them, along with the primary task of solution delivery.

Great UX Designers have conversations at various levels. At the C-level, talking to founders, chief executives, and business leaders. At the M-level, talking to middle level managers and at a D-level, where they need to talk to fellow designers and developers. Smart designers see the big picture as well as the tiny pixel in a single frame. By having these conversations at various levels — they can see from their lens, connect the dots, and easily achieve UX objectives. A UX designer has the responsibility to punch above their weight and see the big picture at an M-level and the C-level.

The first job is given, the second job is taken.


This post is an excerpt from my book The Art of Hiring UX Designers. 


You can read 50% of the book for free here.

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