Why Do Flight Attendants Make Great UX Designers?

 Flight attendants are the comforter of the sky. Innately, they have a huge responsibility and are known for handling their jobs with grace, care, and heroism. To be a successful flight attendant, it's important to have a few skills under your tool belt, including customer care, attention to detail, and empathy.

Their roles extend way beyond providing delicious snacks and beverages, they are also comforters to flyers who may be afraid of flying. And, through one of the most instrumental skills, empathy, although they are comfortable in the sky, they can still understand how that may be a challenge for some passengers.

All of the above is precisely why flight attendants will make great UX designers. They possess a well-rounded understanding of the value of clear communication, delightful interaction, and how it directly affects the passenger’s experience.

How Does a Flight Attendant's Customer Care Experience Translate to UX Design?

From a bright welcoming smile to checking in periodically with a soothing voice to assure that everything and everyone is at their absolute best state of comfort throughout the flight, flight attendants exhibit an impressionable record of supporting how they are ideal candidates for a career in UX Design.

UX design is user-centric, and empathy is the ability to understand and connect with others. Flight attendants have the potential to excel as UX designers because their role in the sky (and on the ground) is directly rooted in that very skill. Their experience in customer care is so critical because it provides a direct link to empathy, which is a huge factor in UX design. 

What Unique Perspective do Flight Attendants Bring to UX Design?

In addition to understanding that the most effective design should be created with the user in mind, flight attendants also have a knack for crisis management. Truthfully, most designs won't actively manage an ongoing crisis. However, they will solve a problem, which is the core of crisis management.

How Does a Flight Attendant's Experience With Diverse Cultures Benefit UX Design?

Problem-solving, customer care, and simply a general devotion to understanding people are what qualify flight attendants to be great UX designers. But, even more interesting, their qualifications extend beyond their skills. Their career positions them to interact and serve people from multiple walks of life and different cultures. UX designers are not designing for a one fits all profile, even with a consensus of whom a given design is targeted to assist, it can be beneficial to be aware of the subcategories of life that may help you better understand, relate and overall be a better designer.

Are You Ready to Become a UX Designer?

It's exciting how different career paths can equip you with unique, but transferable skills that allow the opportunity to excel. Flight attendants make excellent UX designers because as flight attendants they exude care, empathy and so many other qualities that are centered around creating a memorable and joyful experience for others.

Are you a flight attendant looking to transition into a career in tech? Schedule a call with one of our mentors and learn if a career in UX design is a great start in tech for you!

Author

Kay is an SEO content writer and copywriter who enjoys reading, drinking coffee, and hiking. She loves her avocados with blue corn tortilla chips.