Product Design Job Titles Explained: UX, UI, and More
So you want to be a product designer? Congratulations, because you've just entered a world of endless possibilities and confusion.
First, let's start with the basics: UX and UI design. UX stands for user experience, and it's about ensuring a product is easy, intuitive, and enjoyable to use. On the other hand, UI stands for user interface, and it's all about ensuring that a product looks good and is visually appealing.
So, as a UX Designer, you'll be focused on conducting user research, creating wireframes and prototypes, and designing the overall user experience of a product. And as a UI Designer, you'll be focused on making a product's visual design and layout, including its color scheme, typography, and iconography.
While UX and UI design are essential, they're just two pieces of the puzzle. That's where Product Design comes in - a broader role encompassing UX and UI design and other aspects of product development, such as market research and product strategy.
So, as a Product Designer, you'll be responsible for the entire design process, from start to finish. You'll be the one defining the goals and target audience of a product, conducting user research, creating wireframes and prototypes, designing the overall user experience, and creating the visual design and layout.
Within the world of UX design, there are even more specialized roles that you can explore. For example, as a UX Researcher, you'll focus on user research to understand the needs and behaviors of a product's target users. And as a UX Writer, you'll be focused on creating the language and messaging used within a product, including error messages, labels, and help text.
And then there's UX Strategy, which is all about defining a product's overall user experience strategy, including its goals, target audience, and design principles. And Interaction Design is all about designing the interactions and animations within a product. Including how users navigate and interact with its features.
Visual design is about creating a product's graphic design and branding, including its color scheme, typography, and imagery. And Information Architecture is all about organizing and structuring the information within a product, including its navigation and hierarchy.
Just remember: when it comes to job titles in product design, there's no right or wrong answer. It's about finding the role that fits your skills, interests, and goals.
It isn't easy to rank job titles in product design, as their relative importance and responsibilities can vary depending on the company and the specific project. However, some standard job titles in the fields of UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design include:
UX Designer: responsible for conducting user research, creating wireframes and prototypes, and designing the overall user experience of a product.
UI Designer: responsible for creating the visual design and layout of a product, including its color scheme, typography, and iconography.
Product Designer: a broader role encompassing UX and UI design and other aspects of product development, such as market research and product strategy.
UX Researcher: responsible for conducting user research to understand the needs and behaviors of a product's target users.
UX Writer: responsible for creating the language and messaging used within a product, including error messages, labels, and help text.
UX Strategist: responsible for defining the overall user experience strategy for a product, including its goals, target audience, and design principles.
Interaction Designer: responsible for designing the interactions and animations within a product, including how users navigate and interact with its features.
Visual Designer: responsible for creating the graphic design and branding of a product, including its color scheme, typography, and imagery.
Information Architect: responsible for organizing and structuring the information within a product, including its navigation and hierarchy.
