#33 Top 6 High-Level Skills for Designer
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What are some high-level skills for us as designers to prep ourselves for the future and for what's ahead of us in an era of AI? This is the topic of today's podcast. But first of all, hello and welcome my friends to the Future of UX podcast where we talk all things about the future of UX, design,

all kind of news in the tech industry. So my name is Patricia Reines, I'm your host for this podcast and I'm working as an innovation designer in Berlin. I'm running my own

studio here doing workshops, talks, sharing a lot of content on Instagram as well and also hosting a newsletter that you can sign up for free, get resources right into your mailbox every Thursday. Yeah, you can just set up for free and get access to it.

So the last couple of months have been so exciting, at least for me as an innovation designer or UX designer. A lot of new tools have come to the market, but also a lot of updates in our tools that we're using, thinking about Adobe Firefly as an integration into Photoshop or Illustrator with all the AI features, the text prompts, thinking about Figma, the config conference.

where the Figma employees shared a lot of insights about how they're going to implement and use AI in their tools, which is really exciting. So what I want to say with that is that there is a lot of change happening at the moment. A lot of things are changing and that in a speed that is really difficult to even get your head around. So...

I and I feel like everyone out there is questioning or is wondering like how do you prepare yourself for an era of AI and the first thing that I'm always saying is of course keep up to date with what's going on and get your hands on the tools try things out

But besides all the tech parts, in this episode I want to talk about some high-level skills and also how to practice them, how to become better at it, how to learn them. Because these high-level skills will help you in the long term to be successful, whatever tool you're using, whatever technologies out there. But really, yeah, get the right mindset for a great career as a designer because you

you know if we are taking some kind of like an imaginary look into the future we all know that so many things are changing and also our roles are changing and very exciting time and we are just in the beginning of this really big era of change so in this podcast episode i want to share with you six high level skills that you should learn you should practice

starting today that will be very beneficial for you in the future. Okay, so friends, I would say let's get started with high level skill number one and that is problem solving. So designers and most people, I think it will be a very important thing for most careers, really need a strong problem solving skill to

identify user needs, define design challenges, and also come up with these kind of innovative solutions. You know, in the context of AI, designers really must think critically to leverage AI technologies effectively and address complex problems and ways that benefit users. So what will happen in the next years is that a lot of things, all the tedious things will be automated. I mean, you're already seeing that in a moment, so that will go on and

even like in a much faster speed. But someone needs to come up with the concepts and really understand the problem that you're trying to solve with a certain text prompt, with a certain design, with a certain output. And problem solving is...

Like the same method that is used for almost every kind of problem you can think about. Like the design thinking process is a problem solving framework, right? So you have a certain problem that you define, you do research to understand that problem and then you get yourself closer to a direction of a goal, to a desired outcome.

This is like the same thing for almost every problem you can think of. That can be a design problem, that also can be going to therapy, right? Like you have a problem, you analyze what's the background, why does it happen, and then you take kind of action steps to get to the point where you want to be. So every problem you can think of is the same methodology. To really practice that and really tackle complex problems, it's important to get into that mindset.

What's helpful is in your day-to-day task, practice that. This is a great skill that, of course, you learn in your career or when you're working, but also in your day-to-day life, in your personal life, right? Where you...

really need to think very sharply about when a problem occurs understand what is the background why does it happen and what is the desired outcome and then define the steps how do you actually get to that point because what will become easier and easier is to go from the problem to the goal

But what is more difficult is to really understand why is there a problem, what is the background on it and get all the insights and the research for it to understand the problem properly and then define the goal. Once the goal is defined, there will be tools who

help you achieve that goal but the definition of the goal, the problem, that's the biggest challenge and that also will be still a challenge in the future and a really interesting and important skill that is a little bit abstract but super helpful if you already get into it. The point number two and I think this is also a very important one is critical thinking.

So although a lot of designers and I'm definitely including myself are really excited about the future and about all the things that are happening, the ideal mindset is cautious but also critical. You know, questioning things and still being excited about the future is a good mindset. Being positive but still questioning if things are right, if they can do better and get into that mindset of re-think.

Or think again. I actually read a really interesting book about it. It's called Think Again from Adam Grant or so. I will link it in the show notes so you can check it out. This is a super interesting book which...

focuses on exactly that topic because what happens at the moment is that every day when we are you know checking the internet when we're checking the news there are new resources out there new material and new information and with new information we need to rethink our current beliefs not stay very you know hard into one spot and say I this is my opinion and I I'm not going to change it

This is not going to happen in the future because so many new things will happen in the next weeks and months and years. So you constantly need to rethink or think again about certain goals that you have that are the best solutions for your clients, for your stakeholders, for the problems that you came up with.

So this kind of like critical thinking of thinking again, also questioning yourself and your own thoughts and being able to think again about certain topics that are changing at the moment. And this is also something that I am seeing. Yeah, that also makes me a little bit sad seeing, yeah, unfortunately,

at a lot of like or with like older designers who are like 50 plus working in more or less graphic design for example and are really in that mindset of no the only right education is you know like going to a university like online learning courses are crap this is not you know like the proper academic approach that we need

Also, artificial intelligence is not good. So this like very strict mindset of like, I'm not going to rethink anything. This is my point of view and stay with it.

And what I feel is for these kind of people, it will be very difficult to keep up to date and to have even like a normal conversation with because they are not changing their perspective. They are thinking a certain way and they're not going to change that. Although times are changing and for that also the whole information are changing. So the problem might be changing.

I wanted to share that so that's a super helpful thing. Critical thinking, rethink certain ideas that you have in mind about design in general, about the future. Okay, let's come to point number three and this is creativity. So creativity is a little bit more, I would say, for me a little bit like an abstract thing. When I hear creativity, I...

I think about like drawing and painting and really, you know, having these creative juices flowing. And what I'm also seeing is that AI technologies really provide designers with definitely new opportunities to explore creative solutions. For example, you know, first of all, automating the repetitive tasks that definitely don't foster any creative thoughts.

but also some kind of pushing the boundaries of design. So imagine you are an illustrator and you just like draw illustrations for example and now with all the new tools you can push your capabilities by using certain tools to create a whole animation out of it, by all created like a whole movie out of your illustrations. So really thinking beyond what was possible and

including more things like are your designs really intuitive and engaging and delightful for the users. So some kind of like really cultivating these creative mindset and exploring really diverse sources of inspiration. One tip that I can share with you is creativity is not only drawing and like painting and like coming up with crazy ideas.

To really nurture the creativity inside you or your creative spark, it's super helpful to take one step back and don't focus only on design.

But learn a lot of things about topics that are not related to design. Because in the end, these are the sources that will bring the inspiration to you for different projects. So I experienced that many times that I watch a documentary about trains, for example, and then

I got like one thought out of this documentary, then I used it for another project, some kind of like a certain thought or a metaphor or anything that was helpful and sparked inspiration. So really think about ways that are exciting to you, that you think are really interesting.

beyond design so that can be going to museums doesn't need to be art can also be like history museum or national geographic anything can also be you know going to a theater or music can also be trying new things out new hobbies talking to people who are not related to design and really understanding their perspective so

My tip is if you want to become a more creative person, try new things out because all the things that you experience will get back into the things that you are sending out there. So if you're thinking about a problem or something like that, like all the things that you experience, all the things that you have done, all the thoughts that you had are going to, you know, get into the decision process. And this is something that's very unique for us humans and super, super important.

Okay, and then point number four, and I think this is also an interesting one, which is leadership. So leadership is a super important skill. It can effectively guide, you know, cross-functional teams, not only in designing AI product, but also advocate for user-centered approaches, influence decision-making processes, and also focusing on like the ethical use of AI leadership, etc.,

So leadership is important. It's guiding people, making sure that other people that can also be an AI tool, that can be people, you know, anything that you can lead and provide with the right information, give them the right feedback, helps to produce a certain output. It's also what we are experiencing with, you know, let's have a look at ChetGPT.

not 100% like leadership, but goes a little bit into the direction. You give them a prompt and a task. You need to say and define what the tool can also be like or like with a person, of course, you need to communicate a little bit differently for sure. But you need to say what you actually want to have out of that. And this is leadership, leading teams and being a leader for certain tasks and topics. And yeah, yeah.

preparing a prompt, you know, when it comes to AI tools and software and apps that you really think about, like, what would be a good text prompt?

But when it comes to people really being able to communicate, to articulate what you want to get out of it and be a leader. This is a big challenge. This is difficult for many people, of course, because it's like a huge challenge. How do I really lead teams? How do I define the goal and then also share responsibilities for certain topics?

Number five, and I think this is pretty close, leadership is collaboration. Because when we are designing at the moment, we need to collaborate. And this has changed quite a lot in the last years. I remember when I started...

As a UX designer, it was very common, you know, we used Sketch back then. I think most of you started with Sketch or maybe Photoshop if you're a little bit older. So we used to design with Sketch, the tool. And with Sketch, everything was stored locally on your MacBook or on the data server that you or your company used.

So when I was working on a project, I needed to export the different design screens, create a presentation. And then I remember that for one client that I was working for like a few months during my agency time, we had a presentation each Friday. So each Friday we prepared a presentation. You know, we exported the different screens that we worked on. We prepared like a PowerPoint presentation. We guided them to the presentation.

Then they shared their feedback in the last 15 minutes or so. We sent them the presentation. And then in the next week, we worked on the updates and the new tasks that we defined. You know, even when I'm talking about that, that sounds like from a totally different age. Because this is so outdated, although it's like not too long ago. Now the workflow is very different. Now when I'm working with clients,

I share with them the Figma file that I'm working on. They are collaborators. They are watching me work at all time and they are sharing comments. I mean, usually people are busy, so they are not watching you work. But from time to time, they're having a look. And especially when I'm hitting them out on Slack, like, could you have a look at this kind of user flow that I'm working on? And then they are sharing their comments inside the Figma file.

When I am doing a presentation now, I don't take time to create like a proper presentation because like for what? That's absolutely unnecessary. I just guide them through the different screens in Figma and they are sharing their comments in the same second. I'm going through the comments, I'm adjusting everything and sometimes even

Clients creating their own user flows. If they want to show me something, if they want to work on something, if they want to create something. They're using the elements that I prepare. They are creating their own flow. I mean, it depends on like how close you are with your clients and what you actually allow. But this is very common, I would say. They're designing their own flows. Of course, you go over it and like don't, of course, implement it right away. It makes total sense. But at least they have gewid.

the opportunity to be part of the process, to participate, not get something like thrown over the fence. They need to say yes or no and then it goes back to the designer. So what I want to say with that is collaboration is key. This happens of course with your stakeholders but also with the dev teams for example. So in my project they also have access to the Figma files. They can get the code, I can share the code with them and that's pretty easy with Figma for example or with other tools that I'm using.

So collaboration is key. Collaboration also means that getting them on board with the design decisions that you do, with your design decisions that you make and also getting the insights and infos that you need from them.

Yes, collaboration, working together on certain projects, super important thing will become much more important because also roles will change. I mean, it's not a surprise, but with all the new features that are available out there, almost everyone will be able to design at a certain point and also be able to code at a certain point. So roles will definitely change and collaboration will be key.

So last point and this is also very closely related to collaboration is communication. And I can't say that enough, but communication is everything. And that will also be, especially in the future, one of the reasons why clients or people really want to work with you. If your communication is clear and effective and friendly,

then you are a true winner, I would say. Because communication is not only about articulating your design decision, talking about very complex problems and getting everything on board, but also giving the clients

The people you work with, you collaborate with, a good feeling, getting them all included. And that happens through communication. Communication is writing people on Slack. Hey, I would love to have your feedback on something. Could you hop in real quick and share some comments?

or sending an email where you share like all your notes and everything you worked on with the whole team without excluding certain people. So communication is key. And as many of you probably know, I'm a freelance designer, so I'm working mostly also on my own. So the client communication is a really big thing for me to make sure

that my clients are feeling great, that they are sure that I have everything under control and if there are any issues that I communicate that very openly but still in a very friendly and professional way. And although this sounds like it's totally normal, I don't see that all the time. There are a lot of people who are struggling with the right communication, who are getting defensive when someone shares feedback with them

who are not able to articulate money issues for example so if they're working more than they actually agreed on then they're getting angry or frustrated without just like being open and sharing yeah so that there are issues with the budget and that you would like to extend it so communication is everything and that will be i would say probably from all of the six things that i mentioned

the most important thing because communication is the thing that really helps you to stand out. Yes, I hope that was helpful. I will just summarize the different topics real quick. So the first is of course problem solving, understanding the problem and then the different steps that you need going to a certain goal. Problem solving is something that you use for every problem.

We say that or we think that we use this framework for design thinking and it's like such a cool design thing. But it's actually problem solving. It's nothing else. So this framework is used for almost everything. You have a problem, you do research on it, understand why, and then you define a goal and go towards that goal. And also the goal can adjust. And if you realize, okay, you need more information, you go back. So it's like problem solving.

all over. The second one was critical thinking. And there I always say, be curious but cautious. Curious about the future, be positive.

But be also critical, be cautious if things are not right, especially at the moment when I'm thinking about accessibility, ethical design, sustainable design. There are a lot of challenges that we need to tackle and need to think about. And don't say everything's great when it's definitely not.

And I feel a lot of designers have that amazing sense of seeing when things are unfair and when really we need to tackle these kind of challenges. So critical thinking is a very important thing for the future. Number three is creativity.

Really recharging your own batteries, not only on design content, but outside of design. New hobbies, new insights, things that are very unique experiences. Doesn't need to involve any kind of like tech topics, but yeah, just really recharge new experiences that can be, you know, traveling to new countries, gaining new communities or also starting a new hobby.

Number four is leadership, leading people, leading designers, leading teams, also leading AI tools. So how do you become a leader of getting people on board with certain tasks and tools? And this is something that needs to be learned. Then number five is collaboration, a big topic for the last years.

I mean, we are all collaborating with different people, but the better we do it, the more successful we are also going to become. And the last one is communication. How do we communicate successfully? Not only how do we get certain design decisions on board, communicate with our stakeholders, but also how do we communicate with our teams, with ourselves? And this is also a super important skill because

This communication won't be able to be taken over by an AI tool. There will also be a person also working with teams or with stakeholders, with clients who's responsible for the whole process, who can communicate with the clients and takes the responsibility of exploring certain topics.

So developing these skills will definitely enable us to navigate a lot of the challenges and opportunities presented that are coming. And I can really empower everyone to take that step and learn about these things at the moment. I'm going to share the resources here in the description.

description box so you can have a look and if you think this podcast episode was helpful to you if you like that feel free to rate it on spotify and on itunes with a five-star review that would absolutely help me so much so i would really appreciate that and besides that you can always sign up to my free ux newsletter i'm sharing a lot of free resources there for you don't miss out on that

And besides that, feel free to say hello on Instagram. I'm always available there and happy to connect. So thank you so much for listening and hear you in the future.