3 reasons why AI will make UX designers to learn programming by 2025;
Programming is not my favorite knowledge field. But the more i read about the field and how our society is heavily reliant on technologies, it is no surprise in the next 5 years, UX designers will need to not only know how to code but also learn how to program in order to create and design digital products.
But why? because AI (Artificial Intelligence) development and its impact on ability to learn from their mistakes through machine learning, we are forced to change and adapt in the needs of changing market constantly. In my personal opinion, I think we won’t lose our jobs simply because AI will be more better than us, but we need to learn how to interact with AI tools and thus programming come in handy to even for designers for their future competencies.
Quick terminologies:
To briefly define programming ‘’it generally involves not only coding but also other tasks, such as analyzing and implementing algorithms, understanding data structures, solving problems, and more. Programmers are typically technically-minded and have strong analytical skills’’ (Julian Krinsky).
In regards to AI ‘’is an area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans (Techopedia).
Considering that UX Designers are high in demand on the expanding tech market, here are 3 reasons proposing why UX Designers should learn programming by 2025.
1. UX Designers will need to diversify
User experience designers are among the most in-demand designers working today. So how could their jobs need to diversify?
Working in different industries and in a fast-paced changing environment of technology, the role of a UX Designer and the requirements for the job change continuously, as well. This broad and apparently muddled field might divide into more specialized sections, according to experts.
Which is the reason why learning programming will be a key tool to adjust to AI markets and how many of our products will be incorporated with AI software and UX designers will need to know how to use them and create products and design them too.
Quick tips on program languages you can learn: C, Java, JavaScript, C++ and Python.
2. Virtual Interaction Design also need programming to design
If not called as UX designer, the alternative terminology for new name can be considered as Virtual Interaction designer. As mentioned previously, diversification will highly likely happen and VID (Virtual interaction Design) is a very promising opportunity to grow ourselves in the next 5 or more years.
It is estimated that virtual and augmented reality is set to become a $150 billion industry by 2020 (techcrunch), disrupting everything from health care to architecture.
According to UT Austin’s Doreen Lorenzo, ‘’as more and more products become completely virtual–from chatbots to 3D projections to immersive environments–we’ll look to a new generation of virtual interaction designers to create experiences driven by conversation, gesture, and light.”
In order to join in as Virtual interaction designer, you need to know how to use programming languages such as C++ C# which is relatively less program to learn and it is also possible that you may not need to be a programmer but at least a coder equivalent skills to suit for this opportunity.
Quick tips on program languages you can learn: C++, C#
3. Algorithmic/AI Design only need Python
Algorithmic/AI Design is going to be another next big roles within design industries. For designers who would like to specialize in AI designs must know how to apply algorithmic driven design works and understand the machine learning to co-create future products together.
The good news is that we may not need to learn so many programming languages to do the job. If we are familiar with Python, it is for now sufficient qualification to work within AI design market and no need to stress about ‘’What is UX and how do you define it exactly?’’ anymore.
Quick tips on program languages you can learn: Python
Summarizing this article
For UX designers, it is both terrifying and exciting to realize that many things will change and we can’t stop the change if it is going to happen. What we can prevent is to not let our fear stop us from adapting to new knowledge and skills and continue the principles and mindset to stay constant but only to extend our ability to design products with more tools in our hands.
