UX designer or design engineer? Or both?

The convergence of industries and technologies has led to the emergence of hybrid roles such as design engineers and UX designers, each with distinct yet sometimes overlapping responsibilities. Design engineers focus on the feasibility and manufacturability of products by creating technical drawings and high-fidelity prototypes, while UX designers prioritize optimizing user experience through user research, wireframes, and low-fidelity prototypes. Despite their differences, both roles benefit from understanding each other’s priorities, fostering collaboration rather than competition. As UX design increasingly incorporates elements of engineering, designers are encouraged to acquire basic coding skills and knowledge of front-end development to enhance collaboration with engineers. This shift is particularly relevant given the rise of products like electric cars and IoT devices, where boundaries between software and hardware blur. The integration of engineering principles into UX design enhances design implementability and cross-functional collaboration, which is crucial in the modern tech-driven landscape.