August 30, 2025
Mentoring
The skillset matrix for product designers
Okay, Okay, ChatGPT, which skills do I need to have with 3 years of experience in UX/UI design?
Yes, this tool will give you advice, but it doesn’t take into account your specific strengths, talents, team, or the company you work for. Instead, it provides a standard set of skills to aim for.
But the real question is: what do you actually do with them?
Hi! I’m Alina, a Senior UX/UI Designer, and this article is about a small experiment of mine — how a blank page, anxious thoughts, and burnout at work unexpectedly shifted my perspective on creativity.
Why a skillset matrix?
When I started out, I constantly wondered: What should I learn next? Should I master research methods, get deeper into interaction design, or sharpen my visual design skills? The truth is, there’s no single answer — it depends on your role, company, and product.
But what really helped me was mapping out the core skill areas and understanding how they interconnect. This matrix isn’t about being perfect in everything — it’s about building awareness of your strengths and gaps.
My experience
Personally, I noticed early in my career that I was strong in visual design but struggled with research and business strategy. Over time, I intentionally leaned into those weaker areas, shadowing researchers, joining product meetings, and asking “why” more often than “how.”
For example, in one project, I joined a stakeholder meeting where the team debated whether to invest in building a new onboarding flow. Instead of just sketching screens, I prepared by reviewing drop-off analytics and feedback from customer support. When I presented, I explained how simplifying the flow could reduce churn in the first week, which directly tied to our retention metric.
That was the moment I saw how design decisions could influence business outcomes.
What skills are crucial at each designer level?
Based on the Skillset Matrix, here’s how the progression looks:
- Junior DesignersAt this stage, the focus is on building a solid base. Juniors should understand usability heuristics, basic research methods, and essential UI principles. They are not expected to be experts yet but must know enough to contribute to team projects and learn from feedback.
- Middle DesignersMiddles are expected to go beyond execution. They should handle more complex UX methods like data analysis, competitor research, and information architecture at a good level. Their role expands into solving problems independently, refining interaction design, and ensuring smooth collaboration with developers and PMs.
- Senior DesignersSeniors move into expertise. They influence decisions. Strong skills in stakeholder interviews, prototyping, and business awareness become essential. A senior must connect design to measurable outcomes, mentor juniors, and bring clarity in ambiguous situations.
- Lead DesignersLeads focus on vision and systems. They should be experts across most skill areas, from design systems to strategy and communication. Their key responsibility is not only to deliver design quality but also to align design with company goals, guide the team, and represent design at the leadership table.
Skillset matrix
Open full skillset matrix
Be aware, be bold, and be a critical thinker. This matrix is only an additional tool — it can highlight your strong sides and point to the areas where you might want to grow, but it will never define you as a designer.
Your career path isn’t a straight line, and it shouldn’t be dictated only by frameworks. Some of your most valuable skills may not even appear in this matrix — things like intuition, storytelling, or the ability to rally a team around an idea. Those strengths are just as important as technical expertise.
My advice as a senior designer is to use the matrix as a mirror, not a map. Reflect on where you stand today, but don’t feel limited by it. Be brave enough to specialize where your talent shines, and curious enough to explore areas outside your comfort zone.
In the end, what sets you apart is not how many boxes you tick but how you connect your skills to real problems, real people, and real business outcomes.
@ Alina Verzhykivska 2025 | 0.26 CO2 per load
August 30, 2025
Mentoring
The skillset matrix for product designers
Okay, Okay, ChatGPT, which skills do I need to have with 3 years of experience in UX/UI design?
Yes, this tool will give you advice, but it doesn’t take into account your specific strengths, talents, team, or the company you work for. Instead, it provides a standard set of skills to aim for.
But the real question is: what do you actually do with them?
Hi! I’m Alina, a Senior UX/UI Designer, and this article is about a small experiment of mine — how a blank page, anxious thoughts, and burnout at work unexpectedly shifted my perspective on creativity.
Why a skillset matrix?
When I started out, I constantly wondered: What should I learn next? Should I master research methods, get deeper into interaction design, or sharpen my visual design skills? The truth is, there’s no single answer — it depends on your role, company, and product.
But what really helped me was mapping out the core skill areas and understanding how they interconnect. This matrix isn’t about being perfect in everything — it’s about building awareness of your strengths and gaps.
My experience
Personally, I noticed early in my career that I was strong in visual design but struggled with research and business strategy. Over time, I intentionally leaned into those weaker areas, shadowing researchers, joining product meetings, and asking “why” more often than “how.”
For example, in one project, I joined a stakeholder meeting where the team debated whether to invest in building a new onboarding flow. Instead of just sketching screens, I prepared by reviewing drop-off analytics and feedback from customer support. When I presented, I explained how simplifying the flow could reduce churn in the first week, which directly tied to our retention metric.
That was the moment I saw how design decisions could influence business outcomes.
What skills are crucial at each designer level?
Based on the Skillset Matrix, here’s how the progression looks:
- Junior DesignersAt this stage, the focus is on building a solid base. Juniors should understand usability heuristics, basic research methods, and essential UI principles. They are not expected to be experts yet but must know enough to contribute to team projects and learn from feedback.
- Middle DesignersMiddles are expected to go beyond execution. They should handle more complex UX methods like data analysis, competitor research, and information architecture at a good level. Their role expands into solving problems independently, refining interaction design, and ensuring smooth collaboration with developers and PMs.
- Senior DesignersSeniors move into expertise. They influence decisions. Strong skills in stakeholder interviews, prototyping, and business awareness become essential. A senior must connect design to measurable outcomes, mentor juniors, and bring clarity in ambiguous situations.
- Lead DesignersLeads focus on vision and systems. They should be experts across most skill areas, from design systems to strategy and communication. Their key responsibility is not only to deliver design quality but also to align design with company goals, guide the team, and represent design at the leadership table.
Skillset matrix
Open full skillset matrix
Be aware, be bold, and be a critical thinker. This matrix is only an additional tool — it can highlight your strong sides and point to the areas where you might want to grow, but it will never define you as a designer.
Your career path isn’t a straight line, and it shouldn’t be dictated only by frameworks. Some of your most valuable skills may not even appear in this matrix — things like intuition, storytelling, or the ability to rally a team around an idea. Those strengths are just as important as technical expertise.
My advice as a senior designer is to use the matrix as a mirror, not a map. Reflect on where you stand today, but don’t feel limited by it. Be brave enough to specialize where your talent shines, and curious enough to explore areas outside your comfort zone.
In the end, what sets you apart is not how many boxes you tick but how you connect your skills to real problems, real people, and real business outcomes.
@ Alina Verzhykivska 2025 | 0.26 CO2 per load
August 30, 2025
Mentoring
The skillset matrix for product designers
Okay, Okay, ChatGPT, which skills do I need to have with 3 years of experience in UX/UI design?
Yes, this tool will give you advice, but it doesn’t take into account your specific strengths, talents, team, or the company you work for. Instead, it provides a standard set of skills to aim for.
But the real question is: what do you actually do with them?
Hi! I’m Alina, a Senior UX/UI Designer. In this article, I want to share the skillset matrix I’ve developed based on my experience and collaboration with diverse, multicultural teams.
Why a skillset matrix?
When I started out, I constantly wondered: What should I learn next? Should I master research methods, get deeper into interaction design, or sharpen my visual design skills? The truth is, there’s no single answer — it depends on your role, company, and product.
But what really helped me was mapping out the core skill areas and understanding how they interconnect. This matrix isn’t about being perfect in everything — it’s about building awareness of your strengths and gaps.
My experience
Personally, I noticed early in my career that I was strong in visual design but struggled with research and business strategy. Over time, I intentionally leaned into those weaker areas, shadowing researchers, joining product meetings, and asking “why” more often than “how.”
For example, in one project, I joined a stakeholder meeting where the team debated whether to invest in building a new onboarding flow. Instead of just sketching screens, I prepared by reviewing drop-off analytics and feedback from customer support. When I presented, I explained how simplifying the flow could reduce churn in the first week, which directly tied to our retention metric.
That was the moment I saw how design decisions could influence business outcomes.
What skills are crucial at each designer level?
Based on the Skillset Matrix, here’s how the progression looks:
- Junior DesignersAt this stage, the focus is on building a solid base. Juniors should understand usability heuristics, basic research methods, and essential UI principles. They are not expected to be experts yet but must know enough to contribute to team projects and learn from feedback.
- Middle DesignersMiddles are expected to go beyond execution. They should handle more complex UX methods like data analysis, competitor research, and information architecture at a good level. Their role expands into solving problems independently, refining interaction design, and ensuring smooth collaboration with developers and PMs.
- Senior DesignersSeniors move into expertise. They influence decisions. Strong skills in stakeholder interviews, prototyping, and business awareness become essential. A senior must connect design to measurable outcomes, mentor juniors, and bring clarity in ambiguous situations.
- Lead DesignersLeads focus on vision and systems. They should be experts across most skill areas, from design systems to strategy and communication. Their key responsibility is not only to deliver design quality but also to align design with company goals, guide the team, and represent design at the leadership table.
Skillset matrix
Open full skillset matrix
Be aware, be bold, and be a critical thinker. This matrix is only an additional tool — it can highlight your strong sides and point to the areas where you might want to grow, but it will never define you as a designer.
Your career path isn’t a straight line, and it shouldn’t be dictated only by frameworks. Some of your most valuable skills may not even appear in this matrix — things like intuition, storytelling, or the ability to rally a team around an idea. Those strengths are just as important as technical expertise.
My advice as a senior designer is to use the matrix as a mirror, not a map. Reflect on where you stand today, but don’t feel limited by it. Be brave enough to specialize where your talent shines, and curious enough to explore areas outside your comfort zone.
In the end, what sets you apart is not how many boxes you tick but how you connect your skills to real problems, real people, and real business outcomes.
@ Alina Verzhykivska 2025 | 0.26 CO2 per load