Talent vs Skill - Creating The User Experience

There has always been a debate over natural talent verses skill and what to be looking for in candidates. It’s something that has always been of interest as it goes back to the nature vs nurture argument.

Of course, natural talent can give you a good head start when perusing a career but there is a very good argument that someone with drive and dedication to learning and practice can climb the learning curve almost as quickly and end up outperforming the natural talent in the longer run. 

When applied to the tech industry and specifically the field of UXD it becomes even more interesting due to the fast-paced development of the role and requirements of consumers across an increasingly diverse platforms and interaction formats (laptops, tablets, mobile, wearables, VR/AR, touch, voice control, etc).

There are currently a lot of social posts across the likes of LinkedIn and Facebook telling us that instead of looking for talent finding someone that fits the culture of the business, and is driven is more important even if they have limited knowledge in the field as they can learn how to use Sketch or Adobe XD and create wireframes, but is this really the best advice?

When we take a look at some of the deeper skills required it starts to become a little clearer:

• Outcome Navigation – this takes a certain amount of common sense but is very important to predict the various user journeys through the product and ensuring the pathways all lead the user to the desired outcomes. This is something that applies to all design work from classic architecture to app development.
• Problem Solving – this is a core part of UXD as there are often complex user needs and it is imperative for the success of the product that the users journey flows well and is enjoyable.
• Empathy – to truly build something that the user will want to use it is important that the designer is able to put themselves in the user’s shoes and understand not only the desired outcomes but also put aside their personal preferences and ego and appreciate the psychology and natural behaviours of the intended user base, individual needs, and accessibility requirements.

It is obvious that some innate talents are needed to really understand and develop the User Experience – though they clearly are not necessarily be UXD specific. 

So, what is the answer?

With the field of UXD being relatively new, the tools and received wisdom on how to improve the User Experience will continue to evolve, as will the device support and interaction methods required by the end user, so finding someone who has the ability to learn and adapt will be crucial – especially with longer term projects or when looking to hire a permanent employee. 

When searching for the ideal candidate, selecting someone with great soft skills and problem solving, a passion for design wider than within the tech industry, and the drive to further their personal development within the industry will get you the best of both worlds as they will have the deeper understanding of the user journey and the experience across a broader range of projects. 

At the end of the day, yes, skills can be taught and practice will hone those skills regardless of talent – the key is drive. Without this skill set, situations start to stagnate and potential boredom may start to loom.

We at Foundations are currently working closely with a number of specialist UX Design companies, so know exactly where the industry is and perfectly placed to aid your next hire with our range of UXD candidates.  

Let us know when is convenient and we will call you to discuss.

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