Common Designer Roles

In the simplest terms, a UX designer is a user advocate. The main role of a UX designer is to create a positive relationship between the user and the interface. A UX designer also aims to make products that meet the needs of users as well as the company they’re working for.

Specific responsibilities of a UX designer will depend on the company and project. Common responsibilities include:

• Conducting user research
• User journey mapping
• Organizing information architecture
• Creating wireframes and prototypes
• Running usability tests
• Analyzing user data
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Ensuring accessibility
• Maintaining design systems

The scope of work of a UX designer can also depend on the size of the organization they work with. In larger companies, they may be supported by researchers or visual designers. In smaller companies, they may have to function as generalists who cater to all their UX design needs.

UI designers create visually appealing interfaces for users. They are adept in the principles of design, composition, color theory, and typography.

While UX designers are focused on function, UI designers are focused on form. UI designers generally collaborate with UX designers and other members of the team. They may also work with visual designers who take care of the aesthetics of the UI. Ultimately, they are responsible for physically implementing the vision for the product.

Having user empathy sets apart good UI designers from the rest.

Visual designers create specific elements within the product. These could be icons, logos, banners, or external deliverables such as posters and presentations. These deliverables are usually aimed at capturing attention, delivering messages, and promoting a brand.

Visual designers are expected to master the principles of design and stay up-to-date on industry trends.

The title "graphic designer" is sometimes used interchangeably with "visual designer."

Product designers are problem-solvers who are responsible for high-level design thinking. Most of their work occurs on a conceptual level, but they are also involved in the visual aspects of the design process.

Product designers often work as project managers on UX projects. Within their role, they can make profound changes to a product to ensure top-notch user experience.

Like UX designers, they’re involved in all 5 stages of the design thinking process from inception to implementation. They also have to ensure timely delivery of designs in adherence to the product roadmap.^[1]

Information architects direct the way content is structured and arranged within a product or website. They keep their users in mind at all times and aim to create an intuitive experience where the structure of the information is logical.

Their role includes organizing and categorizing content, creating consistent navigation, mapping out user flows, and labeling content groups. Using various research methods such as card sorting (where users independently organize a list of provided information into groups), they create the content foundation or skeleton of a product before the actual design process starts.

Motion designers handle designs that need animations or other moving visual elements. They use animation tools to supercharge a design, using many of the same skills as visual designers.

They may design everything from full-screen animated splash pages to animated microinteractions within an interface.

An interaction designer creates interfaces that clearly tell users how to interact with their product. This allows users to achieve the goals they have in mind, such as shopping, subscribing, or creating an account.

They make use of user research data to create interaction designs that uniquely serve the target audience. They also study the designs’ viability, feasibility, and adherence to the business goals while coming up with the best option.^[2]

The difference between a UX and an interaction designer is that an interaction designer focuses on designing every moment of interaction, while a UX designer focuses on the overall picture.

UX designers are generally expected to conduct their own user research. However, on larger projects, a separate UX researcher may be employed. Their work involves talking to clients, user testing, moderating user interviews, and analyzing user data. They collaborate with the design and development team, as well as marketing teams, to keep the user experience at the top of their minds.

UX researchers need exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to establish relationships with users and clients. They also need to have high emotional intelligence and knowledge of user psychology to understand what they think and feel.

UX engineers are like UX designers, but with extra coding skills. They conduct user research and usability testing, have strong visual design skills, and act as a bridge between the development and design teams.

They evaluate the viability of mockups produced by the design team before they’re sent to the developers. As a result, they help with reducing delays and iterations.

A UX engineer is required to have a collaborative mindset and comprehensive technical knowledge.

As the name implies, illustrators create illustrations. They might work on everything from icons to infographics during their day-to-day work. They can also design graphics for empty states, onboarding screens, cover images, placeholders, banners, etc. for explanatory or aesthetic purposes.

Some illustrators are specialists in certain types of illustrations. Others might be generalists who can work on a wide variety of illustrations.

The best illustrators, however, tell stories, attract user attention, trigger emotions, and create engagement.

A UX writer, also known as a user experience writer or content designer, is a professional who specializes in crafting the written content that appears in digital products, such as websites, mobile apps, and software interfaces. Their primary goal is to create a seamless and engaging user experience by using clear and concise language.

UX writers work closely with designers, product managers, and developers to ensure that the written content effectively communicates with users and enhances their overall experience. They play a vital role in shaping the tone, voice, and personality of a digital product by carefully choosing the words, phrases, and labels that users encounter.