Should UX Designers be able to code? 100% Yes. Find out why.

One of the most contentious questions in the business, definitively answered.

[mattias]

Here's the thing. I don't agree a UX designer have to know how to code. AS the UX designer in a team, you should never write code – if you are nearly as good as the coders of your team – then there's something wrong with your team. However, having some basic knowledge of programming, how code and coders work is a FANTASTIC tool for a UX designer. You will have a better understanding of what's possible to do and what the logic could potentially look like. Your communication with programmers will be much better and that will open up some doors and make your team tighter, and that's invaluable.

But in no way do I agree that UX designers should be able to code. Understanding basic code and how it works is NOT the same as "being able to code". The statement "UX designers should be able to code" frightens great people away from the UX field. Worst of all is job ads where they are looking for a UX designer and they have to be programmers as well. That's just bs from companies who aren't willing (or able) to pay for both a programmer and a designer if you ask me.

[johnedward]

UX designers should empathize with users and not with engineers, meaning user experience comes first, implementation should be thought of later on. That way the solution is not limited by UX designer thinking what's easy and what's not easy to implement. But if something is hard to implement, then it's a matter of cost Vs benefit.

[vlad_IT_]

So should engineers know how to design?

[mitchqqqqqq]

So should engineers understand UX researchers methodologies?