Skills
UX/UI Designer Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in UX/UI designers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do UX/UI designers need?
UX/UI Designers need technical skills such as user research, wireframing and prototyping, and visual design, plus people skills like empathy and communication. They also use tools such as Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud.
Technical (hard) skills
- User research
- Wireframing and prototyping
- Visual design
- Interaction design
- Usability testing
- Accessibility (WCAG)
People (soft) skills
- Empathy
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Openness to feedback
Tools, equipment and technology
- Figma
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Prototyping tools
- User testing platforms
- Analytics tools
- Collaboration tools such as Miro
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how UX/UI designers put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “User research” and “Wireframing and prototyping.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “empathy,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Google UX Design Certificate near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our UX/UI designer glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our UX/UI Designer training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.