When AI is on your team, do you grow a T-shaped UX skillset or a V-shaped one to thrive

Recently I come across V-shaped model and its interesting to me because when I heard T-shaped model, I thought something is missing but unable to put into words and yes, that's it, it's the V-shaped
I was looking for. No, I'm not saying one shape is good over other.

"T-shaped = deep expertise and V-shaped = versatile mastery."

Head-to-head comparison

Core shape

T-Shaped designer: Specialist-generalist

V-Shaped designer: Hybrid integrator

Focus

T-Shaped designer: Collaboration and empathy. Excels at working with others.

V-Shaped designer: Synthesis and impact. Excels at connecting diverge domains.

Skill depth

T-Shaped designer: One deep specialty, broad general knowledge.

V-Shaped designer: Two or more deep specialties.

Typical strengths

T-Shaped designer: User advocacy, wireframing, research, facilitation.

V-Shaped designer: Business-design translation, data-informed design, systems thinking.

Potential weakness

T-Shaped designer: Can become a "bottleneck" in their one specialty; may lack business/technical depth.

V-Shaped designer: Risk of being a "jack of two trades, master of none" if not well-balanced.

Some of the UX design careers are listed below:

• System thinking 
• Data modeling 
• Business strategy
• Product management
• AI and conversation designer
• UX strategist / product designer
• UX researcher
• Service designer
• UX writer
• Accessibility specialist
• VR/AR UX designer
• Voice user interface (VUI) designer
• Data & UX analyst
• Other roles: Interaction designer, Information architect, UI designer, and UI/UX manager are also in demand and continue to be relevant. 

The field is diverse. You don't have to be good at everything; you can find your niche.

How to prepare for the future

Embrace AI: Learn to work with and direct AI-driven design tools to handle more of the manual work, allowing you to focus on higher-level strategy and creativity.

Develop "soft skills": Sharpen skills in research, storytelling, and user empathy. These are human-centric skills that AI cannot replicate and are crucial for translating data into meaningful actions.

Stay updated on trends: Keep up with new technologies like AR, VR, voice interfaces, and the ethical implications of AI in design.

Consider cross-disciplinary skills: Acquiring skills in related areas, such as product management, can provide a competitive edge. 

T-shaped: Deep in one area, broad in others. The V-Shape is essentially an evolved, more powerful T-shaped professional with a second, complementary depth.

The V-Shape UX Designer represents the next stage of professional maturity in our field. It’s a strategic approach to career development that creates a unique and highly valuable blend of skills. Instead of asking "Should you be a specialist or a generalist?" you ask, "What powerful combination of skills will make you uniquely impactful?" Pursuing this path will make you a more collaborative, influential, and sought-after professional.

Some reference links:

T-shaped vs V-Shaped Designers

Which of the million UX roles suits you best? A personality type analysis

Why I'm not worried about my UX job in the era of AI

The UX reckoning: Prepare for 2025 and beyond

Thank you for stopping by. :)