Top UX Design Tools & Skills to Get a Job

Whether you’re a seasoned UX designer or you’re looking to break into UX/UI design, you know that the right tools and skills are essential to getting the job done.

But what exactly do you need on your resume to stand out from the competition and get a job in UX design?

Read up on the top UX design tools and skills to have on your resume in order to be hired by a potential employer, along with specific examples of each so you can create an impactful resume.

What is UX design?

UX design is the practice of creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. It’s a combination of traditional fields such as interaction design, visual design, information architecture, user research, and usability testing.

Every UX designer should have a diverse toolkit of skills in order to produce successful designs. Here are some essential tools for any UX designer

Top 8 UX design skills to get a job

There are a number of UX design skills to have on your resume to get a job that include coding skills, a UX/UI portfolio, UX writing & content strategy, and UX/UI design thinking.

• Portfolio
• Writing & content strategy
• User research & user testing
• Design thinking
• Collaboration
• Industry experience
• Continued learning

UX/UI portfolio

Creating and maintaining a portfolio of your UX/UI work is essential for any UX designer looking to get hired.

Your portfolio should showcase your mastery of design elements such as typography, color theory, branding, layout, and more — all while demonstrating how you’ve solved real-world problems with successful solutions.

UX writing & content strategy skills

Writing for UX is a critical skill, as it helps to create user interfaces that are easy to understand and use.

A great UX/UI writer needs to have excellent communication skills, be able to design content in a way that’s easily understood by users, and craft error messages that are helpful.

User research & user testing skills for UX/UI

User research and user testing are key components of UX design. It’s important for a UX designer to have experience conducting user interviews, surveys, focus groups, usability tests, and more.

It’s also beneficial to be able to analyze user data as it can help inform better design decisions.

Design thinking in UX/UI

Design thinking helps UX/UI designers to understand users and their needs, and come up with innovative solutions that meet those needs.

UX/UI designers must be able to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, prototype ideas quickly, and test and iterate designs in order to create the best possible user experiences.

Collaboration skills for UX/UI

UX/UI designers are often expected to work in teams, so it’s important for them to have excellent communication and collaboration skills.

They must be able to articulate their ideas clearly and collaborate effectively with stakeholders, product owners, developers, visual designers, copywriters, user researchers, and more.

Industry experience for UX/UI

Having project experience in UX/UI design is essential for any job applicant.

Be sure to include any internships, freelance projects, or full-time jobs you’ve had that demonstrate your UX/UI skills and knowledge.

Continued learning in UX/UI

Employers are looking for candidates who stay up to date on the latest trends in UX/UI design, so be sure to showcase your continued education and professional development activities.

This includes attending conferences, webinars, workshops, certifications, and more.

Top UX design tools to have on your resume

UX design tools to gain experience with and list on your resume include design software tools, prototyping tools, user research tools, user testing tools, and collaboration tools.

UX/UI design software tools

It’s important to be familiar with the industry-standard software tools used in UX/UI design.

Examples of UX design software tools:

• Adobe Photoshop
• Figma
• Adobe XD
• Sketch
• Illustrator
• InVision
• Axure RP

With the recent removal of Adobe XD from the Adobe Creative Cloud Launcher, many designers and creatives are wondering about the future of the tool. Some speculate that Figma will become a more desirable skill set but for now, it’s helpful to remain well-rounded.

UX/UI prototyping tools

In order to create the best possible user experience, UX designers must be able to rapidly prototype ideas quickly.

Examples of UX prototyping tools:

• Framer X
• Proto.io
• Principle
• Flinto
• Marvel App for desktop & mobile

User research tools

User research is an essential part of any UX design process. To gain insights into user behavior, UX designers use various tools to conduct user interviews, surveys, usability tests, and more.

Examples of UX user research tools:

• SurveyMonkey
• Mural
• Hotjar
• Usabilla
• UserTesting.com

UX/UI user testing tools

UX/UI testing is essential to ensure that the product meets user needs and expectations.

Examples of UX/UI user testing tools:

• Userbrain
• CrazyEgg
• Lookback
• Optimal Workshop
• UsabilityHub

UX/UI collaboration tools

Collaboration and communication are key when it comes to successful UX design as designers and developers will need to work with different departments for collaboration and feedback on designs.

Examples of UX/UI collaboration tools:

• InVision
• Miro
• Notion
• Dropbox Paper
• Zeplin
• Slack

UX Design Tools & Skills to land a job in UX/UI Design

Employers are looking for UX designers who have the tools and skills necessary to create successful design solutions.

Having a diverse set of UX design tools, technical skills, portfolio, user research & testing experience, design thinking capabilities, collaboration skills, industry experience, and continued learning activities all help make your resume stand out from the competition.

If you have experience with these relevant tools and skills, be sure to list them prominently on your resume with examples of how you leveraged them.

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