These "skills" might be frequent keywords in job ads, but if you're hiring a designer -- or trying to become one -- I think the following are better predictors of success:

  1. Empathy: observing and understanding others
  2. Creativity: coming up with new ideas, often by recombining old ideas from various fields
  3. Knowledge of behavioral science: mining research and theory for useful insights
  4. Communication: discussing, explaining, and presenting designs
  5. Project management: keeping track and keeping up
  6. Ambition: a drive to be exceptional