Future jobs in the creative realm are transforming into digital roles that now require the combined talent of two roles that were once separate- the creative mind and the technical guru. Alongside these shifts, advertising and marketing executives are placing a significant - and increasing - focus on digital campaigns to grow their brand and enhance the customer experience across all digital platforms. These creative individuals are taking on key roles as a force to strategically bridge the gap between IT and creative, while largely defining how to increase customer satisfaction through data analytics.
As the end of 2017 nears and your company continues to focus on preparing their 2018 digital marketing campaigns, it is more important than ever to stay abreast of the latest skills from digital designers to achieve these goals as impactful and efficiently as possible. These uniquely-qualified individuals bring the power to change your company’s entire digital trajectory by unlocking the power of a positive user experience and driving ROI through measureable data. So, the question becomes, how do you best identify and recruit these wunderkinds to join your organization’s team?
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In our recent American Marketing Association article, How to Build a Career in Digital Marketing, we discussed the ways that digital marketing is rapidly evolving. Get started by arming your marketing team with individuals that hold these five essential skills in digital roles.
- Excellent Soft Skills – Surprisingly the first skill on our list is non-tech related, however, it’s the one skill that everyone in these roles must possess. Having excellent communication, collaboration and flexibility skills is invaluable for digital designers, as they work together with multiple key stakeholders to design ALL digital initiatives. In our blog about the importance of soft skills in technology positions we outlined how to bridge this gap. This same concept holds true for creatives as they are now digitally minded.
- Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign – These baseline- yet powerful- graphic design programs are built to work together to enable a more efficient workflow. All designers should possess these skills as all companies, no matter the size, follow Adobe guidelines.
- HTML – Designers that know HTML are a huge asset. Being able to build AND then design web pages streamlines projects and gives you the capabilities to fix problems on the spot. Vennage, an infographic design company used by Google, stated that 30% of companies now request their designers know the basics of HTML.
- User Interface Design – Known as UI, this is one of the hottest trends in the global job market right now, according to Business Insider. By definition, UI is designing the look, feel, presentation and interactivity of products that people interact with. Individuals in this role are required to be proficient in the skills listed above, as well as HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. Experience in crafting state-of-the art websites and apps is also a must.
- User Experience Design – Also known as UX Design, this multifaceted and complex role is responsible for how the user feels when they look at the site or product. UX designers must understand the cognitive perspectives of the intended users. Their goal is to increase customer satisfaction by concentrating on simplicity of use and overall pleasure in the interaction between the customer and the product. Specific skills in this job function include wireframing, task analysis, user research skills, information design and architecture skills, interface and product design skills.
When searching for your perfect UI and UX designer, first research your exact needs and be specific in the job description. This will help tremendously when finding the candidate with the experience your project requires. Portfolio websites like Behance and Dribbble showcase a sizable gallery of design talent. Taking a bird’s eye view of these sites will narrow down the type of designs suitable for your project, enabling a more targeted talent search.
In the Huffington Post’s 6 Tips to Hire UI Designers, they recommend to avoid asking very technical interview questions, and instead to focus on examples of their work, their track record of success, and how they differentiate themselves. The Huffington Post recommends asking these five questions to examine what they promise to deliver.
- What tasks were you given at your last job?
- What were the results of your work?
- How do you estimate the timeline of your own design process?
- What are your core areas of UI design expertise?
- Can you tell me about a time you used UI microinteractions?
Contact Sparks Creative today for more information on staffing your company appropriately to take your team of digital design and marketing professionals to the next level.
