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Bridging design and development, Quality Assurance, or QA processes ensure that the product that consumers see is executed as the designers intended — free of bugs, crashes, or frustrations. Of course, that’s easier said than done, making Quality Assurance Managers an invaluable link in the chain for developing digital products.

The user experience or UX design process aims to offer a product or service that is an easy, efficient, and satisfying experience for the user — which requires teams of designers, developers, testers, and more to take a concept from an idea to a usable product.

To guarantee that the user will have the intended experience with that product, Quality Assurance (or QA) is a necessary part of the development process. Not only do UX QA Managers ensure that a user can complete all the tasks they need to without any bugs or glitches, but they are also central to maintaining the integrity of the design.

Vive Le Difference: UX Design + Quality Assurance

UX design refers to any interaction a person has with a product or service; it considers each and every component that shapes a person’s interaction with a product or service. This encompasses a wide array of experiences — from how it makes a user feel to how simple it is for a user to accomplish their desired task to how the product feels in their hands to how easy it is to complete a transaction (particularly online).

QA Managers take the vision for that design and see it through the development process. They work closely with the UX designer to get a comprehensive plan for the design and then work directly with the development team to ensure that vision makes its way into the final product. While not in charge of creating the design, QA Managers are a critical link in the chain of bringing the intended experience from a starting concept to the users’ fingertips.

Why is Quality Assurance Important to Digital Design?

Quality Assurance processes are necessary to ensure both the usability and the design consistency of any digital product — and the earlier in the process QA is included, the less work will be necessary to fix any issues that arise. Unforeseen ripple effects caused by recoding an error could lead to a whole host of new problems popping up that need to be addressed, which can throw the development team into a situation where they have a massive amount of work to do just before the deadline. That can be avoided by more proactive QA practices starting much earlier in development. Fixing any bugs early on can prevent more significant issues from emerging down the line.

At the core of a QA Manager’s job is ensuring the usability of the product or service. They make sure that the customer can successfully complete the tasks they need to in a way that feels intuitive. One can do usability testing in various ways, but it ought to be done often throughout the development process.

Usability can be broken down into five different quality components:

Learnability: Is it easy for users to accomplish simple tasks the first time they encounter the design?

Efficiency: Once users have used and navigated the design, how quickly are they able to perform tasks?

Memorability: When users return to the design after not using it for a period of time, how quickly are they able to reestablish proficiency?

Errors: How many errors do users make? How severe are these errors — and how easily can they recover from the errors?

Satisfaction: How pleasant an experience is it to use the design?

Usability QA, described above, is one form of QA. In addition, there is the process of design QA, through which the team ensures that design elements have been implemented as planned. Incorporating design QA throughout the development process means that everything is getting executed according to the design or very quickly corrected as you go, rather than having to fix a colossal error right before the deadline retroactively.

Design QA is often overlooked by development teams that see usability alone as “good enough,” but quality user experiences are rooted in well-executed design. Design features like animations, color palettes, fonts, and information layouts can become inconsistent, negatively affecting user experience. A comprehensive Style Guide and active QA practices can help bridge that risky divide between design and development. The clearer that line of communication, the more likely the correct interaction will be developed the first time.

Quality Assurance Hurdles

QA Managers face the complicated task of ensuring that designs are implemented in accurate and usable ways and can run necessary fixes at almost any point in the process.

Miscommunication

Suppose coders and developers don’t have an accurate or comprehensive understanding of what the design is supposed to be or the intended function of a given feature. In that case, things are not going to be built according to the UX Designer’s specifications. Developers may sometimes misinterpret or accidentally alter design components, which can become a problem when certain design choices are disregarded that significantly impact usability and function. Quality Assurance testing helps prevent these snafus.

Misaligned Priorities

When time and resources start to run thin, people can sometimes work in the mindset of making something “good enough,” and different team members might define that threshold differently. While designers may prioritize visual elements looking and behaving correctly, the development team may primarily focus on streamlining code and processes.

Design Debt

With a constantly changing and evolving product, maintaining a consistent design can become complicated, which can lead to Design Debt, the issue that arises when “a bunch of incremental changes collect over time and yield a disjointed, inconsistent, and patched-together experience.” Design QA audits can point out these issues as they emerge, and this can help avoid accruing a large design debt that would become a massive project to address at some later point.

You Need These Attributes and Characteristics to Succeed at Being a QA Manager

Successful QA Managers have a keen eye for detail and can give useful, constructive feedback. Also critical is a user-centered approach to the development process because understanding how the user will interact with the product leads to better testing and analysis.

 For highly collaborative UX roles, companies are looking for folks with:

Empathy 
Creative problem-solving skills
Critical thinking skills
Curiosity

Above all, this role is about communication and teamwork, so group problem-solving and mediation skills are necessary to prevent building an “us vs. them” culture in the development process.

Qualifications

QA Managers require an intimate understanding of the design process and all the necessary technical features to bridge design and development successfully. Experience in software testing and coding languages is essential, along with understanding product functionality and design concepts.

QA Managers require a balance of hard skills and soft skills, especially if you’re managing a team of testers. You may be juggling many projects at once, so time management and prioritization skills are also going to be necessary tools in your back pocket.

Salary

The average salary for a UX QA Manager varies by experience, sector, and location. According to data on Glassdoor, UX QA Managers in the United States typically make a base salary of $85,778.

About the author.

An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist—Karina writes, produces, and edits compelling content across multiple platforms—including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Yahoo News, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties and has spanned insight pieces on psychedelic toad medicine to forecasting the future of work to why sustainability needs to become more sustainable.

Want to be a successful creative professional? Stellar work is part of the equation. But so are you. Evolving your craft into a business is also about finding the right way to leverage your unique artistic voice. Your personality can be a powerful differentiator — and will help you build your brand as you make connections, grow your network, and establish your client base. How you work and relate to your clients and develop and grow those relationships can make you and your business stand out. Being professional does not mean being dull, droll, or boring.

It’s not all about the “best” person.

As you grow into your creative career, you’ll find that clients and collectors aren’t just looking for someone who has worked with the most prestigious companies or institutions — but rather someone who can understand their needs and pain points and gels well with their vision and culture. They may pass on someone who has fancy bona fides in favor of a creative with whom they have a rapport. And this comes down to your personality and how you present yourself to potential clients. Before you can do this, take some stock in who you are and what sets you apart.

Know thyself.

Say hello to some self-reflection — engaging will help you develop your personal brand. The first step to leveraging your personality comes from knowing yourself both as an artist and person. Gaining insight into your “why” will help you highlight what makes you unique. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses will guide how you would want to present yourself, in an authentic manner, to potential clients.

Some great questions to ask yourself include:

What situations bring out the best in you?
What inspires you? What sparks your creativity?
What are some things that energize you and that you enjoy doing?
What challenges inspire you to get going?
What makes you feel strong?
How have you historically handled disappointments? Do setbacks, errors, or failures throw you off?
What do you enjoy doing for others? How do you go about making other people feel good about themselves?
What makes you feel encouraged and supported?
What do your customers or clients appreciate most about you?
What aspect do you find the most rewarding about your work?
What do others think you do very well?

The core of this exercise is to define what your strengths are beyond your craft. Perhaps you create murals because you like the communal aspect of public art. Or you produce work that champions the rights of marginalized communities and therefore work with vernacular materials. Understanding more about what motivates and moves you will help you frame your work and give it richer context, setting the stage for your personality to shine.

Tell your story.

It’s all about the story. Yes, it’s about the work, but clients are hiring you based on more than just the work itself. They’re buying into you and your story. Be passionate about your work. Get excited. Make it infectious. Aimee Rubensteen, co-owner of Rojas + Rubensteen Projects, a nomadic gallery with roots in Miami, New York, and Paris, says:

“The question you need to ask yourself is, ‘How can you make this person believe that they can’t leave without it?’… I think that applies to anything you sell. The difference with art is that it’s a very emotional sale. It’s usually an emotional connection, a memory or a story or a cause, or even just a spiritual feeling.”

Put together your elevator pitch — but make it authentic. Creating a moment of genuine connection when talking about your work can be challenging, but honing this valuable skill will pay dividends. According to Rubensteen:

“Sometimes it’s a confidence issue. It’s easy to say to a gallerist, ‘You’ll explain it much better than I will,’ but having the ability to say ‘This is what my work is about’ can be really hard for artists… Consider adding an anecdote or description about why your work is important to you. It’s about knowing your own work and talking about it to others.”

How to use your personality to land new opportunities.

Personalize your website + social media channels.
We will echo a sentiment we shared above — professional does not mean boring. Yes, you’re a creative, but what makes you unique? Why should someone choose you over another creative? Craft site and social media copy in your voice, and when possible, write how you speak. As well, your About page is a great opportunity to let more of what moves you to create come through.
Personalize your pitches.
With so many creatives vying to get a leg up, it can be hard to stand out. But by leveraging the power of YOU, using language that is native and true will help you rise to the top. People can tell if you are speaking from an authentic place — and gravitate towards them.
Create new connections.
Clients will be more inclined to hire you if you can successfully build a rapport with them and create a connection. Finding ways to connect in real-time can help. Suggest a phone or video chat instead of just sending emails. Seeing and hearing each other creates a more fully-fledged 2D experience. The more immersive the exchange, the more you can establish a connection and increase the likelihood of winning new business.

Smart ways to forge new connections.

Building a business means connecting with potential new clients — and there are many ways to do this. Find modes of connection that feel like you. We are all different — embrace what makes you you. Be honest with yourself about what jives with your personality. For example, large networking events may be great for extroverts, but not so much if you’re shy. Other options will let an introvert shine. There are so many different opportunities to make and maintain connections — find the ones that will allow you to be yourself. Work in concert with who you are, not at cross-purpose.

Opportunities for folks that love face-to-face interactions:

Visit gallery openings, art exhibitions, and art fairs
Attend other artists’ workshops or classes (or hold your own)
Volunteer at local arts organizations
Find a local Meetup group for folks with similar interests or working in the same discipline

Opportunities to embrace digitally:

Engage on social media — this includes on your page, the pages of other artists, and groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, Behance, and more.
Find online networking events
Start an email newsletter and/or blog (and comment on other peoples’ blog posts!)

Be like water.

Navigating the world as a creative professional means that many unfamiliar contexts and challenges will likely get thrown your way. Whether it’s a stubborn client, a collaboration gone sour, or a gig that just feels ultimately out of your area of expertise, it’s essential to maintain a sense of professionalism and push forward. Folks that can handle these situations best are usually very adaptable and provide the best they can ahead of their ego.

A famous quote from Bruce Lee sums this up nicely:

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it.”

We are not suggesting you abandon who you are, what you believe, and the integrity of your work — rather, to figure out how to keep ahold of who you are in the face of challenging professional situations. Learning how to handle these bumps in the road can help set you apart and earn you repeat clients.

Some skills to build that’ll set you up to best handle thorny situations include:

Learning and utilizing these skills helps foster optimal outcomes without having to lose yourself in the process. Engaging with people in the professional sphere as your genuine and honest self may sound intimidating, but you can do it in a strategic way that will benefit you in the long run. You don’t have to bare your soul, and entire life story to anyone who shows interest in your work — but sharing your authentic artistic truth can create space to connect with people through your work.

About the author.
An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist—Karina writes, produces, and edits compelling content across multiple platforms—including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Yahoo News, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties and has spanned insight pieces on psychedelic toad medicine to forecasting the future of work to why sustainability needs to become more sustainable.

The more screens we have in our life, the more important jobs like motion graphics designer and video editor become, and therefore, the more lucrative these roles are. Both roles are essential for creating eye-catching, attention-grabbing media across industries, whether it’s the loading screen of an app, bringing a video game character to life, or getting your followers to stop scrolling through the feed with a dope animation. Video editing and motion graphics go hand in hand—after all, they are both rooted in storytelling. But they are two fundamentally separate roles with two different needs.

Video editor

Video editing is one of the most crucial roles when it comes to any kind of video media. As Philip Seymour Hoffman said, “The film is made in the editing room.” Editors may not have written the script, but they tell the story by setting the pace, creating the rhythm, and playing with the drama and tension. Now, you may not be editing the next Citizen Kane, but nonetheless, as a video editor you wield a lot of power.

Video editing is more accessible than it’s ever been before. Apps like TikTok allow for efficient, seamlessly integrated, and creative editing, helping more folks take control of their own content. Still, with various companies increasing their emphasis on video, the role of the video editor has still never been more important.

Qualifications: What Does it Take To Be a Video Editor?

Video editing requires a lot of organizational skill—with potentially hours of footage to upload, transfer, and save, so much of editing comes down to keeping track of files. It also requires being able to follow a script—literally. Editors must assemble the footage and create the energy and flow of the project according to how the script is written.

While it’s typical for video editors to have a degree in communication, film studies, production, or even visual arts, it’s not mandatory. What is mandatory, however, is being able to use software (video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X is standard) and be able to handle various equipment to ensure optimal video and audio quality. Being able to incorporate graphics across formats—yes, including motion graphics, which we’ll get to later—is crucial.

As with so many creative fields, editing requires an immense amount of communication. Video editing is unique because it’s both a pretty solitary, independent role, but it also requires being able to communicate and collaborate with others, namely the director or project manager. Sometimes you’ll have a lot of creative freedom, and other times, the director or manager may be more vocal. It’s all about striking that balance of being able to interpret the vision of the director and script authentically while also making your own creative decisions in service of that vision.

Level Up: How to become a better video editor

In the same way that reading makes you a better writer, watching makes you a better editor. Watch films, videos, or even how-tos to pick up on techniques and styles other editors use. Taking those techniques and incorporating them into your own work will hone your skill and your style. Of course, practice is key here, especially because editing software and tech is constantly evolving and changing.

Motion Graphic Design

Of course there is plenty of overlap between video editing and motion graphics design. Videos are chock full of motion graphics, and many motion graphics designers have a background in video editing. But the work is completely different. Motion graphic designers create digital animations that bring still images, whether a logo or illustration, to life. Think of the way the Netflix logo moves when you fire up the app, or the MGM lion roaring before a movie, or any of those explainer videos that are fully animated. Motion graphics are everywhere, and motion graphic design is becoming a more and more popular career to embark on.

Qualifications: What Does it Take To Be a Motion Graphics Designer?

Motion Graphics Designers often have degrees or backgrounds in graphic design, digital media, animation, or other visual art fields, although it’s completely doable to become a motion graphics designer by taking courses or even teaching yourself if you have the drive.

While you may not have to create a graphic from scratch, having strong drawing skills is very important in terms of communicating the animation and then actually animating it. Of course, software is key: being able to use programs like Adobe After Effects (although Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere Pro are important too), Blender, and Cinema 4D, is crucial. Note: 2D art and animation is still popular, but 3D modeling is a particularly worthwhile skill to have these days.

Motion graphics bring meaning to an image by incorporating motion, which means timing is everything, as is a strong understanding of animation perspective and lighting.

Like video editing and so many other creative pursuits, motion graphics is all about collaboration and interpreting a vision. Also similar to other creative pursuits? Having a strong portfolio. Keep your portfolio fresh with plenty of strong examples of your work, whether from client projects or your personal designs, so you can showcase your work and score the job.

Level Up: How to be a Better Motion Graphics Designer

Animation technology changes quick—just think about how rudimentary the CGI animation even 10 years ago feels—so stay on top of tech. In the same vein, stay updated on animation trends as they come and go. Keep track of other motion design artists that inspire you, and keep practicing both your graphic design skills and your motion graphic skills to flex your creative muscles.

About the author.
Sam Mani writes about work, creativity, wellness, and equity — when she’s not cooking, binging television, or annoying her cat.

You don’t want to open your sock drawer only to find it full of…. jeans? It’s frustrating to find something in the place you’d least expect it — the same holds true in the digital world —and Information Architects are dedicated to making sure you can find your “socks.”

We now live in a robustly populated digital landscape, making finding what you want, when you want, all the more important as things continue to become increasingly dense information.

Information Architecture, or IA, refers to the system of structuring, organizing, and labeling content. As the Information Architecture Institute puts it: “If you’ve ever tried to use something and thought, ‘where am I supposed to go next?’ or ‘this doesn’t make any sense,’ you are encountering an issue with an information architecture.”

IA establishes the foundation for all other UX development processes, including Content Strategy, User Interface (UI) Design, Visual Design, and more. You can also think of it as the skeleton of a project, ensuring everything is connected intuitively, holding the site together.

UX (or user experience) design refers to any interaction a person has with a product or service, which has become the foundational approach to product development in the digital world. With principles of Design Thinking at its core, user experience is centered as the central theme via a deep understanding of the target user and how they will interact with the product.

Effective IA will keep a user from getting exhausted trying to find what they need. Information Architects have to combine so many seemingly unrelated disciplines like psychology and library science — in addition to design and technical skills — to present something that allows a user to accomplish their goal without a second thought. The best IA is invisible.

Vive le Difference: UX Design + Information Architecture

UX design considers each component that shapes a person’s interaction with a product or service, encompassing a wide array of experience: from how it makes a user feel, to how simple it is for a user to accomplish their desired task, to how the product feels in their hands, to how easy it is to complete a transaction (particularly online). Information Architecture is a much more focused discipline, specifically dedicated to ensuring that users can find what they’re looking for seamlessly and intuitively.

Information Architects focus solely on the organization of information — not visual design or the “feel” of the experience. Sometimes the UX Designer is in charge of IA, but companies are starting to recognize the importance of having someone specifically dedicated to this increasingly important role.

What Does an Information Architect Do?

Information Architects works closely with the UX team to structure the information that the user will encounter. They often act as a bridge between the design and technical teams. Information Architects are integral contributors throughout a project’s development.

User Research
Knowing your users is key to understanding how they will interact with content. Information Architects utilize quantitative and qualitative data to figure out the best methods for organizing and labeling content. One popular process for analyzing user data is building personas, which are profiles of theoretical customers based on your target user base that examines their personality, behaviors, and motivations. Understanding who is interacting with your content and why can tell you how they interpret information and informs how to make the system most intuitive for them.

Defining Goals
Before building anything, the Information Architect needs clarity from both a user and business perspective on what the goals are for a given product. What is the result of successful user interaction? The clearer and more specific these named goals are, the more effectively you will map out the on-site tasks, create the most intuitive navigation, and yield the best results for the business.

Content Audits & Inventory
Developing user-friendly IA requires a content-first approach — building the product to purpose — it is integral to know what kind of content you will be organizing, both now and in the future. Once you know all the necessary components of the product, you can across content areas to help the user navigate those content options.

Systems & Navigation
The heart of IA is building systems of organization that include content hierarchies, labeling schemes, and navigational flows. Most folks approach this process by card sorting, which offers the opportunity to try out different categories and labels to find the best option.

Sitemaps & Wireframes
A sitemap is a visual representation of the content areas on the website and how they will relate to each other for a user navigating the site. Developing further, an Information Architect will put together a clickable wireframe that includes labels, navigation menus, and other system components stripped of visual design elements to ensure the rest of the UX team can work from a strong, working foundation.

Testing & Adapting
Testing ensures that the choices made in development stand up to scrutiny. User difficulties can reveal holes in the IA’s flow. Testing occurs during the prototype phase and again once the product or service is available to consumers. The end-product, over time, will be evaluated and re-evaluated using the same criteria to ensure that users can swiftly and and easily find what they need. This continued testing ensures that the IA stays relevant, adjusts to changes in the market and user patterns, and addresses potential shifts in business goals and strategies.

Principles of Effective Information Architecture

Pioneering Information Architect Dan Brown laid out his 8 Principles for Information Architecture:

Principle of Objects — Not all content is created equal, and it is not always static. Treat it as if it is a living thing with unique lifecycles, behaviors, and interactivities.
Principle of Choices — Offer the user choices that are meaningful and focused. You do not want to present them with so much information that the most straightforward option would be to leave your site!
Principle of Disclosure — Give your user the information they need at that moment that will guide them to the next step. Be comprehensive, but don’t just dump it all at once. Again, the goal is not to overwhelm.
Principle of Exemplars — Describe content categories by giving examples of what they will find in that category, providing a good sense of what they will encounter, even if someone does not know precisely what they may be looking for themselves.
Principle of Front Doors — About half of users will hop onto a website directly to some page other than the home page. They may be heading to your site from a browser search or a social media link. Ensure these people can navigate the site from any page they drop in on, not just from the homepage.
Principle of Multiple Classifications — Provide users various classification schemes with which to browse a site’s content.
Principle of Focused Navigation — Navigational menus should be sorted by content — and it is easier for users if you break things down into multiple menus rather than one extensive, complex navigational system.
Principle of Growth — Never assume that what you’re working on is the end product. It will almost certainly grow and change, and an IA built with that in mind will be much less of a headache to try and fix later on.

You Need These Attributes and Characteristics to Succeed at Being an Information Architect

Successful Information Architects have a knack for systems-oriented thinking. Equally important is a user-centered approach to the development process. Understanding how people think and process information is necessary to turn content and other data into comprehensive IA.

Inquisitive minds that readily apply what they learn are ideal in this kind of position.

As the field of content strategy is expanding to cover more specializations and responsibilities, companies are looking for folks with:

Empathy
Creative problem-solving skills
Critical thinking skills
Curiosity

Additionally, strong collaborative and communication skills make you a valuable contributor to any digital design team.

Qualifications

Data drives IA, so the ability to conduct testing and research and analyze and apply the information is necessary to succeed in this role. An Information Architect also needs a diverse understanding of industry standards for creating, storing, accessing, and presenting digital information.

There are many resources and courses available for folks interested in diving into the field of IA. If you think it might be for you, check this out to learn more.

Salary

The average salary for an Information Architect varies by experience, sector, and location. Information Architects typically make between $84,940 and $112,588. As of April 2021, the average salary in the United States was $98,320.

About the author.

UX (or user experience) design refers to any interaction a person has with a product or service and has become the foundational approach to product development in the digital world. With Design Thinking principles at its core, user experience is positioned as the central theme via a deep understanding of the target user.

Among the many roles on a UX digital design team is the Content Strategist. Since content is at the core of any UX, it is essential to clearly and intentionally plan out how users will interact with it. The most commonly used definition of content strategy comes from Kristina Halvorson’s book, Content Strategy for the Web. She defines content strategy as “planning for the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable content.” This simple definition sums up an extremely wide-reaching, interdisciplinary skill set that combines market and user insights with brand style and design.

Brain Traffic has developed the “Content Strategy Quad,” which breaks down the main content strategy components. The two main buckets are content design and systems design.

Content design includes:

Editorial strategy — Brand story, tone, and point of view
Experience design — How a user navigates the content

Systems design encompasses:

Structure or content engineering — Making content findable for the target audience
Process design — How this strategy will be maintained and future decisions made

Content Strategy & UX Writing: Work in Concert

UX writers create content that leads the user on their journey through the product to achieve their goal. They want to make you think as little as possible — using straightforward, conversational language to craft an intuitive experience. To inform those choices and create effective microcopy, UX writers turn to content strategy.

Content strategists supply insights into the user base, define tone and style for a brand or product, and clarify audience interactions with the content. These are critical pieces of information for UX writers to craft the language for a seamless experience.

Asking the Right Questions

The core of a content strategist’s role is to ask questions and then make content-related decisions based on that information.

+ Why Create Content?
There are two main intentions behind any given piece of content: fulfilling user needs and achieving business goals.

How does this content enhance your customer’s relationship with the brand or product?
How are you helping your user accomplish their goals?

Clearly defining the content vision is the starting point for developing content that serves the business and audience.

+ What Kind of Content?
There are so many different content types: blog posts, newsletters, long-form articles, videos, images. It’s important to ask what kind of content package is most usable and intuitive to accomplish the goals laid out. Do you need some form of visual content to best showcase a product? If you’re sharing information, what format makes it most clear and digestible? Is this content that needs to stay up permanently or only for a short period of time? The format a content strategist chooses creates the frame through which the user engages, and different structures work better to serve differing end goals.

+ Who is Being Targeted?
Time to get to know your user base deeply. How have your audiences engaged with your product in the past? How do they engage with competitors? What do you need to give them so that they will actively engage? User research is an integral part of a content strategist’s arsenal to speak to their audience in a way that resonates with them.

+ Where Should the Content be Pulished?
With so many available platforms, where will the content be most easily found by the target audience? The most effective content strategy takes on an omnichannel publication approach, optimizing content across all possible access channels. Users interact with content differently on desktop webpages, mobile, and social media — so content strategists need to adapt to these differences and beyond.

+ When Should it be Shared?
Timing is everything. From long-term content and marketing strategy to gleaning fine-detailed insights from a single-user interaction — timing can determine whether a piece of content is valuable and welcome or intrusive and turns the user off. In addition to creating editorial calendars that stipulate the release of content over time, content strategists track the user flow through a product or experience and determine at what point to include specific information or calls to action. You don’t want to ask too much at once; this can be intimidating, causing users to abandon their engagement.

+ How Should it be Crafted?
Content strategists are critical contributors to defining a brand’s tone and style. Even if not creating the content themselves, content strategists work to ensure a product’s voice is consistent across platforms and media. They need to fully understand the voice and style to effectively share it with the content creators in the organization, typically by compiling a style guide informed by research and content assessments.

Content Strategy in Practice

These are all big questions — so how do you find the answers? To get the right content to the right people in the right place at the right time, content strategists rely on research, data, and planning.

User Research & User Testing
Knowing your users is key to understanding how they will interact with content. Content strategists utilize quantitative and qualitative data to figure out the best processes for creating and distributing content. One popular method of analyzing user data is building personas or theoretical customers’ profiles based on your target user base that explores their personality, behaviors, and motivations—and lends understanding to who is interacting with your content and why.

Content Audits & Evaluations
Once content is published, and users interact with it, content strategists will look at how effectively any given piece of the inventory (a catalog of active content) is accomplishing its defined goals. These content evaluations will inform ongoing strategy and whether specific approaches need to be changed or if replicated. Good content strategy is adaptive and data-driven, using analytics and statistics on their defined KPIs (key performance indicators) to determine their outputs’ success.

Content Mapping & Style Guides
With information from user research and content evaluations, content strategists can determine what elements engage their audience and build their plans from there. Working closely with other UX team members, content strategists create a narrative voice, visual language, and an editorial calendar for a brand that allows for consistent content creation, even among different creators. Content strategists can also be responsible for putting into place a process for developing and building content to align with the named goals.

These are the attributions and characteristics you need to succeed at being a content strategist

Successful content strategists will have an eye for detail balanced with long-term vision. Equally important is a user-centered approach to the design process.

Understanding how people think and process information is necessary to turn data into a comprehensive content strategy. Inquisitive minds that readily apply what they learn are ideal in this kind of position.

As the field of content strategy is expanding to cover more specializations and responsibilities, companies are looking for folks with:

Empathy
Creative problem-solving skills
Critical thinking skills
Curiosity

Additionally, strong communication and collaborative skills will make you a valuable contributor to any digital design team.

Qualifications

Data drives content strategists — so the ability to conduct testing and research and analyze and apply the information — is necessary to succeed in this role.

Knowledge of — and experience with — the many elements of the digital design and implementation processes makes a strong candidate. Content strategy is a highly collaborative role that works with so many different departments, from programming to marketing to product design.

There are many resources and courses available for folks interested in diving into the field of content strategy. If you think it might be for you, check this out to learn more.

Salary

The average salary for a UX Content Strategist varies across the United States; in NYC, according to data gathered by Creative Circle, it ranges from $51,214 on the low end to $136,572 on the high end, whereas in San Francisco, the range is from $58,890 to $157,040.

About the author.

Bicycles. Sofas. Lawnmowers. Smartphones. Electric cars. Trampolines. What Do All of These Have in Common?

All were designed by industrial designers. Emerging as a professional vocation in 1919 (or perhaps as early as 1909), industrial design is directly linked to the industrial revolution and transition from smaller-scale craft to mass production.

Straddling the line between art and engineering, industrial design was originally more focused on pure aesthetics and form, but today’s field has shifted. Instead of focusing solely on how a product looks or functions, today’s industrial designer considers a more dynamic range of inputs from ergonomics, end-user benefit, materiality, and corporate branding. From developing concepts for manufactured products and creating physical prototypes, industrial designers also examine materials and production requirements to determine manufacturing costs while presenting the designs and prototype to clients for approval.

Today, industrial designers design products for people of all ages, ethnicities, races, abilities, gender identities, economic statuses—and pets. While they don’t usually design motors, electrical or microchip circuits, or components that make machines move, their work may impact these more technical aspects. Typically, they work with engineers who focus on the functional, mechanical elements of a product and marketers who specialize in identifying customer needs and expectations—but how do they go about doing that?

What Does an Industrial Designer Do?

In a nutshell: industrial designers develop concepts for manufactured products at the intersection of art, business, and engineering. And these manufactured products are born from a design process that can take many forms. It can be led by an individual or by a team, including professionals with varied expertise—from industrial designers, engineers, graphic designers, marketing, sales, branding, and more.

Factors like materials, production processes, cost, business strategy influence the industrial design process—and take into account prevailing social, aesthetic, and commercial attitudes. As an applied art, industrial design focuses on combining aesthetics with more user-centered considerations and often aims to provide solutions for problems of form, function, ergonomics, sustainability, brand development, marketing, and sales.

While most designers may work primarily in offices (home or otherwise), they may also travel to design centers, testing facilities, users’ homes, exhibit sites, and production facilities. Industrial design is part of many different worlds—here are some of the top practice areas:

Consumer electronics
Furniture
Housewares and appliances
Automotive and transportation
Medical and healthcare
Toys
Commercial and industrial
Sports and recreation
Lifestyle

Vive le Difference: What is the Difference Between an Industrial and Product Designer?

Both industrial and product designers are part of the commercial design process. Product design is about designing solutions—industrial design is about the mass manufacturing of those solutions.

Product design is the complete end-to-end design of a product, from initial concept to market research to sketches, prototypes, and final design. On the other hand, industrial design relates explicitly to the design of products intended to be manufactured at an industrial scale, using industrial processes.

A successful multi-functional team will have both product and industrial designers, who together have an awareness of the whole product lifecycle and the same goal: to create or refine a given product.

As technology changes design thinking and processes, however, product and industrial design have increasingly overlapped in the digital realms of UX and UI design, information design, and interactive design.

What’s the Process of Industrial Design?

Companies are rapidly adopting the Design Thinking approach to developing products, centering the user experience by creating a deep understanding of the target user. The Design Thinking process opens up the opportunity for creativity and innovative approaches to users’ problems.

The initial step in the industrial design process is to define the problem that needs solving—and coming up with a solution. Perhaps inspiration comes from your own experience or that of those around you. Maybe a product you use doesn’t function the way you think it should. After identifying and defining the problem, industrial designers assess these fundamental questions:

Are there similar products currently on the market?
Who is the target market for the product?
Is this a single-use, multi-use, or legacy product?
What kind of use trends will impact sales?

The answers to these questions will inform how your idea takes shape. Here is a map of the industrial design journey.

Diagram by Angus Donald Campbell

You Need These Attributes and Characteristics to Succeed at Being an Industrial Designer

So, what makes for an excellent industrial designer? One of the hallmarks of a successful industrial designer is their ability to be empathetic and “walk in someone else’s shoes” to understand how to create a design solution that solves a problem in the most beneficial manner.

A diverse set of skills is needed to build a career as an Industrial Designer. You want to be comfortable navigating research, conceptual design, visualizing user journeys, creating prototypes, and assessing business implications of design choices and other processes and technical skills. However, the role includes making many high-level strategic decisions—interpersonal, communication, and people management skills are also vital.

Here are some of the most critical skills that go into industrial design:

Analytical skills—Logic and reasoning skills are foundational for industrial designers as they study consumers and recognize the need for new products.

Artistic ability—Industrial designers sketch their initial design concepts and express their ideas through illustration, which are then used to create prototypes.

Computer skills—Computer-aided design software is central to industrial design to develop ideas and create prototypes.

Creativity—Ideas and innovation are the heart of industrial design.

Interpersonal skills—Industrial designers interface with cross-functional teams; therefore, developing good working relationships with clients and colleagues who specialize in related disciplines is essential.

Mechanical skills—Understanding how products are engineered and how systems work is integral to industrial design.

Problem-solving skills—Identifying and solving complex design problems like the materiality, size, and cost of a product, anticipate production issues, develop alternatives, evaluate options, and implement solutions is core to the practice of industrial design.

Industrial designers take big-picture concepts and abstract ideas and turn them into actionable direction for the development team. A strong understanding of how businesses work and an interest in tracking market trends are vital — but the most essential trait for an Industrial Designer is an avid interest in finding problems and working (alone or with a team) to solve them.

Qualifications + Education

Industrial designers mostly hold a bachelor’s degree in industrial design, product design, graphic design, or other related fields.

Ideas take shape (literally) — with a blend of 2D drawing, 3D digital modeling, and prototyping. Standard digital modeling tools include AutoDesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systèmes, SolidWorks. As such, employers prefer to hire candidates with solid illustration, graphic design skills, sketching, CADD (computer-aided design and drafting), and 3D modeling and rendering, and an understanding of materiality, finishes, and fabrication processes.

Along with having a well-rounded design background with experience solving challenging and complex problems, companies want industrial designers who can lead a team, are business-minded, and be a good culture fit.

Job Opportunities

In 2019, 42,200 industrial designers were working in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. California and Michigan have the highest concentration of employed industrial designers per capita.

Salary

The average salary for an Industrial Designer varies by experience, sector, and location. Industrial Designers make an average of $66,000 per year in the United States. Location can impact salary—Idaho, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington provide the highest industrial designer salaries.

Finding cool, talented people in your workplace or broader industry that share your values and work ethic and, better yet, might be connected to other opportunities you’re interested in is a really rewarding part of working.

And yet, networking can feel like such a drag — especially if you’re more on the introverted side.

Networking can conjure up rather cynical images of folks talking over each other just to be the center of the conversation or competing to collect the most business cards. In other words, an introvert’s nightmare. Connecting with people in general can be hard; connecting with folks for the express purpose of advancing your career can feel downright icky. But it’s just as important to understand what networking actually means as it is to network as it is both necessary (one survey found 85% of jobs are obtained through networking) and actually pretty natural if you take the right approach.

Let’s Talk Introverts!

But before we get into that, let’s talk introverts because there are a few misconceptions about what makes someone introverted. First of all, introverts are not just shy! Sure, there are plenty of introverts who are also shy, but not only are there plenty of introverts who are outgoing and social, but even extroverts can be shy.

It’s not that introverts are nervous or afraid of being around lots of other people, it’s that being around lots of people is draining for introverts. While extroverts find their energy through social interaction, introverts are the opposite — they use up their energy in social interactions, finding themselves in need of a break or retreat to spend time alone. However, introverts do prefer hanging out in more intimate settings with close friends as opposed to large groups of new folks. In fact, bustling social situations or busy situations in general can stress out and overwhelm introverts.

Other introvert characteristics include:

Preferring to work alone
Being introspective and self-aware
Learning by observing before jumping in
Preferring written communication rather than speaking
Having a small, close group of friends
Preferring to interact with others one-on-one

Needless to say, meeting new people in general is not exactly at the top of introverts’ to-do lists, which can make networking a rather daunting challenge. But much like introverts, there are myths and misconceptions when it comes to networking.

Demystifying networking

The first big myth is that it’s about quantity over quality, that is, the more contacts, the better. While having connections in diverse industries is nice, simply being connected to a bunch of people isn’t as valuable as being connected to fewer people who actually know you; given that introverts are all about having a smaller circle, this actually works to their advantage a bit.

Another big myth about networking is that it’s all schmoozing and trying to impress people. Here’s the thing: chances are, you’re most likely already pretty impressive, so it’s less about inflating yourself and more about being your authentic self. Networking is about building real relationships with people, not overinflated resumes.

Networking isn’t about making one big impression on folks. It’s about building genuine connections, and it takes time and work to build that. In fact, plenty of experts will tell you that networking is not actually about getting what you want. Whether or not you realize it, it’s just as much about helping others get what they need. You don’t always have to be on the lookout for jobs for others, but challenge yourself to take the first step to support other people — even if it’s literally asking “How can I support you?”

One method is keeping in “loose touch,” which, as Karen Wickre explains, is essentially checking in on folks without “obligation to follow up or see each other in person.” You can send people a DM from time to time, share a tweet or story relevant to what they do, or a video that made you think of them — without putting pressure to start an actual conversation. Just a small nudge or tap or something that’s a step above a Facebook poke, if anyone even remembers those which, you know what, sorry for even bringing that up.

Wicker writes:

“The effect of loose touch is to put you into someone’s consciousness for a few minutes, and vice versa. These moments serve as connective tissue (‘we have this in common’) and a marker of your ongoing relationship. In cultivating loose-touch connections, know that your network won’t appear all at once; it takes steady, continuous work.”

This kind of goes against the introvert’s preference for cultivating deeper connections (we’ll get to that), but it’s still an important part of the process, and better yet, it doesn’t take a lot of social energy.

On the other end of the spectrum, networking is a great opportunity to deepen your connection to people and really get to know them beyond their profile. After all, introverts are really good at fostering deeper interactions when they do decide to let people in, so it’s all about striking the balance of friendship and a work relationship.

Net-work it!

Networking is all about being yourself. I know, I know, it’s cliché, and seeing as introverts are the self-aware type, that probably makes it even more painfully cliché. But sometimes, part of the difficulty with networking is trying to figure out who or what people are looking for — which can translate to figuring out who people want you to be. So before you have a crisis about what you’re not, just know that it’s so much easier for everyone to come as you are.

Do you need to be comfortable talking about the cool things you’ve done? Absolutely. If something you’ve accomplished is a big deal, should you be ready to treat it as such? Yes! Prepping yourself to have these conversations and practicing is important, especially if talking about yourself isn’t your strong suit. But at the end of the day, it really comes down to knowing and being yourself.

Introverts, Networking, and COVID

In a post-COVID world, networking events are no longer the overwhelming in-person events that some of us have grown to dread. While Zoom and other platforms come with some awkwardness built in, and plenty of us have hit Zoom fatigue after a year of doing it, there are parts that introverts can use to their advantage.

Seeing as many introverts prefer writing over talking, use the chat feature to your advantage and add to the conversation that way if the event if you’re not into speaking! Do your best to stay focused and engaged. Message folks individually, and don’t be afraid of setting up one-on-ones — it can be a bit of a relief to have a chat with someone without ever leaving the comfort of your home.

Networking is an essential part of working. Especially in light of the pandemic, in which so many people have unfortunately lost work, it’s more important than ever before to connect with others, offer support, and put yourself out there together, regardless of if you’re more introverted or extroverted. After all, if anything, networking is a great reminder that we really are all in this together.

About the author.
Sam Mani writes about work, creativity, wellness, and equity — when she’s not cooking, binging television, or annoying her cat.