/capabilities/ux-designer-role-overview/
UX designers work out the best way to enable people to interact with services, in terms of both overall flow and at the level of individual design elements.
You will need the following skills for this role, although the level of expertise for each will vary, depending on the role level.
Agile mindset. You know about agile methodology and can apply an agile mindset to all aspects of your work. You can work in a fast-paced, evolving environment and use an iterative method and flexible approach to enable rapid delivery. You are unafraid to take risks, willing to learn from mistakes and appreciate the importance of agile project delivery for digital projects in government. You can ensure the team knows what each other is working on and how this relates to practical government objectives and user needs.
Communication. You can communicate effectively across organizational, technical and political boundaries, understanding the context. You know how to make complex and technical information and language simple and accessible for non-technical audiences. You can apply foundational concepts of layout, spacing, color, type, iconography, use of imagery to ensure that content is legible and readable and that users see and understand interactions. You can advocate and communicate what a team does to create trust and authenticity and can respond to challenge.
Team collaboration. You can contribute to the work of the organization, building successful teams through understanding team styles and influencing as well as motivating team members. You know how to give and receive constructive feedback, facilitating the feedback loop. You can facilitate conflict resolution within teams, ensure the team is transparent and that the work is understood externally. You can help teams maintain a focus on delivery while being aware of the importance of professional development.
Evidence- and context-based design. You can visualize, articulate and solve complex problems and concepts, and make disciplined decisions based on available information and research evidence. You know how to move from analysis to synthesis and/or design intent. Such skills include: demonstration of the ability to apply logical thinking, gathering and analyzing information and evidencing key performance indicators (KPIs).
Working within constraints. You understand and can work within given constraints (including but not limited to technology and policy, and regulatory, financial and legal constraints). You know how to challenge constraints that can be changed. You can ensure compliance against constraints by adapting products and services where needed.
Leadership and guidance. You can interpret vision to lead on decisions. You can create a collaborative environment and sustain a good service. You can understand and resolve technical disputes across varying levels of complexity and risk. You can solve issues and unblock problems. You know how to drive teams and set the pace, ensuring teams are delivering. You can manage risk, including effectively managing and tracking the mitigation of risks. You can manage various dependencies across teams, departments and government as a whole.
Prototyping. You can apply technical knowledge and experience to create or design workable prototypes, both programs and physical outputs. You understand parameters, restrictions and synergies. You approach prototyping as a team activity, actively soliciting prototypes and testing with others. You can establish design patterns and iterate them. You can use a variety of methods of prototyping and choose the most appropriate ones.
Strategic thinking. You can take an overall perspective on business issues, events, activities and discuss their wider implications and long-term impact. This could include determining patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements. You know how to focus on outcomes rather than solutions and activities.
Human-centered. You understand users and can identify who they are and what their needs are, based on evidence. You can translate user stories and propose design approaches or services to meet these needs. You can engage in meaningful interactions and relationships with all stakeholders. You put end-users first and can manage competing priorities.
Inclusive design mindset. You embrace accessibility requirements as a set of design constraints that help you create better products and services for all users. You have a basic understanding of the main categories of disabilities, limitations, or constraints that affect how people use digital services. You look for ways that making products and services easier to use for people with disabilities also improves the experience for everyone, applying the concept of progressive enhancement to cover a spectrum of engagement levels.