#94 5 Essential UX Skills for 2025: Staying Ahead in a Transforming Industry
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Hello friends and welcome back to the future of UX. I'm your host Patricia Reiners and today we are diving into the fascinating topic: The critical skills of UX designers need in 2025. We are in a time where technology is moving beyond screens with wearable tech, generative AI and automation transforming how we approach design.

So, what should we focus on to stay competitive? And here are the top 5 skills that you will need from my own experience, the updated version for 2025. As we are approaching 2025, in just a few weeks, the role of your ex-designers is evolving rapidly, influencing my technological advancement and shifting user expectations.

To remain at the forefront of the industry, we must cultivate a diverse skill set that aligns with emerging trends. And here are 5 critical skills for your ex-designers in 2025. Let's get started with the skill number one, which is designing beyond the screen. The advent of devices like the AI-Pin, the Rapid R1 and the Apple Vision Pro

signifies a shift from the traditional screen-based interfaces to more immersive interactive technologies. And these devices use voice commands, use gesture control and augmented reality, requiring designers to think about user interactions. Think a little bit beyond the screen or beyond the Figma design that you are always doing. So where are the opportunities lying?

First of all, designers who are already pioneering user experiences for wearables and AR devices, creating intuitive interfaces that seamlessly integrate AI into users' daily lives. This includes developing applications for smart glasses, watches, and other wearable tech that offer real-time assistance and information. How do you prepare yourself? First of all,

Familiarize yourself with emerging technologies. Stay up to date with what's out there. And although not every tool, not every tech gadget is super amazing, it's still interesting for us to have a look at what's working and what's not working. And also have a look at their interaction paradigms. It doesn't seem that this is the master solution. You know, sometimes we're critical, especially with tools like the Rabbit R1, which had a horrible user experience. But

This is just the beginning. Those are the first tools and there's more to come. Competitors are learning from these failures and coming up with new solutions. Especially engaging in user research to understand how individuals interact with these devices is super important. Experiment with prototyping tools that support AR and voice interfaces to build a robust portfolio showcasing your adaptability.

My recommendation is have a look at the Apple Vision Pro design kit basically that you can download for free on the Apple website and then design your own AI or AR interfaces basically. This is what I'm seeing more and more on LinkedIn for designers really exploring this tool. So this is something that helps you to get really easy into the scene.

Now let's move to area number two, which is collaboration with AI and automation. Generative AI and large language models are transforming design workflows by automating routine tasks. And I'm always saying that I feel like in every episode and enhancing our productivity if we use them right. And this evolution allows us, me and you, to focus more on strategic and creative aspects of your work if you use them right.

I, for example, I created a GPT for basically every part of my workflow and I'm using this all the time to come up with content, to help me come up with ideas, to write me product, project summaries. So it's like such a huge helper. Where do the opportunities lie? Designers can leverage AI to handle repetitive tasks. So this is what I would also recommend you. Get your or create your own GPTs ASAP.

Handle repetitive tasks with AI. Enable them to concentrate on complex solving and strategic planning and less on the pixel pushing. Also, there is a growing demand for designers who can improve the user experience of AI-driven products to ensure that they are intuitive and user-friendly. So definitely learn about how to design AI-driven products, which will be all products pretty much in a couple of years. How do you prepare yourself?

Try to develop proficiency in AI tools relevant to design. Try these tools out. Start with your ISATs, start with Galileo AI, start with TGPT and use them to assist in rapid prototyping and interaction. Enhance your skills in UX research and in strategy areas less susceptible to automation to really provide valuable insights that guide AI integration effectively.

Okay, so now let's come to this episode's sponsor, Wix Studio. Web designers, let's talk about the C word, creative burnout.

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That's quickstudio.com. And let's move to point number three, which is a super important skill because this is learning how to build and how to maintain user trust. In an era where digital deception is prevalent, establishing and preserving user trust is so important. Designers must create transparent, ethical, and user-centric experiences to foster trust.

So speak up for ethical solutions. Speak up to help also people to understand what's the right thing for the user. Where do opportunities lie? First, there's significant opportunity to lead initiatives that prioritize ethical design, focusing on user privacy, on data security, on transparent actions.

And we can advocate and implement these practices that protect users from deceptive patterns and misinformation. How do you prepare yourself? First of all, stay informed about ethical standards and best practices in design. Engage in continuously learning about data privacy laws and accessibility guidelines. And then develop a critical eye to identify and eliminate dark patterns in your design.

Speak up! Become a voice also in the company that you're working for. Become a voice for the user. Speak up and ensure that these interactions are honest and straightforward. So recommend something or talk about the downsides of coming up with a dark pattern or something like this. Now let's move to point number four, which is embracing sustainable and also eco-friendly design.

With increasing awareness of environmental issues, sustainable design has become a critical focus. Designers are tasked with creating products and experiences that not only are user-friendly but also environmentally responsible. Where do opportunities lie? Designers can lead the development of eco-friendly products and services, integrating sustainability into the user experience.

This includes designing for energy efficiency, using sustainable materials and promoting behavior that reduce environmental impact. Maybe also mental health and mindset. Someone who is really advocating for that is Thorsten Jonas. I also had him in the podcast, I think almost two years ago. I'm going to link him in the show notes or the podcast episode with him. Make sure to check him out. He's sharing a lot of interesting content about sustainable UX design and

make sure to check them out. So how do you prepare yourself? Education! Connect with people, see what they're doing, collaborate with environmental experts to understand the impact on design decisions, incorporate sustainable metrics into your design process to evaluate and improve the environmental footprint of your projects. Now let's move to point number five and this is the last point.

integrating business into design. So the more you as a designer understand the business implications of design decisions, the better it is. So we really must align the business work, the business objectives, the KPIs to demonstrate the value of design in achieving organizational goals. So where do opportunities lie?

Designers can take on strategic roles. So when we are talking about generally strategy in design, there's always business involved. Collaborating closely with business stakeholders to influence product directions and company strategy. And this integration can lead to more impactful designs that drive business success. How do you prepare yourself? Of course, gain basic knowledge in business fundamentals. You don't need to have an MBA.

but understand market analysis, a little bit of your user economics and product management and develop the ability to articulate the return on investment of design initiatives. Engage in cross-functional projects to understand how design decisions affect various aspects of the business. So let's go over these five future skills.

One is designing beyond the screen. Don't only think about a screen, an iPhone. Of course, this is something that we are focusing on at the moment. Well, this is also going to change. The experience is everything. So look around. Number two is collaboration, especially with AI and automation. And I can't say this enough. You need to dive into AI. Number three is building and maintaining trust, thinking about the ethics, understanding that trust is the new oil.

Number four is embracing sustainability and eco-friendly design, understanding sustainable UX design. And number five is integrating business topics into design. I'm also going to link different books that I can recommend on those topics in the show notes. So make sure to check them out.

And maybe buy yourself a little present for Christmas or if you have a designer friend, buy them a wonderful book that they can read over Christmas or over the holidays.

And yes, I hope you got some interesting aha moments in this episode. If you got at least one, I would really, really appreciate if you subscribe to the podcast to not miss any episodes. And of course, give the future of your ex a five star review. This would be so, so helpful for me. Maybe a little early Christmas present. It helps me to prepare the content, to get amazing people in and to prepare all the episodes for you.

I hope that you got some insights out of this that hopefully makes the prep work for the next year a little bit easier in understanding what are the skills to cultivate that we as UX designers need to navigate the evolving landscape in the next year and 2025 to deliver innovative, ethical and impactful user experiences that resonate with the user and the business.

Thank you so much for listening and hear you in the future.