UX generalists vs specialists
During my career in UX design I’ve had experience of both being in UX roles which are generalist roles, and I’ve also performed specialist roles. I also found myself contemplating which model worked best for the team I was hiring. So which is better – being a UX generalist or a specialist?
Both roles have their pros and cons, and both add value to the resume or CV of a UX designer, but what do we mean by generalists vs specialists and what are the key differences and considerations?
UX generalist
The UX generalist is someone who can be put onto a project to do UX design or user research work, or even in some cases content design as well. It is a role where the expectation of what your outputs and contributions will be can vary depending on the project – one project might expect you do do the user research, wireframing and designs all as part of the role, while another project may only require you to do either user research or design work. A lot of entry level positions expect a UX designer to be a UX generalist as it is much easier to position someone more flexible on a project as a UX need arises, and it is also beneficial to the designer as they have the ability to learn about the different elements that form UX as a capability, rather than only concentrating on one specific type of work. Think of UX generalists like GP doctors – they are trained to have general knowledge of healthcare and treatment of conditions, and are the first port of call for someone struggling with a health problem. A UX generalist has generalised experience of user research, design methodologies, and content best practices.
For smaller companies it makes more sense to have UX generalists as there may not be a demand or need to have a fully fledged UX capability, and you still get the value of having someone to advocate for the user throughout your product design and development process. It can be challenging for the UXer however if they feel like they are being stretched too thin, or if there is a high demand for their skills across different projects. If you have UX generalist roles in your organisation it is much better if you have more than one individual performing UX duties, as then quality assurances such as peer reviews, design and content crits, and user research planning across teams can take place amongst likeminded professionals.
UX specialist
A UX specialist may be a dedicated UX designer, a content designer, or a user researcher. Larger organisations with established UX capabilities are more likely to have specialised roles in which that UXer’s primary responsibility and deliverables will be in that specific area of UX. That’s not to say it is not encouraged to learn more about UX areas outside of their immediate remit, however it is more around knowing you wont be deployed onto a project as a user researcher if your specialist role is UX design for example. Specialists are great for an organisation as you develop strong experts within your UX capability who can lead better ways of working and are a known point of contact for any queries related to a specific area of UX requirement. It is great from an individual’s point of view to know they have the ability to focus in on their area of UX passion, and that they can really hone their skills in that particular area.
It is super important within organisations that have specialist roles to ensure there is a UX community where knowledge sharing is the norm, and that there isn’t a culture of silos or barriers to collaboration. Just because an organisation has a separate user researcher and user experience designer, doesn’t mean the user researcher shouldn’t be encouraged to learn more about design, or that the designer shouldn’t be encouraged to learn more about user research. We welcome everyone in the UX capability to share their expertise with others and to be more knowledgable in general. Think of it like a sporting team – everyone has their positions however they are all working together to achieve a common goal – to win as a team. Going back to the medical analogy UX specialists are the Cardiologists or the Paediatrics of UX specialising in their areas of passion.
