Do Certain Personality Traits Help You as a UX Designer?

Author's profile picture
Alexander Georges
Author's profile picture
Lydia Chamberlain
May 12, 2020

Is it true?

Do some personalities tend to fair better as UX designers than others?

Your personality not only makes you unique, but it can give you an edge to being a UX designer.

The interesting thing, though?

There isn’t one personality trait that benefits you as a UX designer.

UX design is such a multi-disciplined…well…discipline that you can craft it according to your own wants and needs.

Let’s explore some personality traits and how they can help you in the UX field.

UX is Analytical

Maybe you consider yourself to be more analytical?

If that’s the case, then maybe doing research and analyzing data are more of your strong suit.

You can spend your time looking into quantitative and qualitative evidence to support your theory as to why a certain feature or function isn’t working for the users’ or business’ best interests.

You can also be pulled into focusing on information architecture, which centers on defining and organizing the way an application is set up, from the pages in the global navigation to the information laid out on the page itself.

I have a coworker that has an analytical mindset who used to be a developer and is now a UX researcher.

This proves that you can also come from any discipline and still succeed as a UX specialist.

UX is Empathic

Have you lived a hundred lifetimes since you were born?

That’s the way I’ve always described myself to other people as a naturally empathic person.

I can’t help but feel other people’s emotions as if they’re my own.

With this natural tendency, I use my INFJ “superpower” to better understand my users.

If you’re empathic, then a focus on research might suit you.

UX research involves talking to users of your product to find their pain points and figure out how you can improve the product based on the information you gather.

UX is Creative

As you might have guessed from the title of UX “designers,” creatives are great for the UX design role.

As a UX designer, I get to design the user interface of different applications.

I get to explore fun and visually appealing interface designs that can create a pleasant experience for my users.

If you’re new to the UX design world, don’t worry, because many companies have a style guide to create a basis/template for you to start with.

So if you find yourself to be a creative person, then you should look into being a UX designer.

Looking for some UI inspiration? Check out our Pinterest boards.

UX is Curious

While arguably a good trait for most lines of work, curiosity is a great trait for UX designers because we can work in almost any industry.

I’ve been a designer for a few years and I’ve worked on applications involving calibration engineering, law, banking, interior design, and travel, among others.

I have a chance to learn about practically anything under the sun because UX work is not limited to one industry.

On top of that, UX has a wide range of responsibilities that it’s like having multiple roles in one.

You can conduct research on customers, strategize the information architecture, design the interface, prototype and test with users, and possibly help develop the app.

There’s always so much to learn in UX, and technology is always advancing quickly that our need to grow with it will never stop.

UX is Extraverted

Extraverts would enjoy being in UX.

My sister, who is an extravert, is currently getting her masters in UX.

Specifically, she wants to concentrate on UX research because she gets to talk to people and help them–which is her natural tendency.

Just like with her, if you’re an extrovert, you might enjoy the research side of UX considerably.

Your duties can range from looking at data to conducting usability tests with users.

We have a great article explaining UX research if you want to learn more.

UX is Introverted

What? UX is both introverted and extroverted?

Again, UX is so diverse in disciplines that it can work for any personality type.

Unlike my sister, I’m naturally introverted.

Hanging with a large group of people is draining for me.

However, as a UX designer who focuses on information architecture and UI design at my current company, I do more behind the scenes work while the UX researchers I work closely with do the user-facing work.

So believe me when I say that you can find a role in UX that fits your preferences.

If you’re at all intrigued and don’t know much about UX design, you can read our article explaining what UX design is.

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