Is the UX design industry on the verge of saturation?

The overall trend in the user experience industry for 2023 is intriguing, as highlighted in a research report by UX Collective. The report includes critical examinations of the industry, and you can find specific details on http://trends.uxdesign.cc.

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From my perspective, there has been a growing interest in entering or transitioning to the field of interaction design in recent years. According to Hired.com, the interest in UX positions increased by 289% from 2020 to 2021, and Glassdoor ranked UX as one of the top 50 best jobs in the United States.

Since Google launched the UX Certificate program in March 2021, 405K individuals have completed the course and obtained the certificate within a year.

However, in 2022, many companies, both large and small, were laying off employees, and with a considerable number of aspiring junior designers seeking to enter the industry, there have been concerns about market saturation and whether it is still worth pursuing a career in UX. I have also been contemplating how to become a designer who can withstand economic downturns. Personally, I don’t believe that the talent demand in the UX market is already saturated.

While there are many junior designers in the market, there are far fewer senior designers who understand how to effectively manage design teams and utilize design methods flexibly to improve company profitability. Some may think that the entry barrier to UX is low, merely requiring a certificate course, a superficial understanding of design processes, and basic knowledge of tools like Figma, Axure RP. However, in reality, UX designers need strong storytelling, communication, and empathy skills, which are often overlooked as they are considered soft skills.

Furthermore, UX is not a singular job title; it encompasses various roles such as UX designers, UI designers, UX researchers, content designers, UX architects, growth designers, etc. The field is gradually becoming more specialized.

Rather than pondering if the entire UX market is saturated, it is essential to consider which specific aspect of UX might be reaching saturation. Instead, we should focus on enhancing our core competencies, such as acquiring business knowledge to participate in strategic decision-making or learning coding to develop our own designs. Life is often compared to a wilderness, and similarly, an industry is also like a wilderness, requiring individuals to continually explore possibilities and expand the boundaries of the field.