Written by Yegor Tsynkevich

由Yegor Tsynkevich撰寫

The more companies understand the power of a great user experience design and its impact on customer loyalty, the more they are willing to have it embedded in their culture. With so much emphasis on the user today, there are plenty of career opportunities for UX professionals. An extremely diverse cohort of companies and teams are looking to seize top UX talent.

公司越了解出色的用戶體驗設計的力量及其對客戶忠誠度的影響，他們就越愿意將其融入其文化。 當今用戶非常重視，UX專業人員有很多職業機會。 眾多不同的公司和團隊正在尋求抓住一流的UX人才。

Choosing between dedicating your professional self to working for a design agency or a corporate company is a big deal. Just think about how different the design roles for UXers in an agency and corporate can be in terms of the environment, working culture, team size, responsibilities and the impact of final deliverables.

在奉獻自己的專業知識為設計機構或公司工作之間做出選擇是一件大事。 只需考慮一下機構和公司中UXer的設計角色在環境，工作文化，團隊規模，職責和最終交付成果的影響方面有何不同。

In this piece, I will try to highlight major perks and pitfalls of a UX designer’s life in a corporate environment in comparison to that within a design agency. Before diving into the topic, let me just say that obviously there are no universal truths in this area and what one views as a pro or con highly depends on personal needs, goals, character and career expectations.

在本篇文章中，我將嘗試強調與設計機構內部相比，UX設計師在公司環境中的生活的主要好處和陷阱。 在深入探討該主題之前，我只想說一下，在這一領域顯然沒有普遍真理，一個人贊成還是反對的觀點在很大程度上取決于個人需求，目標，性格和職業期望。

That being said, this article aims to give a non-final list of things to think about for someone who is deciding whether to go with a UX design role in a big company or to work for an agency.

話雖這么說，本文旨在為那些決定要在大公司中擔任UX設計角色還是為代理機構工作的人提供一個非最終的清單。

企業設計 (Corporate Design)

Many organizations today are trying to win a design battle to stay relevant. In addition to this, recent trends show that more and more midsize and large product companies are gaining their momentum. However, like in any corporate environment, being a part of a large organization comes not only with perks but also with challenges.

如今，許多組織都試圖贏得一場設計競賽，以保持相關性。 除此之外，最近的趨勢表明，越來越多的中型和大型產品公司正在發展勢頭。 但是，就像在任何公司環境中一樣，成為大型組織的一員不僅帶來特權，還帶來挑戰。

優勢＃1：深入的產品和品牌知識 (Perk #1: Deep product and brand knowledge)

In-house UX designers have the opportunity to dive in a single brand and truly invest themselves into each project from the start to the finish. Participating in a conversation early on, designers are able to get a valuable insight that allows them to truly nurture product execution. When designers work on a specific product long term, they are able to witness its growth and development over time.

內部UX設計師有機會潛入一個品牌，從頭到尾真正投入到每個項目中。 盡早參與對話，設計師能夠獲得寶貴的見解，使他們能夠真正培養產品執行力。 當設計師長期致力于特定產品時，他們能夠見證其隨著時間的增長和發展。

Pitfall: Focus on design within one brand and/or product

陷阱：專注于一個品牌和/或產品中的設計

Very often in-house teams are dedicated to working on a single product within a brand. For many creatives, this limited work variation opportunity represents a real challenge that may lead to creative stagnation. At the same time, I feel I need to mention that being responsible for the design of one product over a long period of time requires a real talent and creative commitment.

內部團隊通常致力于在品牌中的單個產品上工作。 對于許多創意者來說，這種有限的工作變化機會代表著一個實際的挑戰，可能會導致創意停滯。 同時，我覺得我需要提及的是，長期負責一種產品的設計需要真正的才能和創造力。

技能2：技能專長 (Perk #2: Skill Specialization)

Compared to most agencies, design departments in large companies are usually specialist in nature, being perfect for those who would like to grow their expertise in a particular part of the design field. Instead of going wide in their skillset, designers focus on perfecting their talents in one part of the design process.

與大多數代理機構相比，大型公司的設計部門通常是自然界中的專家，非常適合那些希望在設計領域的特定領域中增加專業知識的人。 設計師沒有在技能上進行擴展，而是專注于在設計過程的一部分中完善其才能。

Pitfall: Narrow skillset

陷阱：狹窄的技能

On the other hand, despite the tendency to have specialized design forces, companies highly value when their design professionals have a wider knowledge of the design field because they see this as a precious asset. In this case, being an expert in one narrow area and fully devoting oneself to it could be seen as a drawback. Taking into account the pace at which digital design is developing today, user experience designers have to balance their skillset at the intersection of many areas (for example user research, information architecture, visual design, etc.) in order to stay relevant with their work.

另一方面，盡管傾向于具有專門的設計力量，但當公司的設計專業人員對設計領域有更廣泛的了解時，公司卻會高度重視，因為他們將其視為寶貴的資產。 在這種情況下，成為一個狹窄領域的專家并全力以赴是一種缺點。 考慮到當今數字設計的發展速度，用戶體驗設計師必須在許多領域(例如， 用戶研究 ，信息體系結構， 視覺設計等)的交集處平衡技能，以與工作保持緊密聯系。 。

特權3：結構化的工作流程和已建立的流程 (Perk #3: Structured workflow and established processes)

In mature and large organizations, workflow processes are in place and well-defined, which makes the design expectations clearer and easier to follow. Besides, with more structured processes comes more defined managerial structure with assigned supervisors or even mentors to learn from and grow.

在成熟的大型組織中，工作流流程到位且定義明確，這使設計期望更清晰，更易于遵循。 此外，隨著結構化的流程的發展，管理結構的定義也更加明確，指定的主管甚至指導者可以向他們學習和發展。

Pitfall : Corporate red tape

陷阱：企業繁文tape節

The environment inside larger companies tends to be more bureaucratic and less flexible. Starting from endless meetings, rigid brand guidelines and communication standards to conservative mindset on experimentation with ideas and design strategies, UX designers often struggle to push their ideas through and introduce something new into their routine work.

大型公司內部的環境往往更加官僚化，缺乏靈活性。 從無休止的會議，嚴格的品牌準則和溝通標準，到對思想和設計策略進行試驗的保守態度，UX設計師經常會努力將其思想發揚光大，并在日常工作中引入新的內容。

特權＃4：穩定性 (Perk #4: Stability)

Let us put it this way — large companies with established reputation are likely to stay here for a while. The work life within these organizations tends to be more balanced, with more predictable cycles of work and standard working hours. In terms of payroll and other benefits, large companies have multiple social perks, starting from medical care and additional vacation time to education reimbursements and annual bonuses.

讓我們這樣說吧-享有聲譽的大公司很可能會在這里待一段時間。 這些組織內的工作生活趨于更加平衡，工作周期和標準工作時間更加可預測。 在工資和其他福利方面，大公司有多種社會福利，從醫療保健和額外的休假時間開始，到教育報銷和年度獎金。

Pitfall: Challenge of staying inspired and motivated

陷阱：保持靈感和動力的挑戰

Unless it is a company with design thinking culture, where the innovative spirit can be enjoyed together with the benefits of working for a large company, the lack of variety in work can truly undermine motivation of some UX designers. No one wants to sit for hours and do the same work or to be on the same project for years. In the end, it gets tedious and unchallenging. One of the ways for creatives to overcome this drawback and maintain their creative forces is to adopt a continuous proactive “seek-out” attitude and search for the ways to improve products, processes and procedures they are a part of.

除非這是一家具有設計思維文化的公司，在這種公司中可以享受創新精神以及為一家大公司工作的好處，否則工作的多樣性會真正破壞一些UX設計師的動力。 沒有人想坐幾個小時做同樣的工作，或者想多年從事同一項目。 最后，它變得乏味且無挑戰性。 創意者克服這一缺點并保持其創造力的一種方法是采取持續主動的“尋求”態度，并尋求改善其所參與的產品，過程和程序的方法。

特權5：跨團隊合作 (Perk #5: Cross-team collaboration)

One of the most rewarding thing in working as an in-house designer is the possibility to directly collaborate with people from various disciplines across one company and learn from the top professionals in other fields. This on-the-ground collaboration is equally important to streamline feedback and approval times as well as to help designers to find support in pushing their ideas forward.

內部設計師工作中最有意義的事情之一就是可以直接與一家公司的各個領域的人合作，并向其他領域的頂尖專業人士學習。 這種現場協作對于簡化反饋和批準時間以及幫助設計人員在推動其創意方面尋求支持同樣重要。

Pitfall: Corporate politics

陷阱：企業政治

Getting used to the corporate mindset and politics is a struggle for many creatives. At the same time, if one does not embrace it and learn the art of corporate diplomacy and how to navigate dodgy internal politics, one can get really frustrated and disengaged along the way. Understanding the corporate mindset and working around it is essential for success within the corporate environment.

適應公司的思維方式和政治狀況對于許多創意者來說都是一場斗爭。 同時，如果一個人不接受它，而是學習公司外交的技巧以及如何駕馭狡猾的內部政治，那么一路上就會感到沮喪和脫離。 了解公司的心態并加以解決對于在公司環境中取得成功至關重要。

代理商設計 (Agency Design)

Unlike corporate companies, agencies tend to be smaller. Depending on the clients and industries served, they could be strong UX generalists or have a particular UX design specialization. Here is an overview of the pros and cons of working for a design agency.

與公司不同，代理機構往往較小。 根據所服務的客戶和行業，他們可能是強大的UX通才，或者具有特定的UX設計專業知識。 這是為設計機構工作的利弊的概述。

特權＃1：各種各樣的項目 (Perk #1: Wide variety of projects)

The best part of working at an agency is the variety of projects one gets to work on. In comparison to one-product companies, working for an agency is a great way to expose oneself to a variety of UX design challenges in various industries and greatly enrich one’s professional experience.

在代理機構中工作的最好部分是可以從事的各種項目。 與單一產品公司相比，在代理機構工作是使自己面對各種行業中各種UX設計挑戰并極大地豐富其專業經驗的絕佳方式。

Pitfall: Lack of long-term influence

陷阱：缺乏長期影響

One of the major drawbacks is that you cannot influence what you are working on in the long run unless an agency you are working for is set up to offer extra services that facilitate a long-term project’s success.

主要缺點之一是，除非為您工作的代理機構設置為提供有助于長期項目成功的額外服務，否則從長遠來看，您無法影響自己的工作。

特權2：創意多樣性 (Perk #2: Creative diversity)

Generally speaking, agencies are more flexible in terms of trying new technologies, tools and design strategies to help their clients reach their design objectives. Such flexibility creates a constant flow of new creative opportunities for designers to expand their skillsets and go beyond expected design frameworks.

一般而言，代理商在嘗試新技術，工具和設計策略以幫助其客戶達到其設計目標方面更加靈活。 這種靈活性為設計人員提供了不斷的新的創造機會，以擴展他們的技能范圍并超越預期的設計框架。

Pitfall: Short-term deadline-driven culture

陷阱：短期期限驅動的文化

Creative flexibility is one of the positive and most important aspects of solving design problems. However, it is essential to stay focused and deadline-oriented, as thriving on accomplishments and observing project deadlines provides structure, based on which success is measured and reputation is built.

創新的靈活性是解決設計問題的積極且最重要的方面之一。 但是，至關重要的是要保持專注和以截止日期為導向，因為成就的蓬勃發展和遵守項目截止日期可提供結構，以此為基礎衡量成功和建立聲譽。

特權3：與客戶直接溝通 (Perk #3: Direct communication with clients)

Direct communication with clients is a great way to expand your professional network, build connections and develop relationships that eventually may lead to long-term engagement and multiple projects.

與客戶的直接溝通是擴展專業網絡，建立聯系并建立關系的好方法，最終可能導致長期的參與和多個項目。

Pitfall: Quick client turnover and bad clients from time to time

陷阱：快速的客戶周轉和不時的不良客戶

Sometimes clients can be indecisive and demanding, continuously asking for alterations. This means that you really need to be patient and ready to accept criticism. Another drawback is that sometimes after accepting your work, clients will change or ruin it, ignoring your suggestions.

有時，客戶可能會優柔寡斷，要求苛刻，不斷要求更改。 這意味著您確實需要耐心并準備接受批評。 另一個缺點是，有時接受您的工作后，客戶會更改或破壞它，而忽略了您的建議。

特權4：與各種各樣的客戶同時工作 (Perk #4: Simultaneous work with an assortment of clients)

It is not an uncommon practice for agency designer to work on various projects simultaneously, interacting directly with clients. One of the advantages it offers is the opportunity to build connections and to develop the skill of good communication and collaboration with external teams on a short-term basis.

對于代理設計人員來說，同時與多個客戶直接進行各種項目同時工作并不罕見。 它提供的優勢之一是有機會建立聯系，并在短期內發展與外部團隊的良好溝通和協作技能。

Pitfall: Need for high adaptability and high-speed creative performance

陷阱：需要高適應性和高速創意表現

The high client turnover can have a negative side as well. Due to the short-term engagement with clients, UX designers need to quickly adapt to new clients, understand their needs and instantly dive into the design challenge the client is trying to solve, efficiently utilizing time. This could be stressful and exhausting for those who are more introverted.

高客戶流失率也會帶來負面影響。 由于與客戶的短期合作，UX設計人員需要快速適應新客戶，了解他們的需求，并立即投入客戶正在嘗試解決的設計挑戰中，從而有效地利用時間。 對于那些內向的人來說，這可能會讓人感到壓力和筋疲力盡。

特權5：更多機會擴展可轉讓技能 (Perk #5: More opportunities to expand transferable skills)

Beside creative diversity and flexibility, work for a design agency also offers a great way for UX professionals to improve their “portable skills”, such as the ability to persuade the client on the relevance of the design choices and to demonstrate the business value of the design solutions.

除了創意的多樣性和靈活性之外，為設計機構工作還為UX專業人士提供了一種絕佳的方式來提高UX專業人員的“便攜式技能”，例如說服客戶注意設計選擇的相關性并展示其業務價值的能力。設計解決方案。

Pitfall: More personal responsibility

陷阱：更多的個人責任

More creative freedom goes hand in hand with more personal responsibility. At an agency, it is nearly impossible not to notice a job well-done or failed. Therefore, UXers need to be more focused and dedicated to their work to avoid letting down their team in front of the client.

更多的創作自由與更多的個人責任并駕齊驅。 在一家代理商，幾乎不可能不注意到一項工作做得很好或失敗了。 因此，UXer需要更加專注和專注于他們的工作，以避免在客戶面前放任其團隊。

結論 (Conclusion)

Just like in any workplace, there are pros and cons to each particular design work environment. Depending on whether you value structure or creative flexibility, there are many ways to keep your job interesting and advance your career. Do not let preconceived expectations about particular work environment hamper your experience. No matter what your personal work preference may be, with an open mind, a proactive attitude and a willingness to work hard to execute your creative ideas, you will be able to develop your creative potential and succeed in any environment.

就像在任何工作場所一樣，每種特定的設計工作環境也各有利弊。 根據您是重視結構還是創意靈活性，有很多方法可以使您的工作變得有趣并促進職業發展。 不要讓對特定工作環境的先入為主的期望妨礙您的體驗。 無論您的個人工作偏好是什么，只要擁有開放的胸懷，積極進取的態度和愿意努力工作以執行創意的意愿，您都將能夠發揮自己的創造潛能并在任何環境下取得成功。

想了解更多？ (Want to learn more?)

Want to get an industry-recognized Course Certificate in UX Design, Design Thinking, UI Design, or another related design topic? Online UX courses from the Interaction Design Foundation can provide you with industry-relevant skills to advance your UX career. For example, Design Thinking, Become a UX Designer from Scratch, Conducting Usability Testing or User Research — Methods and Best Practices are some of the most popular courses. Good luck on your learning journey!

是否想獲得UX設計，設計思維，UI設計或其他相關設計主題的行業認可課程證書？ Interaction Design Foundation提供的在線UX課程可以為您提供與行業相關的技能，以促進您的UX職業發展。 例如， 設計思維 ， 從零開始成為UX設計師 ， 進行可用性測試或用戶研究-方法和最佳實踐是一些最受歡迎的課程。 祝您學習愉快！

(Lead image source: Negative Space — Creative Commons)

(主要圖片來源： 負空間-知識共享 )

Originally published at UsabilityGeek by Yegor Tsynkevich. He is the founder and creative director at 415Agency, experience design studio based in San Francisco, CA. His expertise in the tech field spans design, development, and IT business consulting.

最初由Yegor Tsynkevich在UsabilityGeek上發布。 他是位于加利福尼亞州舊金山的體驗設計工作室415Agency的創始人和創意總監。 他在技術領域的專長涵蓋設計，開發和IT業務咨詢。