What is a UX Designer? (And How Their Skills Will ImpactYour Website)I began my professional career at the tail end of 1999, one month before the turn of the Millennium.Let me save you the math -- that's now 15 years, marking 2015 a milestone of sorts.Seems like only yesterday I ditched the pursuit of a Mechanical Engineering degree to transplantmyself in Orlando and focus on Digital Media at Full Sail University. Immediately after graduation, Icaught the wave of the dot-com boom. The first 5 years were wild and fun; the next 10 were morefocused and humbling (mainly self-induced by owning and operating a small business).Over the last 15 years, I've played a role in over 300 different websites -- of all shapes and sizes.That's a large enough sample size I believe to have learned a few things.Here are the top 15 lessons I've learned about designing and marketing websites for clients in thelast 15 years.1. The ideal User Experience is never "done"A website is not "set it and forget it". It should be handled like a garden; something that needsconstant water, sunlight, fertilizer and weeding to produce fruit.There was a time where I thought web design was art -- naively of course. My #1 goal was to perfectevery pixel, and then wipe my hands of it once it went live. Then I realized a businesses' needs growand shift over time, and a website needs to do the same.A website's qualitative and quantitative data is the absolute best learning tool. You find out quicklywhat's working and what's not. You iterate on a design. You measure a marketing campaign. Youimprove your SEO and create new content that matters. Then you repeat.A website is never really done.The ideal UX is not a destination; rather it's a journey.A qualified UX Designer will focus on that "sweet spot" where USER needs and BUSINESS needsoverlap. Is your website meeting both needs?"2. Most things take longer than expected (so plan for it)Designers and developers can sometimes be eternal optimists. We say 10 hours, and it actually takes20. We say Friday, but it's really the following Tuesday.Project milestones are good. Project milestones withmargin are better.The best account and project managers accurately plan and estimate because they understand aconcept that designers and developers overlook.Margin.Sometimes a key feature stumbles upon an unknown. Third-party integrations never go completelysmooth. Website content takes longer than planned. Hard drives die. Someone gets the flu.Having a healthy cushion in a project plan is always necessary. If you don't need it, great, you launchahead of schedule!3. Over-communicate if there's ever a doubt of miscommunicationAssumptions paralyze both a team's efficiency and a client's understanding. I now start to twitchwhen I hear statements like:"I'm pretty sure the client understands our design ideas.""I believe those assets are being sent.""I think everyone knows the project's next steps."My gut then says, "Let's confirm, just to make sure."Whenever I feel that miscommunication has taken place, I over-communicate. It eliminatesassumptions and helps everyone (both my team, and the client) focus on doing the actual work.Project management software, short meetings and sometimes taking 30 seconds to clarify a detailhelps prevent miscommunication4. Audience is always FIRST priorityI painfully remember the days when I designed without considering the people that would actuallybe using the website. I didn't create or utilize audience insights, and I brought my preferences to thedecision-making process.Crazy, right?In his book, The User is Always Right, Steve Mulder says we "Assume that a website's users thinkand act like we do." Successful websites get everything right (e.g. architecture, content, calls toaction) because they've taken the time to understand their audience.Creating website-specific user personas forced (and continues to force) the truth that a client'swebsite is not for me5. Google Search isn't going away40,000 search queries per second. 3.5 billion per day.And it continues to grow.Google owns the search engine market (78%specifically). Once they leaped ahead of Microsoft and Yahoo in the early 2000s, they became ahousehold name. Almost everybody with internet access and a computer "Googles" at least once aday.Though their lack of full transparency and debatable monopoly status rubs some people wrong, Ithink every smart business is taking an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" stance.I'll be captain obvious here. Google is here to stay. Every business trying to sell a product or aservice needs to set the goal of first page of Google or bust.6. Websites, and the marketing of websites is constantly evolvingFive years ago, no one heard of Responsive Web Design.Yet, it's quickly become somewhat of a web standard these days because it ensures a website ismulti-device friendly and provides a single code base for a company to manage.Three years ago, most small to mid-sized businesses had no clue how powerful MarketingAutomation was. Now there's hundreds of companies offering the software and everybody wants tointegrate with it.My point? Web design and marketing is constantly evolving. What works today, may not workhttp://yourlegsarentbroken.tumblr.com/post/125918080606/5-important-tips-to-choose-superior-webdesign in 3 years. What's not available today, is probably right around the corner.Here's my mantra:It's my job to ensure my team, and my clients, keep one foot in the present and one in the future.7. There's always someone smarter than meI was lucky to collaborate with talented and diverse professionals early in my career.Ethan Pitsch, my old partner at Caxiam, consistently exercised my left brainNaveed Usman inspired me to explore new techniques & stylesScott McDowell evangelized the importance of requirementsHank Miller showed how laughter can galvanize a team's moraleJim Connor exhibited approachability (even when you're the smartest guy in the room)Ray Lonsdale opened my eyes to the craft of PhotoshopAlbert Holaso grew my ability to think about design through a coding lenseKaren Leslie articulated the power of clear messaging in communicationsWill Scheuer constantly reminded me that people still use Internet ExplorerDavid Pheobus stretched my UI skills with every mockup I handed himDarren Beyer patiently injected usability into my daily vocabularyMatt Riggsbee extended my CSS knowledge (and bewildered me with his mouse's sensitivity &speed)David Huffaker demonstrated how you brought the pieces of a project togetherThe list could certainly go on.These people forced me to remain humble, and wildly curious those first few years. It was anecessary, and sometimes painful journey.The more expertise Iaccumulate, the more there is to know (img credit: unknown)15 years later and I'm even more cognizant of the importance of humility and curiosity. I've learnedof the risks that come with experience (e.g. closed-minded to new ideas, curse of knowledge).I believe there's always a better way to do something, which strives my insatiable appetite for thebest information from people smarter than me.The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.Socrates8. Vague, undocumented and non-agreed upon specifications can wreck a website (and arelationship)Nothing slows down the process faster than playing the old "we talked about this" game.Not enough documentation is #1 on my list of how a website could blow its budget. Both the clientand the agency will eventually (because it typically rears its ugly head later in the project) be up thatcreek without a paddle.There's a correlation between a website that get launched on time and budget and the amount ofdocumentation completed9. Design trends come and go, but sound strategy & fundamentals do notRemember Flash before Apple crushed it? How about those trendy "Intros"? They were so hot for afew years. (I know because I was paid to create them!)We couldn't click "Skip Intro" fast enough when Flash Introswere trendy. Amirite?But, why? Did they make the user experience better? Were they full of valuable information? Ofcourse not. That's why we all clicked that "Skip Intro" link every time we saw one.Flash intros are a great example of a design trend that flopped. Rarely do you see one these daysunless it sits on a dated website (and we all know outdated websites damage a company'scredibility).Design trends rarely stick around because they're typically rooted in a desire to be popular andavant-garde.Contrarily, a website rooted in sound UX, a documented website strategy, proper usability, andtimeless design fundamentals will always generate a more sustainable website.Striving to win a popularity contest with your website's design will frustrate users & kill conversion.10. We're all figuring out this web design thing togetherI consider myself a web design and inbound marketing professional. But honestly, I still feel like I'mfiguring things out as I go along.Maybe it's because the profession of designing and marketing websites has only been around forabout 20 years. Though the first website launched in 1991, people didn't start diving in until themid-1990s.There would be a dramatic difference in the length of existence if you compared web design to otherdesign industries. Architecture, for example, has been around since the Roman Empire. Industrialdesign got its start in the mid 18th century.Compared to other design industries, such as architecture, web design is still in infancy (img credit:Wikipedia)Even after 15 years, there's still so much to learn. Partially because websites are still evolving (see#6 on this list), and partially because it's still young -- relatively speaking.11. Put Content First (because it's the heart & soul of a website)I've run the gamut. With the correct structure, you could make your current site a lot moremeaningful and also visitors can easily quickly view the layout involving your web property. a well-structured web site will look much more appealing to users, and can also be perfect in the SEOangle. of the web design process.I've pushed pixels and wrote HTML. I've structured sitemaps and designed wireframes. I'veresearched keywords and customized Google Analytics reports.Because I've played every role of building a website (sans custom programming), I now have theluxury of seeing the value of each.Circa 2001 when headphones, a new CD and designing UI was my sole focusThough every element is important, words, the actual words on the website, are the most importantelement. It only took me a decade to figure it out.Content was always an afterthought until I started helping clients market their websites andimprove conversion. Putting "content first" means that I start discussions early in the process. Istress its importance. I use wireframing to plan better content. Your site is the hub regarding yourweb business; it is the virtual representation of one's company whether or perhaps not the businessexists actually or perhaps not. When you're performing business online, people cannot notice anindividual bodily like how they can if these folks were dealing having an offline company. Hence,folks do judge you simply by your own covers. I don't let clients get away with "We'll just have somecontent here" during planning. I labor over verbiage on calls to action.Content. Is. Still. King.12. Always be preparedIt was 2006, and we just landed our first International client.I was on my way to the Bahamas to finalize website specifications with their team of engineers ineffort to create an accurate proposal and eventually kick off the revamp of my-BEC.com.The Bahamas Electricity Corporation is a 50+ year organization and provides power to 85% of thenation. This was big. I was on a mission to clear up some hazy requirements.Once I arrived at the BEC facility, Robert (the appointed project manager), walked me down thislong corridor towards two beautiful mahogany double doors. We stopped at the entrance, and ourcasual banter turned serious.Robert then said to me...Eric, the executive team wants to meet you. They're looking for a presentation.As if it were scripted, the double doors swing open, and I see this...I had no handouts. I had no laptop. I had no presentation. I had nothing.I about threw up.Luckily, I maneuvered my way through it. The makeshift presentation was only 15 minutes, but itwas the most grueling quarter of an hour of my professional career. I eventually met with theengineers, fleshed out 40 pages of requirements in two days, created the proposal and we won theproject.I made myself a promise that day. Always be prepared. Expect the unexpected. You never know whatkind of room you're walking into.13. A snappy User Experience beats a glamorous oneWhy?For the simple reason that "people engage more with a site when they can move freely and focus onthe content instead of on their endless wait". (see study)Diagnosing speed issues is much easier today with tools like Google'sPageSpeed InsightsSpeed matters.40% of people will abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Even slow websiteinteractions create abandonment such as:clunky drop down menusdelayed user feedback (e.g. "Added to Cart!")sluggish animationsGoogle's products (e.g. Search, Gmail, Docs) are not overly glamorous, even after Larry Pagerevolutionized their design approach in 2001. But, this non-sexy approach works, obviously.Call this methodology "Google-inspired," "Web 2.0" or whatever you want -- everyone appreciates aspeedy website. If I don't put an emphasis on a snappy UX for my clients, I'm not doing my job.14. SEO is a Science AND an ArtThere was a time where I thought search engine optimization was only scientific. Do some keywordresearch, plug them into your content, watch rankings soar.The best SEO infographics highlight the new thinking of today'sSEOUm, not so much.SEO is more than just research, numbers, and analytics.Search engine optimization also takes a creative mind to be successful. How do keywords getorganized within a site's architecture? How do we write valuable content that robots understand,and people love? How do we ensure optimal UX? (since UX is now a mobile ranking factor).When companies seek to answer these multi-dimensional questions, they start to see the results thatSEO promises.With years of repetition and a commitment to learning, I now fully understand that SEO takes a leftand right brain approach.15. Writing makes me a better expertI started casually blogging professionally in 2010. I became serious in 2012, and now I commitmyself to at least 2,000 words a month.I didn't know this initially, but writing blogs has made me a better professional.Writing helps me in 5 ways:Forces me to research best practicesClears out the cobwebs around website-related strategies & tacticsSolidifies my position on certain polarizing topics (like why a brochure website doesn't workanymore)Exercises my creative musclesImproves my problem-solving abilityWhat will the next 15 years teach me?Web 4.0? A new search engine? Augmented reality? (like you'd see in Minority Report or Ironman)Whatever awaits us website and marketing professionals, I know we'll be ready.Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.