Summary

The web content outlines a comprehensive approach for UX professionals to develop a well-rounded skill set, enhancing their value in the job market.

Abstract

The article titled "How anyone can develop a rounded UX skill set" introduces the concept of a "360° UXer," someone who has expertise in multiple areas of user experience, such as design, research, strategy, information architecture, and interface design. It emphasizes the importance of versatility in UX roles, suggesting that while specialists are valuable, a 360° UXer can take on a broader range of projects and deliver quality results. The author provides a step-by-step guide to achieving this versatility, including creating a skills matrix, identifying desired skill levels, performing self-assessments, conducting gap analyses, prioritizing skill development, utilizing educational tools, studying diligently, and tracking progress. The article encourages continuous learning and practical application of new skills, suggesting that this approach leads to greater job opportunities and potentially higher earnings.

Opinions

The author advocates for the development of a diverse UX skill set, arguing that it increases a UX professional's value to employers and enhances career opportunities.
While acknowledging the importance of specialists, the author suggests that a well-rounded UX generalist can contribute more flexibly to a variety of projects.
The article suggests that becoming a 360° UXer is achievable without formal education, such as returning to university, but rather through self-directed learning and skill development.
The author encourages UX professionals to be self-critical in their skill assessments, with a nod to research indicating gender biases in self-evaluation.
There is an emphasis on practical, on-the-job application of learned skills as a means to solidify knowledge and demonstrate competence.
The author promotes the use of a traffic light system or a numerical scale for honest self-assessment of current abilities.
The article recommends identifying and leveraging the strengths and knowledge gaps within a team to inform personal skill development.
It is suggested that learning from peers, attending courses, reading books, and engaging with online content are effective ways to acquire new UX skills.
The author stresses the importance of tracking progress and setting milestones to ensure continuous development and accountability.
The article concludes with an encouraging note, reminding readers that their professional growth is in their own hands and that dedication to learning can lead to significant career advancements.

How anyone can develop a rounded UX skill set

Welcome to the 360° matrix

Anyone who has worked with me will have heard me bang on about what I call a 360.

What is a 360?

A 360 is a UXer who has moved outside of one core capability — UX Design, UX Research, UX Strategy, IA, UI and so forth — and has trained themselves, or gained experience, in other areas. They can face into a project from any angle; 360°.

Of course this is not essential in order to work in UX, and specialists are extremely valuable on specialist tasks or highly complex projects. However being a 360, if you so choose, makes you more valuable to an employer, to the rest of your team or as a freelancer — because you can take on more projects and deliver credible and in many cases, excellent results.

How do you get there?

It’s hard work to become one and it’s hard work to train one. But as a hiring manager, you won’t be able to buy them in unless you have All The Money. And as a UXer, why wouldn’t you want to get better at your craft and make All The Money.

Here’s how to round out your UX skill set — without going back to University.

1. Create a skills matrix

Create a chart of all the skills to reflect what you see existing in your UX ecosystem. You can see the one that I made above, but yours might be more dev focused, or more agile focused, or more UI/creative focused. Just remember to map out all the skills you see around you — not just the ones you do every day.

You can do this with pen, or whiteboard or software of your choice. It really doesn’t matter.

You’re welcome to use mine as a baseline if you get stuck.

Make a list of all the skills you think apply or could apply to your UX world. Then perform a card sort, and create a hierarchy or taxonomy (yes, you are doing Information Architecture now. See, I told you it was important). Then turn it into a chart, or what I call, the matrix.

2. Identify where you want to be

Imagine where you want to be on that skills matrix. It’s ok if the answer is “all of it”. Ambition and passion is good.

3. Grade yourself

Use a traffic light system, or code 1–3 (keep it tight, no wiggle room) which reflects your CURRENT ability for each skill in your matrix. Judge your own level by your own standards, or have a line manager or respected peer help you. (If you are male, be more critical of yourself — if you are female, be more generous. Evidence says you need to.)

4. Do a gap analysis of your team or peers

Now do the same for people on your team. Be careful not to let your bias come in here. Again, use a line manager or colleague to help you — you are not critiquing them, you are assessing where your own opportunities lie to learn and grow.

5. Prioritise your first set of target skills

Take the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and take the gaps of knowledge in your team and work out which incremental skills on the matrix. Now you are going to choose

A) Low hanging fruit — 1-2 skills which:

Will take you in the right direction towards your overarching goal
Will complement your existing skills
Will be most likely to generate on-the-job opportunities to practice what you learn in theory
Have others on the team already got, so that they could support your learning

B) Harder to reach — 1 skill which:

Does not already exist on your team
Has an opportunity to add value to a current or future project
Has a tangible output you can show the rest of your team
Will stretch you outside of your current skill set.

Example:

I am a researcher. Therefore I will develop:

A1 — Strategic skills to design relevant methodologies across the whole project, to support the sales/stakeholder team

B1 — My understanding of conversational design and start building prototypes to show the team

If you are super geeky, you can plan activities and subjects you intend to study into some kind of calendar. This ensures that you are accountable for your own progress and aware that time is slipping by.

6. Identify the best tools to help you learn

Once you have your list of target skills, start looking for tools that can help you learn. For each subject matter there are different courses, websites and articles available — many for free. There are also nice people on twitter and linked in who might let you buy them a (virtual) coffee for a (remote) opportunity to pick their brains.

And as for books, fortunately past H has already provided you with a very long list of books by subject. You’re welcome.

7. Study your ass off

This is the bad news guys, you still have to insert the information into your brain, and find ways to practice until you gain a certain level of competence. Once again, hard things are hard.

8. Track your progress

Now this is super important — you need to track your progress. Not just that you are studying, but also whether you are getting practice and whether you are turning those traffic lights from red to amber to green.

You can only judge your progress by your own standards, unless you’re lucky enough to have a mentor supporting you.

I recommend for each skill you tick off yourself when you have:

Consumed and read the theory (at some point, stop)
Practiced the task once
Practiced the task twice
Done it live on a project (that someone has paid for and signed off)

Remember, that you are entirely in charge of your own fate — your own learning speed and your own accomplishments. No one else is going to shove stuff in your brain for you, or give you an opportunity on a silver platter.

Good luck out there. I look forward to hiring you one day for All The Money.

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