Design Beyond Validation: Creating with Purpose

When I started as a designer, validation was everything. I wanted to hear that my work was amazing, to receive praise that confirmed I was on the right track. Compliments felt like success, like proof that I was doing something right. But over time, I realized that no matter how much praise you get, it doesn’t matter if your work isn’t creating a real impact.

This wasn’t a single lesson learned from a big project or event. It was a slow realization, built from experiences where beautifully crafted designs fell flat because they didn’t solve the correct problems.

That’s when I reframed my thinking around a simple principle: REAL (Results, Empathy, Actionable, Learn)

• Results matter. A design isn’t successful unless it achieves something meaningful for the user.
• Empathy first. Understanding the user’s actual pain points should be the starting point of any design.
• Actionable designs. It’s not about being flashy or overly complex; it’s about creating something that works.
• Learn constantly. Validation can feel rewarding, but the most valuable feedback comes from seeing what works and doesn’t in the real world.

I began to focus less on what people thought of my work and more on what my work was doing for people. It was liberating. I stopped chasing perfection for the sake of praise and started designing with a purpose: to solve problems, meet needs, and improve experiences. And here’s the thing, when you design for impact, the praise naturally follows, but it feels different. It feels earned.

Now, with every design, I ask myself, Who is this for, and how will it make their experience better? That shift transformed how I approach my work and made me a better designer.

Real design isn’t about impressing; it’s about improving.

(P.S. I used AI to help fix grammar and typos in the post.)