UX design is hard, regardless of platform. This is a job that most people don’t truly understand.
A UX designer’s job isn’t to make the experience “pretty” or “nice”, it’s to make the experience usable. To guide the users to take the actions that the business needs them to take in order to solve the user’s problem.
You can spot a great UX designer a mile away.
A great UX designer understands what’s important in the interface. A great UX designer understands the typical workflows and maturity of their existing (and potentially next-up) users. A great UX designer deeply understands the problems that their users want their solution to help solve.
A great UX designer understands their user beyond the app. They know how and when and where to best reach them. They understand what phrases connect with their users and when to use them.
A great UX designer understands what’s possible “under the hood”. They know what the front-end and back-end are capable of. They know what devices their users use and tailor the experience to that.
And all of this while strengthening existing branding and interface consistency.
A great UX designer is an invaluable partner to their product and engineering counterparts.
UX design is not an easy job to understand, and it’s not an easy job to do. But it’s certainly more than most companies give it credit for.
And if you overlook the importance of a great UX designer, you’re overlooking your customers.