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6 design topics to deep dive into in 2023-24
What lies below the surface and what will potential clients and employers look for in designers?
2023 is starting on a sour note for many people in tech. Some are debating that all of us might be in for another short or long recession where jobs might be scarce and only available for highly skilled individuals. The ratio of designers to engineers was already low. Now it seems designers might be hired even less as the value of design is not immediately perceived by the company stakeholders.
As designers, we are now required to install a cushion around our career using skills. The idea is to start acquiring small yet significant skill sets to soften the blow or make the job-hopping process a bit smoother when the time comes. Cushioning can be done by acquiring new skill sets, polishing your portfolio regularly, building your brand online, networking, or cold emailing people to start conversations that might turn into something in the future. As a designer, I want to keep acquiring skillsets and polish my portfolio — as the top 2 things to do to provide some cushion to my aging career. Here are some of the skills that companies will be looking for in 2023 and beyond —
Web Accessibility
Website accessibility is a hot topic and companies are looking for seasoned designers to work on hard-hitting topics like fixing accessibility for their web and mobile-based applications. It’s a non-glamorous job but will pay very well since a lot of the early designers will skip learning or reading about accessibility because they want to design fancy Dribbble-friendly UI.
Companies that have a well-known product want to spend time and resources on getting their products accessible because it can lead to huge user gains and can support them in keeping lawsuits away. Material Design Accessibility guidelines are a good place to start. Further, designers can read about navigating with a screen reader about Hierarchy and Navigation. Accessibility as a topic applies to both Web and Mobile, but we can…
