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UX DESIGN
Ninja unicorns in design
I was so excited about my latest job interview for a startup that runs a management tool for non-profits. The job description stated they wanted a UX/UI Designer for user testing, prototyping, and design. Perfect. Their organization’s socially conscience mission was in alignment with my beliefs. Perfect. But once I was in the interview it became obvious that the position they advertised, was not the job I would potentially be doing. There were no complex user flows to be solved, no prototyping, no user research: they wanted a UI refresh. Up until this point the startup team of developers had contracted freelance designers to define the flows and create an aesthetically pleasing product. And it is a good product. Yet, now they were advertising for a UX professional, but the tasks they wanted completed were in the realm of graphic design. It made me wonder why they weren’t simply hiring either a graphic or web designer. And then I realized I had fallen into the trap to find the elusive ninja-unicorn.
What Do They Want?
From a budget point of view, I get it. A company will often have an entire team of developers and one designer. That designer then is required to do everything in the design realm, including graphic design, UX research, UI design, and whatever else the company may assign. In job ads companies say they are looking for a ‘ninja’ or ‘unicorn.’ I skip job ads that include those words. The expectations of being such a mythical creature is way too high. And what about teamwork? By its very nature a ninja-unicorn is not only one-of-a-kind but also not going to put up with any competition. Any self-respecting ninja-unicorn would scoff at the idea of collaboration. Who hasn’t worked with that person in the tech world? You know, the one who agrees they will put the finishing touches on the presentation. Then when the team is about to present at a meeting, their teammates realize the ninja-unicorn has changed the entire slide show.
What Is UX?
If we look at the Adobe explanation of UX vs. Interaction Design etc…UX is the all-encompassing label so that ultimately what one company considers belonging to UX as compared to another is not only vast, but also subjective. Note that the Adobe diagram does not include graphic design, web design, or programming under the UX label, yet these are often expected of UX designers.
Admittedly, when I responded to this most recent ad, I didn’t pay attention to the ‘UI’ part of the title. That was the red flag. It means the way this company defines UX is as a UI designer first and foremost. I guess I was thrown off by the job description which sounded exciting.
As I move on, I’ll be more careful. Meanwhile, if I read one more ad that mentions ‘unicorns’ or ‘ninjas,’ I’m going to hurl rainbow sparkle dust.
