Design is a buzzword, but it’s also a practice that can be learned and mastered. Product teams today are filled with people who have diverse skill sets and experiences, so it’s important to find an entry-level designer who’s eager to learn and excited about the design process. Here are some qualities that make designers great additions to product teams:
The drive to design.
The drive to design is a quality that can help you get ahead as a designer. It’s what makes you want to be a designer in the first place and ensures you’ll stay focused on your goal when things get tough. A person with the drive to design will think about design problems outside of work, even when they don’t have to, which means they can solve those problems faster than someone without it.
If you have this quality, don’t worry if it comes naturally or not—you can cultivate it over time! Think about how much time and energy goes into learning skills like coding or playing an instrument. Design is no different; if you put in the effort now, it will pay off later on when others look at your portfolio for inspiration and see that beautiful thing that came from inside your head rather than just copying other people’s work (which is always tempting). And if nothing else works out? Well…there are plenty of other jobs where designers are needed!
Eagerness to learn.
An entry-level designer is eager to learn. They are open to new tools and techniques, and they enjoy learning from others. They don’t begrudge their teammates for knowing more than them, but rather are happy to learn alongside them.
In addition to being willing to learn new things, entry-level designer is also willing to admit when they don’t know something or need help with a particular task. This quality can go a long way towards building rapport with other members of the team, who will feel comfortable answering questions or offering guidance when needed.
Awareness of design as a practice, not a role.
Design is a skill, not a role. Designers shouldn’t be thought of as people who do certain things or work under a certain umbrella (e.g., visual design, interaction design). Designers are all over the place and can be found in every department within an organization (marketing, engineering, product management). However, recognizing this fact is what makes designers successful in their roles: they’re aware that they don’t just have to take on one particular role but instead can adapt their skillset to fit any number of roles within the product team.
Design is a mindset, not a tool. Tools are meant to help us think better; they’re not meant to replace thinking altogether! This means that when we use tools such as Adobe Photoshop or Sketch App—or even Microsoft Word—we should always have some kind of direction or objective in mind for our designs before opening these programs up (even if it’s just “make something cool”). We also shouldn’t let ourselves get stuck using only one tool for our entire career; switching between them will help us become more flexible and open-minded designers overall!
Familiarity with tools and methodologies.
Good design is about much more than just creating beautiful images. It’s about knowing how to use tools and methodologies, too. Any good designer needs some familiarity with the following:
- Sketch and Figma—These are two of the most popular design tools right now, but they can be difficult to learn if you’re starting out. If you do have experience with either one or both of these programs, it shows that you understand the basics of digital product design and how to work with a team in an Agile environment (more on this later). You’ll need these skills if you want to become an effective designer on a product team.
Thinking about users.
User experience (UX) designers are especially critical to the process of creating products. They think about users and what they need, which means that they’re thinking critically about their roles as designers.
One way to design for users is by considering their needs. For example, if you’re designing a shopping website for children’s clothing, it would be important for the website to have large buttons and easy-to-read text on the site so that parents don’t have trouble navigating through pages on their phones or tablets.
User experience also means making sure that every detail in your design makes sense: from where buttons are placed on a screen down to how long it takes someone who didn’t read any documentation at all before using your product would take them while doing something simple like signing up for an account (for example). If it takes too long—and this doesn’t necessarily mean seconds!—then there’s probably something wrong with how things were organized or labeled. The point here is that UX designers spend more time thinking about how other people will perceive their work rather than just focusing on how they want others’ reactions towards their designs to be positive ones because this helps create good relationships between businesses/organizations
and consumers/users; it also helps build trust between these two parties so consumers/users feel comfortable enough not just giving companies money but also sharing personal information with them without hesitation.”
Good designers have good qualities no matter how much experience they have.
Good designers have good qualities no matter how much experience they have.
Good designers are good at designing.
Good designers make good things.
Good designers are good at making things that are good, and that’s the most important part of being a designer: making something that is good for someone else or for some purpose or needs out in the world.
Conclusion
If you’re a designer looking for your first job, the best thing you can do to get noticed is to show off your strengths. Whether it’s through your portfolio or by communicating with potential employers about what motivates and inspires you, being yourself is the best way to attract someone who values those same qualities in others. And remember that there’s no wrong way to go about this process—it can be scary and overwhelming at times, but if something doesn’t feel right then don’t do it! If an employer doesn’t seem like a good fit for whatever reason (even if they’re offering more money than expected), don’t take them up on their offer just because they’re willing to pay more money upfront.”
