Specialists, generalists, and T-shaped designers

 

Hello everyone, today we'll explain 

the differences between

generalists

, 

specialists

, and

T-shaped

roles in UX design.

1. A generalist is a UX designer 
   with a broad number of responsibilities. 
   For example, you might 
   do a bit of interaction design work, 
   a bit of visual design work, and more. 
   One benefit of being a generalist 
   is that you get to try out 
   roles and find a specialty that you're passionate about. 
   Generalist UX designers are common 
   at smaller companies with fewer employees, 
   as these companies don't have big design departments.
2. A specialist dives deep into 

   one particular UX design role, 

   like interaction, visual, or motion design. 

   While a generalist has a breadth of knowledge, 

   a specialist has more depth of 

   knowledge in one kind of UX design. 

   Specialists usually work at large companies where 

   the organization can afford to have 

   a big team of UX designers.
3. A T-shaped designer specializes in one kind of 

   UX design and has a breadth of knowledge in other areas. 

   This is called a T-shaped designer because 

   your skills look like an uppercase T. 

   The vertical line of the T is 

   the kind of UX design you specialize in, like visual design. 

   The horizontal line across the top of 

   the T includes your complementary skills. 

   These skills might come from 

   other fields, like interaction design, 

   that crossover with your specialties or 

   soft skills that help you work more effectively.  

The more experience you get in the industry, 

the broader your perspective. 

You'll be exposed to a lot of different companies, 

design principles, and work styles, 

and you'll learn how each one 

can better inform your designs. 

As a UX designer, 

there's always room to grow and opportunities for change. 

Whether you become a generalist or specialist, 

there are plenty of options.