In global UX discussions, no one ever talks about what UX looks like or what it could become in smaller, emerging markets like the Caribbean.
So three years ago, myself and 3 other Jamaican UX practitioners created Jamaica’s first-ever report on the state of User Experience. We had no idea if anyone would care. The response stunned us. That report pushed UX into boardrooms where it had never been mentioned. Business leaders started asking questions they’d never asked. Job postings appeared for roles that didn’t exist before.
Now my team and I at UX Network Caribbean are back with something bigger: the Caribbean State of User Experience report, featuring over 80 voices from across Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados.
But WHY?
COVID changed everything overnight. In the Caribbean region, many businesses had ignored digital for decades but with the COVID push, they suddenly needed a website and a mobile app by Monday. Banks scrambled to build online account opening and credit issuing workflows. Everyone needed e-commerce, delivery, online services immediately. Businesses hired roles they’d never heard of before: UX designers, product managers, digital strategists. For a brief moment, it felt like we were catching up. Then reality hit. Those rushed MVP solutions died. Teams got cut. The fundamental question emerged:
How do we build digital experiences that actually work for Caribbean people?
This report aims to tackle that question head-on, bringing together UX practitioners, product teams, and business leaders around a shared mission: creating digital experiences that are both authentically Caribbean and globally competitive.
Here are some of the interesting finds:
While employers desperately say they “can’t find good UX talent”, 73% of practitioners say they applied to ZERO Caribbean UX jobs in 2024. Is the lack of opportunity or the failure of our hiring systems?
We’ve evolved from a field of newcomers to one with experienced practitioners, with 63% seeing clear paths to leadership. Even so, mid-level professionals are the most frustrated with compensation.
62% of practitioners identify as “UX Designers” but teams actually need specialist roles and many are generalists in title but their actual role is that of UX researchers, writers, and engineers. We’re doing specialised work with generalist titles.
We claim research drives our work, yet 71% spend less than 1/4 of their time with actual users while leaders still hunger for actionable insights. We’re caught between talking about being research-driven and delivering research that actually drives decisions.
65% of Caribbean UX practitioners say they feel positively about the impact of AI on UX are incorporating it into their workflow, but business leaders say we’re missing the real threat.
100% of tech professionals agree that we improve the final product, meanwhile 40% of UX practitioners say they feel disconnected from strategic decisions. We’re in the room but do we have meaningful input into what gets built?
100% of tech professionals agree that their UX team’s work improves the final product, meanwhile 40% of UX practitioners say they feel disconnected from strategic decisions. We’re in the room, but do we have meaningful input into what gets built?
Read the full report here: https://www.uxcaribbean.org/reports/state-of-ux-2025/for-designers