Stage 1 · Lesson 5 of 6
Who does what on a product team
Job titles vary, but the work is similar across companies. own flows and screens, from research through to handoff. UX researchers plan and run studies, mostly in larger teams.
UI or visual designers focus on the look and on the . or UX writers own the words on screen. Design engineers are often frontend developers with a strong eye for design, and they build components and in code.
own the problem and the priorities. Engineers own how it gets built. Knowing this tells you who to ask, and which path in this roadmap fits you.
Smaller companies and startups combine roles. A junior designer may do both research and UI, and a developer may be the only designer.
Common trapchoosing a title from job boards without reading what the role actually does.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock
Resources for this stage
Start with· follow one of these
- GuideFreeInteraction Design Foundation (IxDF) Free Articles
Interaction Design Foundation · Beginner
Free articles on every step of the design process, written for beginners
- CoursePaidGoogle UX Design Professional Certificate
Google (Coursera) · Beginner · $49/month on Coursera (US and Canada)
A paid, structured course if you want deadlines and three portfolio projects; the free articles cover the same ideas
Keep handy
Also worth your time
A clear overview of the stages of a human-centred process, with the common misunderstandings
- Nielsen Norman Group ArticlesGo deeper
The largest free archive of research-backed UX articles; search it whenever a topic here raises a question