Best UX practices to make you a better designer:

1. Go through UX design reading

2. Consider multiple solutions

3. Learn to explain why 

4. Review your work 

5. Don't limit yourself to UX design 

6. Find your UX design specialty

7. Interact with other UX designers

UX best practice #1 : 

Go through UX design reading

Learning by doing plays a crucial role but execution without 

basic knowledge will be a waste of time and effort. 

 

You should spend time searching for the source of information that  suits  

your learning pattern, it might be reading anything linked to UX by attending 

online courses. Moreover look for sources and authors you can count on 

that is the one's you relate to.

UX best practice #2 :

Consider multiple solutions

Designing best solution in one go is next to impossible so it is important to look for range of potential solutions. 

To align your mind for finding multiple solutions, I suggest to do sketching and wireframing which will help you see more possibilities. You can also do brainstorming sessions with your co-workers to seek different opinions.

UX best practice #3 :

Learn to explain why 

Proposing solution will not help you get through your idea, communicating why you have chosen one design over other is the secret ingredient. Explaining why behind your work is crucial that's why senior UX designers show off their problem solving approach in their portfolios.

To be more effective, try to support your design decisions with some user research you have done or some evidences from secondary research. Furthermore, as a designer you need to present your work and need to explain the rational behind your design decisions.

UX best practice #4 :

Review your work 

Reflecting on a project is extremely crucial as it helps us to identify the gaps and enable us to carve a sidestep in case of future roadblock in one's process.

This review need not to be super comprehensive rather just a list of takeaways is fine. It will be highly beneficial to keep a check on your past mistakes and will help to improve your work.

UX best practice #5 :

Don't limit yourself to UX design 

A better designer draws inferences from other fields as well. For example, learnings from the study of psychology can enable a designer to know how people think which will be fruitful in designing the experience for them.

Understanding mental models of your target audience will help you design better keeping in mind company's business objectives.

Likewise, learning effective communication contributes to better management within team members.

It is advised to find some area beyond design that suits your interest and you will be surprised to see how it blends in your design practices.

UX best practice #6 :

Find your UX design specialty

Initially, as a designer you want to get a broad knowledge of the field and become a UX generalist!

Later on, you want to stand out with your expertise in an area of design. It can be UX research, UX writing or any sub division of UX design. Start to hone those skills needed to mark an impact. During this learning phase you are maintaining a balance between breadth and depth of knowledge which is often called T-shaped skillset. Slowing and gradually you can transit to UX specialist role.

UX best practice #7 :

Interact with other UX designers

Connecting with designers helps one learn their craft and their ways to addressing a concern which can later be incorporated into yours. We all are social being, we all learn from one another. Learning won't be possible in isolation.

I personally learn from my senior designers to look for inspirations before starting designing anything and this has become one of my go-to approach.

To expand your connection with designers you can find designers community near you. Be the part of UX Meetup events. Join some UX groups online.

The more you will talk to the designer, the more developed your approach will be when it comes to design.

Final Thoughts:

These are the seven UX practices that has helped me build a solid foundation for my UX design career.

I hope this will help you find the approach that works best for you and help you excel in your UX design career.

Thank you for sparing time to connect with my journey of design.