So I’ve been spending way too much time on job boards lately (don’t ask why, it’s a weird hobby), and I keep running into these UX designer skills requirements that make me wonder if HR departments are just throwing darts at a wall of buzzwords.
Like, I saw this “entry-level” position last week that required 5+ years of experience, fluency in 12 different design tools, a psychology degree, coding abilities, and – I kid you not – “proven track record of scaling design systems for Fortune 500 companies.” For an entry-level role. That paid $45k.
I started screenshotting the most ridiculous ones because honestly, it became entertaining in a sad sort of way. My collection is getting embarrassingly large.
[Time for an adventure]
But here’s the thing that actually bothers me: these crazy job posts are making aspiring designers think they need to be superhuman before they can even apply anywhere. And that’s just not true...
The Current State of UX Job Requirements (Spoiler: It’s Chaotic)
I decided to do a little experiment. Over the past month, I’ve been collecting UX designer requirements from job postings across different companies – startups, agencies, big tech, you name it. I probably have like 80 examples now, and the patterns are… interesting.
Some companies want you to be a unicorn designer who can also code, do user research, create marketing materials, and apparently read minds. Others just want someone who can make their app “look nice” (their words, not mine).
The disconnect is wild. It’s like the industry collectively forgot what UX design actually is.
The Good: Requirements That Actually Make Sense
Let’s start with the positive stuff, because there are companies out there who actually understand what they’re looking for.
Design Process Understanding
When I see UX designer skills requirements that mention design thinking, user research methods, or wireframing, I get a little excited. These companies actually know what UX design involves.
One startup I looked at had this requirement: “Ability to synthesize user feedback into actionable design improvements.” YES. That’s literally what we do.
Portfolio Over Everything
The best job posts I’ve seen focus heavily on portfolio work rather than just listing software requirements. They want to see your thinking process, your problem-solving approach, how you handle constraints.
There’s this agency in Portland that just says: “Show us a project where you made something better for users, and walk us through how you did it.” Simple. Perfect.
Collaboration Skills
UX doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and the good companies know this. Requirements like “comfortable working with developers and product managers” or “ability to present design decisions to stakeholders” show they understand the collaborative nature of the role.
Basic Tool Proficiency
Asking for Figma or Sketch skills? Totally reasonable. These are our primary tools, and yes, you should know how to use them. But here’s where it gets tricky…
The Bad: Expectations That Miss the Mark
The Tool Laundry List
I found a job post that required proficiency in Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Principle, Framer, InVision, Miro, Notion, Whimsical, and “willingness to learn new tools as needed.”
Come on. Half of these tools do the same thing. It’s like requiring someone to be fluent in English, American English, British English, Australian English, and Canadian English. Pick your primary tools and move on.
Years of Experience for “Junior” Roles
This one kills me. “Junior UX Designer: 3-5 years of experience required.” That’s not junior! That’s mid-level!
I think what’s happening is companies are afraid to hire actual juniors, so they’re just relabeling mid-level positions. But then where are the real entry-level opportunities?
Industry-Specific Experience Requirements
“Must have 3+ years of fintech UX experience” for every fintech job. “Healthcare UX experience required” for every healthcare role.
Look, I get that domain knowledge is valuable. But good UX principles transfer across industries. User research is user research, whether you’re designing for banking apps or meditation apps.
The ‘Wait, What?’: Requirements That Make No Sense
Okay, this is where things get entertaining. I’ve seen some UX designer requirements that made me question reality.
“Must be proficient in Excel”
For a UX designer role. At a tech startup. I’m still trying to figure out what they thought we’d be doing with spreadsheets. Maybe they confused UX with data analysis?
“5+ years of AI/ML experience”
This was for a mobile app designer position at a company that makes restaurant reservation software. I’m pretty sure they just copied requirements from a different job posting.
“Must have startup experience AND enterprise experience”
These are like, opposite things? Startup experience usually means scrappy, fast-moving, wear-many-hats environments. Enterprise means process, stakeholders, long approval cycles. Pick one.
“Degree in Design or related field (Psychology, Anthropology, Computer Science, Marketing, Business, or Liberal Arts)”
At this point, just say “must have attended college somewhere.” This covers like 80% of all possible majors.
“Proven track record of increasing conversion rates by 50%+”
With no mention of what type of product, user base, or timeframe. Also, imagine if this was your first job. “Sorry, I can’t prove I’ve dramatically improved business metrics because nobody has hired me yet.”
What Companies Actually Need vs. What They Think They Need
Here’s what I’ve figured out from talking to actual UX designers and reading between the lines of these job posts:
What they say: “Expert-level Figma skills with advanced prototyping abilities” What they mean: “Can create wireframes that don’t look like they were drawn by a 5-year-old”
What they say: “5+ years of user research experience”
What they mean: “Has talked to users before and didn’t just guess what they wanted”
What they say: “Strong visual design background”
What they mean: “Please don’t make our app look like a Windows 95 program”
What they say: “Experience with design systems”
What they mean: “Understands that buttons should look consistent across the product”
The Reality Check: What Skills Actually Matter
After looking at all these UX designer skills requirements and talking to people who actually do the hiring, here’s what I think really matters:
Problem-Solving Ability
This is the big one. Can you look at a user problem and figure out a solution? Can you think through edge cases? Can you balance user needs with business constraints?
This isn’t something you learn from a tutorial. It comes from practice and experience.
Communication Skills
You’ll spend more time explaining your designs than creating them. Can you articulate why you made specific decisions? Can you present to stakeholders without dying of anxiety?
Basic Research Skills
You don’t need a PhD in psychology, but you should know how to talk to users, run basic usability tests, and interpret feedback without taking it personally.
Tool Proficiency (But Not Tool Obsession)
Yes, learn Figma. Yes, understand basic prototyping. But don’t stress if you don’t know every single feature of every design tool ever created.
Empathy and Curiosity
Can you put yourself in users’ shoes? Are you genuinely curious about how people interact with digital products? This matters more than any technical skill.
The Skills You Don’t Actually Need (Despite What Job Posts Say)
Advanced Coding
Unless you’re applying for a front-end developer role, you don’t need to be a coding wizard. Understanding HTML/CSS basics? Helpful. Being able to build React components? Probably overkill.
Every Single Design Tool
Master one primary tool (Figma is probably your best bet right now) and you can pick up others as needed. They’re more similar than different.
A Specific Degree
I know designers with psychology degrees, computer science degrees, art degrees, and no degrees at all. What matters is your thinking process and portfolio work.
Years of Experience in Specific Industries
Good UX principles work everywhere. Don’t let “must have B2B SaaS experience” stop you from applying if you understand users and design process.
How to Actually Evaluate UX Designer Requirements
When you’re looking at job posts, here’s how to separate the reasonable requirements from the wishful thinking:
Green Flags:
- Focus on design process and thinking
- Emphasis on portfolio and case studies
- Reasonable tool requirements (1-2 primary tools)
- Mention of collaboration and communication
- Clear distinction between junior, mid, and senior levels
Yellow Flags:
- Long list of required tools
- Industry-specific experience requirements
- Vague requirements like “design thinking”
- Mixed signals about experience level
Red Flags:
- “Entry-level” with years of experience required
- Requirements that span multiple disciplines
- Unrealistic performance metrics
- Copy-paste job descriptions that don’t make sense
The Advice Nobody Asked For
If you’re applying for UX jobs and feeling overwhelmed by all these requirements lists, here’s my unsolicited advice:
Focus on Your Process
Companies hiring good UX designers care more about how you think through problems than which tools you use. Document your design process clearly in your portfolio.
Apply Anyway
Job requirements are wish lists, not deal-breakers. If you meet like 60% of the requirements and the company seems interesting, apply. The worst they can say is no.
Learn the Fundamentals
Instead of trying to learn every tool under the sun, get really good at user research basics, wireframing, and design thinking. These skills transfer everywhere.
Build Real Projects
If you don’t have professional experience, create your own projects. Redesign apps you use, solve problems you actually have, volunteer for nonprofits. Real work beats theoretical knowledge every time.
What This Means for the Industry
I think we’re in a weird transitional period where UX design is still defining itself. Some companies get it, some don’t, and some are just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.
The good news is that the companies with realistic UX designer skills requirements are probably better places to work anyway. They understand what UX design actually involves, which means they’re more likely to support you in doing good work.
The bad news is that there’s still a lot of confusion out there, and it’s making the job search process unnecessarily stressful for everyone.
My Completely Unprofessional Predictions
I think we’ll see job requirements get more realistic over the next few years as companies figure out what they actually need from UX designers. The unicorn designer fantasy is starting to fade as more companies realize that expecting one person to be great at visual design, user research, front-end development, and business strategy is unrealistic.
We’ll probably also see more specialization – UX researchers, interaction designers, visual designers working as teams rather than expecting one person to do everything.
At least, I hope that’s where we’re headed. Because right now, the UX designer requirements landscape is pretty wild, and not necessarily in a good way.
The Bottom Line
Look, if you’re trying to break into UX design or level up your career, don’t let these crazy job requirements discourage you. Most of them are written by people who don’t fully understand what UX designers actually do day-to-day.
Focus on building real skills, creating a strong portfolio, and finding companies that value good design thinking over buzzword bingo. They’re out there, I promise.
And if you see a job post asking for 10+ years of experience with a tool that was launched 3 years ago, just laugh and move on. We’ve all been there.
P.S. – If you’re an HR manager reading this and recognize your own job postings in my “Wait, What?” section, maybe we should talk. I have thoughts.