1. Setting design goals for yourself

Design is learned. Practicing and learning by yourself is the only thing that can make you a better designer. But it’s essential to do it efficiently, by setting yourself proper goals.

• Prioritize your goals. There are endless opportunities and choices you can make. It’s easy to get lost in this sea of possibility. You must set a clear vision of what you want to achieve and create an action plan.
• Set challenging goals. Creating a challenge for yourself will help you work more efficiently in time-limited projects.

2. Practice active listening

Learning is essential to successful designers. One of the best ways to learn is to listen. Listening can be divided into two main categories: passive and active. Passive listening occurs when the receiver of the message has little motivation to listen carefully. The receiver might pretend that she’s listening to the message just to look polite.

3. Build storytelling skills

Communication is the most important part of the design process. When you are working on a product, you need to communicate your design decisions in some form. One of the best ways to communicate your thoughts is by using a story. The best designs come from projects where the team really understands the story behind the final product. That’s why storytelling is an essential skill for UX designers. By telling stories you’ll get a better chance to engage your audience.

4. Avoid using jargon

The way you talk to other people is crucial. When you use jargon on a daily basis, you build a bad habit. When other people don’t understand what you’re saying, it creates confusion or misunderstanding. And this habit can have a negative impact on communication both inside your team and with your users:

• Communication problem with other team players. Most people don’t use the technical terms that UX designers use. They haven’t heard of heuristics or cognitive load. That’s why when you talk with not UX peers, it’s much better to use simple words to describe complex things.
• Adding jargon in a product copy. Designers often use jargon in mockups and prototypes. If developers implement copy based on prototypes, users will struggle with UI full of specific terms.

5. Never settle for one idea

Many designers make a mistake of settling with the first idea that comes to mind. If you have only one idea, it’s really hard to say whether it’s a good or bad idea. Thus, always develop a few design ideas for your project. This will give you something to compare and separate the good from the bad.