Dear Designer

12 things I wish I knew when I was starting out as a UX designer

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about where I am in my career and where I want to go. Sometimes I think about the lessons I’ve learned and wish that I knew what I know now back then.

In all honesty, there was a time when I was too full of myself and self-important to consider advice from others. Especially if it seemed contrary to what I knew to be true. But maybe… just maybe… a designer just starting out on their journey will benefit from hearing about what I learned.

And so, designer, here is my letter to you.

Seek feedback as long as you are a designer.

Receiving feedback is hard. I understand. It’s an exercise in vulnerability that not everyone is ready for.

First off, understand that feedback, or critique, is not always given appropriately. Sometimes it comes with a sting. Once, when I asked for feedback from my company on three style tiles I had outside my office, a staff member left anonymous feedback for me:

Start over.

That’s not helpful. It was hurtful. So please know that some people just want to make you feel bad about yourself.

It helps if you can specify the kind of feedback you are looking for. Say that first: “I’d like your feedback on the arrangement of the layout on the page and how it flows from the header to the call-to-action button.” Something like that.

Once you get used to feedback, it will come as a habit until you are more experienced. As a senior designer, there’s a danger you won’t seek feedback because you might feel like you know what you’re doing and you don’t need it.

Don’t fall in that trap! And don’t let yourself be lulled into a false sense of greatness because all of your feedback is positive.

I sought feedback from my team and had staff members who felt like they needed to stroke my ego. They never offered strong or extensive critique because they thought I just wanted to hear how great it was. That left me feeling great about myself, but it didn’t help me grow my skills. So I stagnated for years.

Fortunately, everyone I work with now has no problem challenging my ideas and critiquing my work. I’ve finally pushed past my stagnation and am growing again.

Surround yourself with people who will encourage as well as challenge. 

It’s OK not to have a degree in design.

This is no knock against the people who toil for a design degree. I respect it. In fact, I’m pursuing a masters in UX design.

But really, I don’t NEED a degree. I’ve learned a lot through each project I’ve worked on. I’m pursuing a degree to fill in the gaps and build knowledge because I'm ready to take my career to the next level. 

When I first started over 15 years ago, I spent a lot of time fretting about making a career change from journalism to design without formal training. I got down on myself in the early years about not being as good as others. All that time I was worried about what people thought of me -- when I could have been working on my skills.

I. Lost. Time.

I was just hurting myself. I let my fear keep me from seeking out other designers for guidance and feedback.

If you feel you need more knowledge, there are a ton of wonderful programs where you can learn UX design without it being a formal degree program. You can learn this without spending years in school. You can learn through the experience of “doing.”

Don’t compare your journey to someone’s highlights.

You are on your own path. 

One of my worst flaws is that I compare myself to other people. I see how successful other designers are and I feel a little jealous. I find myself getting down on myself for not being good enough.

Don’t do that.

Don’t beat yourself up. You are your own worst critic. Everyone out there wants to portray their very best. So what you see is what they want you to see. You don’t know the circumstances they live in.

Maybe they feel impostor syndrome, just like you.

Maybe they don’t think their work is any good.

Maybe they are just plain lucky. Or maybe they work like this because they are trying to escape some mental anguish.

You don’t know what’s happening in someone else’s head. Give yourself some grace.

Don’t let someone get in your head. You ARE good enough.

I have a friend who once took in class in design, and the instructor ripped their work apart. It made my friend think they should never do that aspect of design again.

No. 

Feedback can be cruel. The instructor could have tempered their words so they would not be crushing. 

No one is perfect. One critic does not mean you are a bad person or a bad designer. 

It’s natural to feel uncomfortable about not knowing.

I used to live in fear that someone would call me out and figure out I didn’t know everything. 

In fact, one time I was hired to a full-time position. I got in the office, and I sat down, and the reality of the role settled on me, and I almost threw up.

I remember calling my husband to tell him I thought I had made a huge mistake -- how was I supposed to redesign a huge website when I’ve only done small sites? I was overwhelmed thinking about everything I was going to have to learn. I was uncomfortable with how much I didn’t know.

Back when I worked as a web producer at a local TV station, I learned everything I needed to know about my job within a year. About year three, I was bored. And by the time I hit year four, I was begging my boss for places where I could expand and learn. 

I was wasting away in a role that didn’t challenge me.

I don’t want to go back to that existence. And so, when I start feeling uncomfortable about not knowing, I remind myself about that TV station job. Which is exactly what I did after that phone call to my husband 10 years ago. 

What I now know to be true is that we are all learning, every day.

I learned a lot on that redesign project. It was a huge growing experience. Had I not stretched myself, I never would have expanded my skills like that.

Growth comes from pushing the boundaries. We grow muscles from pushing them beyond being comfortable. And we grow our knowledge the same way. If you knew everything about a project or role, it wouldn’t be fun!

Don’t let a client bully you. You are better than that.

I once had a client berate me for accidentally triggering emails to their users as part of a system test. It was a mistake I felt really bad about.

At the time, I thought the world was ending because of the way the client reacted. Looking back, it wasn’t a huge deal. It was a mistake that only caused a few people to go, "huh?" No one died. No one lost money.

Later, the client called me into their office to ambush me with their boss. They claimed that we overspent the project budget. They falsely claimed that it was my fault for not telling them they were asking too much, even though they had an accelerated timeline and asked for constant revisions. Then they demanded that we pay back the overage. Looking back, communication was bad and I learned a lesson. 

But just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you should be treated like dirt. And it doesn’t mean the client is always telling the truth. Bullies aren’t looking out for you.

I put up with the abusive comments and behavior for months and months, hoping the situation would improve. When we finally closed the project, I was left emotionally traumatized from the experience.

Later, I found out that the client wanted the money back so they could hire their buddies to build an app out of the project budget that had been allocated to us.

I should never have tolerated that behavior.

Don’t let that happen to you. You NEVER deserve to be bullied.

Ask questions. Even dumb ones.

My first design job lasted two weeks.

A guy called me out of the blue and hired me on the spot to join his team as the designer. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t have a lot to go on, and I was brought into the project really late. They expected me to add visual design to a non-existent website with minimal specifications. My confusion was compounded by the fact I thought that if I asked questions it would exposed me as a newbie. I finally came up with three mockups that I was expected to show to the client.

The client was not thrilled with what they saw.

The guy who hired me called me in for a meeting. They did damage control with the client. And then he fired me over the phone.

I nearly gave up my design career after that. My husband laughed and said that the way I was hired was the stupidest way to hire anyone. Ever. And that should have been a red flag from the start.

Fortunately, I chalked it up to a learning experience. Today, I laugh about how ridiculous the situation was. And I know better than to not ask questions.

Learn business.

I went to college for journalism and started my career as a TV news producer. When I was in the news department, we rarely -- if ever -- interacted with the sales department or thought about the day-to-day details that kept the station running. 

That hurt me later when I began freelancing and then decided to open my agency. I didn’t understand budgets or how to hire the right people or how to create a cash flow forecast.

And I paid for that lack of knowledge.

Big. Time.

You don’t necessarily need an MBA. But even if you are working for a company as a designer, learn something about the business you work for. 

• How does your company make its money? 
• What role do you have to play? 
• What are the goals of the company?

This will help you as you navigate your role, because you’ll be able to show how your work contributes to the company’s goals.

And likewise, you should understand your own worth. When you understand the value you bring, you can more effectively negotiate your salary and position.

Learn to code.

Let’s be real, designer. It’s unlikely you will be asked to build a website from scratch. There are so many tools available to help us and make it easier.

But coding is a skill you should not avoid.

I am so glad that I started my life as a web designer who also had to build my own sites. This understanding means that when I talk with developers, I can speak their language -- at least a little.

Also, I know how difficult it is to build something I design. And because I have that understanding, I can take calculated steps. I can figure out whether I should move forward with a design that will blow my budget. And I can explain to clients the reason I made the design decisions I did.

Practice presentation skills.

Learning how to present yourself and your work is one of the most valuable skills you can have in your toolbox.

You will be judged by how well you can articulate your meaning. Make sure you are judged positively and not negatively.

I became a TV news producer -- in part -- because I never had to present my work in front of a group. So when I left the news industry and began networking with business owners to find new work, I sounded like I didn’t know what I was talking about.

When I joined a weekly networking group and was told I needed to stand in front of everyone and talk about my business for 30 seconds, I almost quit out of fear.

Almost.

I stuck it out, and every week learned to stand in front of a group of mostly strangers and tell my story.

Within a couple of years I had erased my fear of public speaking and was actively trying to improve my skills. Now I speak in front of people all the time. It’s fun, and it is part of how I meet new clients.

Even if you aren’t a freelancer or in sales, presentation skills are important. When designers present their portfolio to me -- as a mentor or hiring manager -- I expect them to be able to communicate in an effective and succinct way. It says a lot about your maturity. I like when the designers I hire can speak directly to clients about their work. It shows their professionalism and reflects well on the agency.

This book by Bill McGowen, “Pitch Perfect: How to Say it Right the First Time, Every Time,” is a great starting point.

Then, find excuses to practice. Every opportunity you get, present. The more you do it, the easier it will get.

Go deep

I was a generalist in the beginning of my career. Then, I stalled out. I was trying to be everything to everyone, and I was exhausted. When I finally decided I was going to focus on one thing and one thing only, I started to come alive again. It ignited my passion and made me excited about my career.

I recommend having knowledge breadth AND a specific knowledge depth. 

Be comfortable with all stages of your design process. You may not excel in visual design or research -- but do it. Practice it so that you have a full understanding of how it all works.

Then dive in. Specialize in an area and be the absolutely best you can be in that area.

Diverge, then converge.

Seek out other designers

I feel like I lived on an island for years until I finally sought out other UX designers and threw myself fully into this amazing community.

I had to get over my own ego first. It was only when I stopped being fearful of being judged and actively sought out peers that my own career and knowledge started growing again.

Surround yourself with people who will challenge you and encourage you. 

Design -- UX design included -- is a special path. You have an opportunity to affect real change that helps people. Whether it’s mentoring other designers or designing an interface that makes life better for another human -- our work is important.

I hope that some of my musings will be useful as you continue your work, designer. I’m rooting for you.

Best, Cindy