Difference between Specialists, generalists, and T shaped designers
Hi again. So far, we've learned about some of the tasks an entry-level UX designer might do each day. We've also mentioned that your role might differ depending on where you work. In this video, we'll explain the differences between generalists, specialists, and T-shaped
roles in UX design. A generalist is a UX designer with a broad number of responsibilities. Most UX designers begin their careers this way, doing various tasks. 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. You might have to wear many hats. A generalist might be responsible for a combination of user research, branding, user flows, UX writing, visual design, prototyping, production design, information architecture, and usability testing, among other things. Most generalists start their roles knowing about one or
two of these topics. They learn about other areas on the job from their colleagues or mentors. UX generalists can also continue their education through professional development, doing their own research to keep up with industry trends, and participating in online UX communities to learn from other designers. On the other hand, if you become really interested in one
part of UX design, you might find your niche as a specialist. 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. At Google, we have thousands of specialized UX designers. Take me, for example. I specialize in interaction design. We covered some specialist tracks earlier in the course. If you need a refresher, check out the glossary. As you advance in your career, you may become a T-shaped designer. 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 cross over with your specialties or soft skills that help you
work more effectively. Becoming a specialist or generalist isn't always
a conscious choice. It might be based entirely on where you work and what skills are needed. When I started in UX design, I was a motion graphics designer. Then I worked on video games, apps for businesses, and apps
about financial technology. Now that I work at Google, I focus on privacy as an
interaction designer. 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.