The document discusses the increasing demand-supply gap in UX talent, emphasizing the need for quality designers who can drive business impact and contribute to strategic design leadership. It highlights challenges such as a lack of skilled educators, inadequate industry-academy collaboration, and the superficial understanding of UX among candidates. The text suggests a collective effort for skill development and better practices to enhance the overall quality of UX design in the industry.

1. © YUJ Designs 2016. Confidential Document.
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