This document discusses the gap between the supply and demand of quality user experience (UX) talent in India. It notes that while businesses are looking for UX professionals who can demonstrate impact and drive design strategy through a deep understanding of human cognition, many candidates only offer basic skills like wireframing without this higher-level thinking. The document provides ideas for both UX professionals and the system as a whole to help close this gap, such as practitioners strengthening their cognitive science knowledge, teaching more, and organizations collaborating more with design schools on practical skill-building initiatives. The overall aim is to help India shine through high-quality user-centered design.

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Prasadd Bartakke
Co-founder, Chief of Design

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Impact
a ‘UX’ talent makes it happen
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Quality Talent
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Quality Output
Impact

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Technical
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Soft Skills&
Good Career
Satisfying Work, Genuine Output, Happy Customers, Profits, Good Salary

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Idealistic so far
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Supply&Demand
Talent reality

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Reliability
• Quality
• Knowledge
quantum
• UX brand
Instability
• Real talent is
scares
• Cost
• Burn
That gap is not good for the UX community

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Demand - supply gap is increasing
• Not just about creating wireframes any more
• Nor jargons - IA, UR, UT..
• Good looking designs are already out there (Pinterest hai na)
• What businesses have started to look for are trail blazers:
• Business impact (Conversion)
• Drive a ‘Design’ Strategy (for long haul)
• Demonstrate ‘Design leadership’ (impact of UX methodology,
principles of human cognition)
• Thought leaders (question, take decision and rationalise stand)
• System level thinking (end to end touch points)
• Excellent debater (SME v/s Research)
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User experience
encompasses all aspects of
the end-user’s interaction
with the company, its
services, and its products.
- Don Norman

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Further, the gap may just widen..
• Trend: Have the technology - but design is yet to do the thinking
• Personalized experience - Custom experiences
• Subtle interactions (Design for a quick glance)
• Apps could be passé (and so is RWD?)
• Multi-channel - multi device
• BOTs, VR, AR
• Voice, touch free
• Impact at global level
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Why is supply stressed?
• Late entry - UX gained steam only in the last 4-5 yrs
• Dearth of UX talent in the industry - dearth of good
educators (deadly vise-versa cycle)
• Further, weak industry - academy collaboration
• Less opportunity for ‘Get training on the job’
• Get someone to design ‘beautiful’ at any cost
• Salaries are up - quality is not
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Since 90s
IT boom later 90s
Almost no design / UX for 15 years

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• Experts
• Mid-level
• Freshers
• Studios
• UX Depts
• Start Ups
Build Career with a
good mentor
Right Candidate
for the Right Price

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Pain area
+ 300 resumes - 1 ‘talent’ hire - months
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• UI/UX
• Wireframing
• HTML
• CSS3
• JQuery, JS
• UI/UX
• Think users
• IA, Personas
• Research
• Wireframes
Which resume I should worry the most?

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• Resume
• Initial Questionnaire
• Design Test
• Interview
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2
3
4
1 2 3 4
Gets tough
Quality of questions
candidates need to field
• Reasons for high rejections (300 = 1)
• Claim to be UX experts but overpaid
• Indi contributors
• Not much to show
• Misfit to culture (Drive customer engagements, design leaders …)

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Lets look deeper into the gap
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Industry is looking for…
Design strength
• Someone who tells a success story of how s/he created value for the
users and business
• Ability to define problem - create a solution
• Specific design change or enhancement they did (Before and after
examples)
• Macro - micro picture at all times
• Anchor engagements and talk to my customer directly
• Design thinking - not wireframes
• How did the designer apply principles of Cognitive Psychology
(thereby it’s impact on business)
• Not just meaning but application of terminologies (otherwise it’s
jargons)
• Work quality counts - not # of years
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Candidates usually offer
• Wireframing (wear users
shoes)
• Skill in gathering
requirements
• Mostly single handed -
no one to brainstorm
design (debate)
• But they aspire to do
‘real’ UX (no guru to
work with) :(

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Industry is looking for…
Energy
• Listen - think - ask questions (deeper probe) - listen - think
- respond
• Open up their designs for reviews and debate (and win it)
• Thinker first (Doer later)
• Design management - Time and quality are both
important
• Not a individual contributor - Design business can’t be
done in isolation
• Question - make business think (CEOs will love you)
• Interview the interviewer
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Candidates…
• Assume interviewer is not an UX
expert - 50% game is lost with
know it all attitude
• Not prepared - heavy reliance on
visual portfolio (lack of thought
process)
• Responsive - not participatory
(doesn’t have any questions for
the interviewer)
• Weakness - unable to take
criticism (fall in love with own
design, become defensive)
• Fearful of saying ‘I don’t know’
• Seeking a job (ready to be driven)
v/s career (read to drive)

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Ideas to reduce the gap (UX crash)
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Ideas for designers
• Head of design, UX practitioners to push UX process (Better if it is ground up - staff/employees)
• Not let sloppy practices creep in
• Read, talk - Prune vocabulary through practice (otherwise it’s jargon)
• Invite folks to critique your designs
• More important be ready with design rationale (Cognitive science)
• Present findings and thoughts within organisations (Review of your career trajectory)
• Teach at a design school nearby or help a start up (for a small fee)
• Submit works for international competition
• Overtake the product manager on ‘product design and strategy’
• Check if we are working hours out (sign of no methodology)
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‘Designer’
The one who demonstrates direct
impact of applying principles of human
cognition on design of business!

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Ideas for UX as a system (How to avoid ‘UX’ crash?)
• Collective efforts for skill development
• It’s not 1 person but organizational challenge (National?)
• Teach at design school much more often (or students come over)
• Knowledge sessions with customers - Outside projects, just before or after projects
• Sharpen the sword - High-end skill building initiative within organizations
• Academics to strengthen initiative of giving practical experience to students
• It goes beyond designing wireframes etc
• Educate your hiring vendors (balance of technical skills, price and career building - its not
a job)
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India
Shining by Design
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prasadd@yujdesigns.com