Every person in your team potentially influences the product’s success ― and you probably don’t want any random people there. In this article, one of the best UX design agencies Purrweb will tell you how to choose a designer who will be into your product.
Who you should be looking for
First, let us sketch a portrait of an ideal UI/UX candidate. If you find someone like that, you are fortunate:
- Experienced yet passionate. Hire UI/UX designer who has gained at least 3-5 years of experience. Over this time, they must have worked on multiple projects and mastered a bunch of tools. Designers tend to get tired of constantly generating new ideas after years of intensive work. It doesn’t mean that all designers with experience are unmotivated. Just try to select someone who still irradiates desires to delight clients and users and show the best of their work.
- Has a great portfolio. A good portfolio must include projects in a similar niche to yours and show a diversified set of skills. For example, you may visit the ‘Cases’ page on the UI/UX company‘s website or simply go to Behance or Dribbble . Another way to learn about the designer’s competences is to read reviews on Clutch and Good Firms.
- Versatile. The UX agency should specialize in UI/UX design, but it is excellent if they have some knowledge about other fields like branding, software development, or marketing. If you hire UI/UX designer like that, it will facilitate understanding between designers and other team members.
- Communicative. Not all designers are able to clearly explain their decisions to other people, but lack of presentation and communication skills is a major drawback. Other people (especially, the client) need to understand the reasons behind this or that decision.
- Team player. All people in the team are interconnected, and the product’s success depends on their ability to work together.
- Project goals are a priority. The designer who cares for the product’s sake will be constructively accepting criticisms, rather than seeing their work as a form of art that cannot be changed or discussed.
- Measures their success with objective KPI. Performance criteria help designers have an accurate understanding of their progress. Task-on-time, customer satisfaction, and other KPIs are some of those metrics.
If you hire UI/UX designer who has all the qualities from this list, working with them will be a real pleasure!
How to pick the right designer for your project
Here is how you understand that the designer you choose is curious about your company’s project:
1. They did their research
The first sign that helps uncover the designer’s interest is that they researched your company in advance. Ideally, both you as a client and your vendor get ready before the call: study the company’s website, write down some questions.
If the designer asks you many questions and wants to know everything about your target audience and your business goals, it is a good sign. Even better, if they have researched your competitors and made a list of analog products on the market. On the other hand, if the person you are meeting is passive and uninterested, they will treat your project the same way after signing the contract.
A real professional will study all the details of your project and research all the information they need:
- Who is our audience, and what is their problem?
- What do you want the final product to look and feel like?
- Are there any references or research information that you can provide?
- What is the role of the end-users during the design process?
Hire UI/UX designer who asks you these questions, and you will not be disappointed.
2. They specialize in the same niche as you
If UI/UX designers have plenty of experience, it doesn’t mean they will do a great job on your project, unless it is in the same niche. Every industry has its unspoken rules: it is better if the company has already done their research, faced and overcame common challenges.
For example, imagine you want to develop a medical app. Usually, apps are designed to be bright and catchy: you place them in the app store and attract potential customers. However, you don’t want a medical app to be vulgar — it creates wrong impressions and doesn’t look trustworthy.
The app should create an impression of something clean and professional, for that white and light blue or silver colors are often used together. This color theory seems quite simple. However, it is an important detail that can only be taken into consideration by someone with experience.
It is especially essential to attract experienced teams in designing so-to-say ‘high-responsibility apps’ such as those that help to operate heavy machinery or scientific research products.
All in all, if you’re representing a complex industry and your candidate has a couple of similar cases in their portfolio, feel free to hire UI/UX designer.
3. Your project is challenging for them
You have certain expectations from your team, like being professional and finalizing the project before a specific date. A design agency also has its goals when taking an assignment. Apart from making money and gaining a new partnership, they want wider recognition and a better reputation. Some companies that have already earned a particular reputation do not even take small or straightforward projects because they are below their level.
Professional UI/UX companies are more interested in working on new projects that challenge them. There is nothing that motivates a good designer more than solving a painful problem. Consider presenting your company’s product in a way so that they could see it as a new step in their career.
As we already know, it is vital for your designer to be experienced in your niche and motivated to learn more about your project. Here are some more traits that you need to be looking for when you hire UI/UX designer:
Understands what you need
Entrepreneurs often say that they trust their guts when picking business partners rather than looking at numbers and papers. You probably understand what it means — when there is chemistry between you and the designer, you click. You can see that they are interested and receptive to your ideas, and working together is a real pleasure for both sides.
Represents the style you are looking for
Example of concept design for a client
Every creative professional has their style — you like it or not. No matter how many arguments in favor of this or that technique your design team gives you, they will never fully convince you of the rightness of their ideas if you dislike what they do and how they do it. Look for something close to your esthetics and business logic to spare both your and your designer’s nerves.
Represents the perfect value for price equilibrium
When you start searching for a UI/UX designer, you probably have some budget expectations. Do not just set them low — instead, look for a person who can give you the most for the least amount of money.
For that, look up the companies’ past projects, for example, read the reviews from ex-clients on Clutch. One firm might promise you to make UI/UX design for $2,000. But if you look at the reviews, it turns out they do only the minimum — deliver only rough prototypes, not ‘true’ product interfaces. Save money on UI/UX design — it’s a good thing to do, however finding those ones who can accomplish your goal is way more important, right?
So, to sum up: Set realistic expectations for the price and remember that a miser pays twice.
Is a good match for your goals
If you’re a small company with a small budget, you do not need to approach large enterprises: first of all, they might overprice their services because of a large brand (the UI/UX design can cost 2-3 times more expensive). Also, a large company might not be interested because they only want to see ground-breaking projects in their portfolio.
At the same time, if you have in mind something unique or complex, for example, a blockchain app, do not just go to the first local design studio. If a lot is at stake, consider addressing a company with a large team and many partners who can help them out. Hire UI/UX designer always keeping in mind your business goals.
Conclusion
Overall, making sure that a UI/UX vendor is truly motivated is not that hard, if you know a couple of tricks. It will help if you offer a professional team an exciting challenge. If it matches their interests, there is a guarantee they will do their best to finalize the project successfully.
