As a recruiter in the Digital Design domain, I often speak to hiring managers who are struggling to find the right talent to join them. In the last few years, there has been a noticeable gap where mid-level designers should sit. This could be for a number of reasons, both the Covid pandemic and Brexit being some of the main ones in the UK. The change in IR35 legislation has also led to changes around contracting, which was always a popular option with designers. In this article I will be discussing how we can bridge this gap and the potential pitfalls that companies might face in light of this development in the marketplace.
The importance of Customer Experience (CX) and thus, User Experience (UX), has really come to the forefront in the last decade. With the shift to digital rather than physical interactions, companies have realised the importance of good UX and with that, User Interface (UI). For those who were in this domain from the start, they have grown and developed their skills and are now sitting with a very solid grounding of experience, but there are now not enough of them to go around, and often holding salaries that are out of budget for a lot of companies.
On the flip side of this, education has not quite moved as swiftly and the importance of digital design in higher education teaching has only really picked up in recent years. So we have a lot of graduate level designers, with 1-2 years of experience. But less of those at a mid-level point, which is usually the sweet spot for a lot of customers. Add in that salaries are increasing across the board, and you really start to have challenges keeping up and adapting.
So what can you do?
1. Invest in Junior Talent
If you have the capacity, bring in those graduates and train them up internally. Homegrown talent can be great because it’s tailored to your organisation's needs and, if the environment is right, then there is no reason for those individuals not to stay with you long term.
2. Be Flexible
Review your requirements, what are the must haves and what are the nice to haves. We all want the world, but does your budget really cover that? Companies with either smaller or less mature design teams sometimes expect new additions to function as if they are a design team unto themselves. This is not realistic and often can put the right designer off.
3. Review your Salaries
This links in with the ‘Be Flexible’ point. If you need experience then you will need to pay for it. The UX Design Institute analysed data on UX salaries from Payscale.com for three major UK cities in December 2021. The table below outlines their findings.
The above numbers may have increased even more since this study was produced! Is your budget realistic in the current climate?
4. Strategy and Culture
The report produced by Econsultancy in partnership with Zone and Cognizant identifies “a need for improved technology, a more joined-up strategy and a culture that puts customer experience at the heart of the business”. In such a competitive marketplace, strategy and culture are a key factor in obtaining and retaining the best talent. You want a passionate design team, then you have to bring CX into the heart of what you do.
5. Retaining Talent
Are there clear career progression opportunities? Problems with company culture? A lack of experience within the design team and uptake within the wider company? I have mentioned salary in my previous points, but this comes into account with retaining talent too, are your salaries up-to-date? It is also worth noting here that existing members of the team may well have salaries that are not in line with the current market, so adjustments may need to be made here in order to keep current staff members happy and feeling valued. Even just a small adjustment or a bonus scheme can massively help morale and productivity. This will also help when hiring new talent as everyone's salaries will be aligned.
6. Remote Working
This has become a real sticking point for candidates, especially after the Covid pandemic. Most companies have adopted the hybrid approach, with a couple of days in the office. But it is worth exploring whether a fully remote option is viable. This can also help with salary expectations and open up the talent pool to other areas not previously explored due to the office location.
The productivity and growth of UK firms depends on innovation and creativity to differentiate goods and services so they can capitalise on local and global markets. At the heart of this is the right recruitment strategy.
Savant is informed by market research and has a specialised Digital Design team with extensive experience and expertise in UX/UI talent solutions. If you are looking to build or expand your Design function, we can support you with the best talent in the industry with experts and market leading onboarding advice and consultation. To find out more about how we can assist you, please reach out to us at technology@savantrecruitment.com
