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The Biggest Misconception About UX Design
UX design is not your typical “creative” job
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked about UX design with friends or family and heard them say something along the lines of:
“I’m not creative. I can’t draw for my life.”
Personally, I’ve taken a few art classes in my days, but I wouldn’t consider myself an artist or a creative. Many people change their careers from “non-creative” fields like health science or engineering into design.
So do you really need to be creative to be a good UX designer?
In order to answer this question, let’s understand what creativity is.
What is creativity?
According to Oxford Languages, creativity is defined as “the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.”
I believe that most people have the ability to imagine or come up with original ideas. The second part of the definition implies creativity is often used in an artistic way, such as through visual or performance art.
So what comes to mind when you think of jobs in the creative industry?
Perhaps a painter, musician, or art director, but maybe not a UX designer.
Reality of UX Design
Let’s take a step back and look objectively at the role of a UX designer.
In the real world, design works hand-in-hand with business. As a designer, I help create products that generate business for a company. Having a well-designed product greatly improves the prospects of acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones. But there would be no business without roles like sales consultants, customer success managers or product managers.
