Skills you need to be a interaction designer
8 skills a hiring manager would actually test for, each with the level this role expects and what it is used for. Not a syllabus — the shape of the job.
Build my path to this roleUpskili checks what you can already do, then sequences only what is missing. No account needed.
What the role requires
Ordered by how much the job depends on it. The bar is the proficiency expected of a competent interaction designer — not mastery, and not a passing acquaintance.
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Figma
Essential
Designs high-fidelity prototypes and maintains the team's component library.
Deep -
User research methods
Essential
Plans and conducts usability tests and user interviews independently.
Strong -
Information architecture
Essential
Structures complex content into clear navigation and sitemaps.
Strong -
Interaction design patterns
Important
Applies established UI patterns to solve common workflow problems.
Strong -
Prototyping (Principle or Protopie)
Important
Creates interactive prototypes to communicate micro-interactions and transitions.
Strong -
Design system contribution
Important
Extends and documents reusable components for developer handoff.
Strong -
Workshop facilitation
Useful
Runs design sprints and co-creation sessions with cross-functional teams.
Working -
HTML/CSS
Useful
Understands front-end constraints to communicate effectively with engineers.
Working
An order worth learning it in
A list of ten skills is the same unhelpful answer a catalogue gives, just sorted. This is where to actually start.
Start here
Essential to the role, and reachable from a standing start. Everything below rests on these.
- Information architecture
- Prototyping (Principle or Protopie)
- Design system contribution
Then this
The rest of what the role is assessed on. Harder, and it builds on the foundation above.
- Figma
- User research methods
- Interaction design patterns
What sets you apart
Not what gets you hired, but what separates doing the job from being trusted with it.
- Workshop facilitation
- HTML/CSS
You almost certainly have some of this already.
That is the point of starting from the role rather than a course. Upskili checks what you can do, then builds a path across only the gap.
See my path to interaction designer