As a UX design professional, you need a powerful device to make any product usable and accessible. For designing user experience, you will need access to several high-end apps and programs.
Being a UX designer means conducting user research and testing. Not only will you be engaged in developing wireframes but designing task flows as well, keeping in mind your user needs. To handle all these tasks, you will require a productive laptop.
Are you planning to buy a Mac for your UX design projects? If yes, there are a lot of options available in the market. The article introduces the best MacBook for UX design but first, let’s understand what specification you must look for in a laptop for UX/UI design.
Requirements for UX Design Laptop
Buying a laptop with the right hardware specification can be a challenge for most users, particularly when you are not aware of the requirements.
CPU
If you are a UX designer, the processor of your laptop has to be powerful. You will need a high-speed CPU with more GHz and cores. Most users rely on Intel processors ranging from i3 and i5 to i7 and i9. Buying a MacBook means moving away from Intel.
Your new MacBook will integrate an M1 chip that makes it even faster when processing data or executing commands. Processors are important to ensure seamless workflow and productivity, so consider the clock speed before you buy one.
This is essentially important as better clock speed, and higher cores will split even the most intense workloads effectively to give you seamless performance. When you run multiple apps, the CPU begins to heat up, so it’s good to use a Mac temperature monitor app to get notifications about potential overheating.
GPU
The Graphics Processing Unit in your laptop is responsible for rendering images and videos, which is vital for UX designers. Since upgrading the graphics processing unit at a later stage is nearly impossible, and if you ever try to do that, you will end up spending more.
So, keep in mind to consider your GPU needs before you buy a laptop for handling UX designing tasks. Your laptop can have an internal GPU, or you may go with an external graphics processing unit.
As a UX designer, you might need to deal with vector images only. However, if you are working with multiple tools simultaneously, you will need a laptop with a dedicated GPU. Having an additional graphics spec will make your laptop future-proof.
Storage
When it comes to storage, one proven mantra is – the bigger, the better. UX designers who prefer a Windows laptop over a MacBook have the option to upgrade storage at a later stage, and that won’t add much to your budget.
Moreover, all the latest laptops are powered with solid-state drives that are faster than traditional hard disks. Make sure your UX design laptop integrates an SSD instead of an HDD. It offers a better data read-write speed, which makes your laptop productive.
If MacBook is your final choice, you don’t have to worry about storage as all the latest models include an SSD. When buying a new laptop, go with the 13-inch MacBook Pro, as you will get a 512GB SSD.
RAM
Random Access Memory is responsible for ensuring efficient performance when you are using multiple apps altogether. RAM is temporary storage that the processor uses to retrieve data quickly when needed.
With a higher RAM, your computer doesn’t have to go to the main storage to get everything. Quick access to information results in faster processing of instructions and quick rendering of data required by the processor.
Having at least 16GB of RAM is vital to ensure the smooth operation of high-end apps. If your budget allows, go for a higher variant instead. Your MacBook may not have an option to upgrade RAM post-purchase, so be specific when purchasing a Mac.
Screen Size
A MacBook or any other laptop usually comes between 13-inch and 16-inch in size. The wider the screen size you select, the more expensive it will be. But the advantage is that you will get more screen estate to develop web design wireframes or conduct testing.
When considering the screen, the resolution is another vital aspect you must never ignore. For UI/UX designing, a laptop with high-definition 1080×1920 is recommended. However, if your budget allows, you can even go with a 4K or 1440 pixels resolution.
If you have budget constraints, consider buying a 13-inch MacBook. You have the option to connect a second monitor to the MacBook, regardless of the model you buy. This will save you money, and external monitors are affordable.
Which MacBook Is the Best for UX Designers?
A 13-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple MacBook processor is the best pick for UX design professionals. With 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM, you will get four ThunderBolt 3 USB-C ports for better connectivity. 10-hours of battery power allows you to work uninterruptedly on a single charge.
So, when buying a laptop for UX design tasks, MacBook Pro 2020 is the best device you can get for performance and productivity.