UX Designer Resume Keywords: Research & Design Skills (2026)

UX design hiring has evolved. Companies want designers who can research, design, and validate—not just make things pretty.

Your resume keywords need to show the full UX process, from discovery to delivery. Listing "Figma" alone won't cut it—ATS systems scan for specific research methods, deliverables, and design process terms.

This guide organizes every keyword by design specialty so you can match job descriptions precisely. For the system on turning these keywords into quantified impact bullets, see our Professional Impact Dictionary.

Design Tools Keywords

Primary Design Tools

Figma
Sketch
Adobe XD
InVision
Framer
Axure

Prototyping Tools

Figma prototyping
Principle
ProtoPie
Framer
InVision
Marvel
Origami Studio

Collaboration Tools

FigJam
Miro
Mural
Figjam
Whimsical
Notion

Adobe Suite

Adobe Creative Suite
Photoshop
Illustrator
After Effects
Adobe XD

User Research Keywords

Research Methods

User research
User interviews
Usability testing
A/B testing
Card sorting
Tree testing
Surveys
Contextual inquiry
Diary studies
Ethnographic research
Competitive analysis
Heuristic evaluation

Research Tools

UserTesting
Maze
Lookback
Optimal Workshop
Dovetail
Hotjar
FullStory
Google Analytics
Mixpanel

Research Deliverables

Research findings
User insights
Research reports
Personas
User journey maps
Empathy maps
Affinity diagrams
Research synthesis

UX Process Keywords

Discovery

Discovery phase
Problem definition
User needs analysis
Stakeholder interviews
Requirements gathering
Business requirements
User requirements

Information Architecture

Information architecture
Site mapping
Navigation design
Content strategy
Taxonomy
Content hierarchy
User flows
Task flows

Wireframing

Wireframing
Low-fidelity wireframes
High-fidelity wireframes
Sketching
Rapid prototyping
Paper prototyping
Concept development

Prototyping

Prototyping
Interactive prototypes
Clickable prototypes
High-fidelity prototypes
Micro-interactions
Animation
Transitions

Testing & Validation

Usability testing
User testing
Concept testing
Prototype testing
Beta testing
Validation
Iteration

UI Design Keywords

Visual Design

Visual design
UI design
Interface design
Visual hierarchy
Typography
Color theory
Layout design
Grid systems
Spacing systems

Interaction Design

Interaction design
Micro-interactions
Animation design
Motion design
Gesture design
State design
Feedback design

Design Systems

Design systems
Component libraries
Style guides
Pattern libraries
Design tokens
Atomic design
Scalable design
Design documentation

Accessibility Keywords

Standards

WCAG 2.1
WCAG 2.2
ADA compliance
Section 508
Accessibility standards
Inclusive design
Universal design

Accessibility Skills

Accessibility audits
Screen reader testing
Keyboard navigation
Color contrast
Alt text
ARIA labels
Focus management
Accessible forms

Tools

axe DevTools
WAVE
Lighthouse
Color contrast checkers
VoiceOver
NVDA

Specialization Keywords

Mobile Design

Mobile UX
Mobile UI
iOS design
Android design
Responsive design
Mobile-first design
Touch interfaces
Gesture-based interfaces
App design

Web Design

Web design
Responsive web design
Desktop design
Web applications
SaaS design
Dashboard design

Enterprise UX

Enterprise UX
B2B design
Complex workflows
Data-heavy interfaces
Admin panels
Internal tools

Consumer UX

Consumer UX
B2C design
E-commerce design
Social features
Engagement design
Onboarding design

Soft Skills Keywords

Collaboration

Cross-functional collaboration
Design collaboration
Developer handoff
Stakeholder management
Team collaboration
Remote collaboration

Communication

Design presentation
Storytelling
Design critique
Feedback incorporation
Documentation
Design rationale

Leadership

Design leadership
Mentorship
Design reviews
Design advocacy
UX evangelism
Team building

Process Keywords

Design Methodologies

Design thinking
Human-centered design
User-centered design
Lean UX
Agile UX
Double diamond
Jobs to be done

Workflow

Agile
Scrum
Sprint design
Design sprints
Iterative design
Continuous improvement
Design ops

Action Verbs for UX

For Research

Conducted
Researched
Interviewed
Analyzed
Synthesized
Discovered
Identified
Validated

For Design

Designed
Created
Developed
Prototyped
Wireframed
Iterated
Refined
Crafted

For Impact

Improved
Increased
Reduced
Enhanced
Optimized
Simplified
Streamlined

For Collaboration

Collaborated
Partnered
Facilitated
Presented
Communicated
Advocated
Led

Keywords by Experience Level

Junior UX (0-2 years)

Wireframing
Prototyping
Figma
User research basics
Usability testing
Visual design
Design iteration

Mid-Level UX (3-5 years)

End-to-end design
Research planning
Design systems
Cross-functional work
Stakeholder management
Mentoring
Complex projects

Senior UX (6+ years)

Design strategy
UX leadership
Team mentorship
Design vision
Organizational influence
Process improvement
Design ops

Quick Reference: Top 50 UX Keywords

User research
Usability testing
Wireframing
Prototyping
Figma
User interviews
Design systems
Information architecture
User flows
Personas
Journey mapping
Interaction design
Visual design
Accessibility
WCAG
Mobile design
Responsive design
Design thinking
Human-centered design
A/B testing
Heuristic evaluation
Competitive analysis
Card sorting
Tree testing
High-fidelity design
Low-fidelity design
Sketch
Adobe XD
InVision
Miro
FigJam
Design critique
Design handoff
Developer collaboration
Stakeholder management
Cross-functional
Agile
Design sprints
Iteration
User-centered design
Empathy
Problem-solving
Data-driven design
Metrics
Conversion optimization
Onboarding design
Dashboard design
Component libraries
Style guides
Design documentation

Build your ATS-optimized UX designer resume with the right keywords

Keyword Strategy

Show Full Process

UX is end-to-end. Show you can research, design, test, and iterate:

Strong: "Led user research for checkout redesign, conducted 15 user interviews, created wireframes and prototypes in Figma, and validated designs through usability testing—resulting in 25% increase in conversion"

Quantify Design Impact

Conversion rate improvements
Task completion rates
Error reduction
Time on task improvements
User satisfaction scores
NPS improvements

Tool Proficiency

Figma is now standard. Make sure it's prominent. Add secondary tools based on the job requirements.

Match Job Description Language

UX roles vary widely. Some emphasize research, others focus on visual design, and many want both. Read the job description carefully and weight your keywords accordingly. If they mention "user research" five times and "visual design" once, lead with research keywords.

If the posting says "Figma," use "Figma" — not "design tools." ATS systems match exact terms.

Context Over Tool Lists

Listing "Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD" tells recruiters nothing about your skill level. Instead, prove depth through your experience bullets.

Example: Instead of listing "usability testing" in skills, write "Conducted usability testing with 30 participants, identifying 8 critical pain points in checkout flow and implementing fixes that increased conversion by 22%."

Common UX Keyword Mistakes

The most common mistake is focusing entirely on tools while ignoring process keywords. Hiring managers want to see research methods, design thinking, and business impact — not just which software you know.

Another mistake is omitting accessibility keywords. WCAG compliance, inclusive design, and accessibility audits are increasingly required. If you have this experience, make it prominent.

Portfolio Keywords Matter Too

Your resume drives recruiters to your portfolio. Use keywords in your case study descriptions that mirror the job posting. If they want "design systems," your portfolio should reference "design systems" — not "component libraries" or "style guides" as substitutes. Consistency between your resume keywords and portfolio language reinforces your expertise signal.

For full formatting tips and examples, see our UX/UI Designer Resume Guide.

UX Designer Resume Keywords: Research, Wireframing & Prototyping