Hire a UI/UX designer

Behind any product such as a website, a web service, a CRM system, an admin panel, or a mobile application there is a UI/UX designer. They do everything to make the product logically built, intuitive, user-friendly, and trendy.

They are the ones who make sure that there is no purple text on a burgundy background, as well as that each button leads somewhere and can be easily clicked on any device.

Who is a UI/UX Designer

What does a UI/UX designer do, and who is it? A UI/UX designer is a user advocate and a professional spy: they find out everything that worries users and solve their problems with the help of design.

• UX refers to User Experience. A UX designer researches the target audience, tests the interface and designs as well as improves user experience.
• UI means User Interface. The UI designer is responsible for visualization, color scheme, design concept development, and interface adaptation.

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These are different concepts; however, most often UI/UX design is done by one specialist.

Must-Have Skills for UI/UX Designer

What does a UI/UX designer need to know? We’ve highlighted some of the main points:

1. Basic knowledge of digital marketing. A UI/UX designer needs to understand what motivates people to buy and be able to reach out to any audience.

2. Understanding UX research methods. It is important in order to study user behavior.

For instance, the language learning app Duolingo runs a lot of design experiments to test its impact on users. They even measure how big Duo’s tears need to be in emails to get students back to their classes.

3. Ability to quickly delve into the product. Each business has its specifics and target audience. The UI/UX designer needs to listen to the client and ask the right questions.

4. Basic knowledge of typography. The font is like a good song. It evokes emotion and creates a different mood, even if the user has not read even half of the words. Brands use typography so that their sentiments are understood correctly.

5. Modular grid skills. To make the interface uniform, the content is placed on a grid with aligned cells or columns.

6. Understanding color theory. The chosen color scheme determines how convenient the interface will be for people with visual impairments or how easy it will be to read the text when light falls on the screen. Moreover, an animation or a button can become an additional marketing tool and draw attention to important elements.

7. Knowledge of making adaptive versions. Now most interfaces are available for both desktop and mobile devices.

8. Content-making skills. To create an interface, you need to select photos, illustrations, and stock icons as well as change and adapt them.

UI/UX Designer Tools Set

What should a UI/UX designer know in terms of technologies and tools? The basic UI/UX designer set will look like this:

• prototyping tools (Adobe XD, Wireframe.cc, Balsamiq mockup, InVision, etc);
• graphic and vector editing apps (Adobe Illustrator, Figma, Sketch or Photoshop). For example, if you need to process a large number of photos, Figma’s capabilities may not be enough. With Photoshop, you can set up batch processing: for example, crop and increase the contrast of 200 photos for product cards in the same way.
• Google Material Design and Human Interface Guidelines (Apple) to work with mobile applications.

A UI/UX designer’s skill set does not include coding. However, it is desirable to have basic knowledge of HTML/CSS. This will allow you to take into account the principles of interface layout and other development restrictions when working on the design.

Where to Search for Middle+ UI/UX Designers

Finding an experienced designer can be a real headache. There are a lot of people who consider themselves masters of UI/UX design, but not everyone can complete all the tasks of your particular project. Where should you look for a UI/UX designer who can handle your challenges?

UI/UX professional communities

Dribbble, Behance, and Awwwards are some of the creative platforms that designers and illustrators frequently use as portfolio platforms.

Freelance platforms

Do you have a limited budget? Freelancing might be a solution. Monitor freelance platforms (for example, Upwork or Freelancer) where you will find UI/UX designers of different seniority.

Recruiting agencies

If you are willing to invest in your product’s success, IT recruiting agencies can be an effective solution. Recruiters know this sphere from A  to Z. They can select professionals who meet your requirements and conduct initial interviews within the first week after starting work on a vacancy. Agencies also ensure the replacement of specialists if they fail to pass the probationary period.

Why Choose ITExpert

It is not enough to just find any designer. Before hiring a UI/UX designer, it’s crucial to make sure they have the right skills, ask the right questions to test professional and personal qualities similar to the interview questions for a developer and check if the candidate fits your company’s corporate culture.

Specialists of the IT-recruiting agency ITExpert have been hiring tech/non-tech IT specialists for companies in Ukraine and all over the world, from the USA to Israel, since 2015. Our clients include Sony, Deloitte, and Depositphotos.

When searching and selecting specialists, we focus on the so-called “essential skills”:

1. Deep analysis of hard skills. We discuss what the client needs, and are looking for a specialist following these requirements. Moreover, the CTO from ITExpert finds out job requirements and the needed hard skills, analyzes them, evaluates the market, and sets up an accurate search. This way you get only relevant CVs.

2. Portfolio analysis. This will help to make sure that the designer can create a good UI and see how well they understand a particular niche.

3. Assessing the ability to think critically: how a designer generates ideas and solves problems. Thinking ahead is critical when working on a product.

4. Values and cultural fit monitoring. We evaluate whether the specialist will fit into the team, whether they understand and share the corporate values, etc.

Let’s discuss the specifics of your vacancy!