5 things I’ve learnt on my journey to becoming a Senior Designer

Here’s what I learnt on my journey to becoming a Senior Designer, Researcher, and Strategist:

Being able to communicate visually goes a long way.

In some areas of the process, outputs are less tangible. They might be insights, ideas, concepts, plans, approaches or strategies. Communicating these effectively can mean the difference between our work being actioned or ignored.

Making things tangible helps to facilitate the right conversations, align mental models and get buy-in from key stakeholders.

Psychologically, humans are wired to judge a book by its cover. 

We have a cognitive bias which causes us to make snap judgments and actively seek evidence to validate our initial assumptions. Whether this happens consciously or not, the visual appeal of something has the power to influence how we think and feel about other aspects of it. 

We can’t let people overlook good work just because the output is poorly presented.

I’ve discovered that being able to communicate visually goes a long way. A big indicator of a successful output is how others respond to it, their ability to explain it to others and the quality of discussion that happens as a result. It can help understand and tackle challenges in a creative and collaborative way. But remember, it’s not always about making the complex look simple, but visualising the complexity.

Generalists are more valued than specialists.

When starting my career, I believed I should pick a niche and become an expert in one discipline. However, I am incredibly grateful that I didn’t narrow my path too early on. 

Being a generalist before a specialist is by far the most valuable thing you can do. *If you want to specialise at all.

Note: A niche doesn’t always have to be a discipline, it could be an industry (e.g. healthcare), a technology (e.g. VR) or a particular setting (e.g. start-up).

In my experience, roles across the business value the holistic perspectives and versatility generalist designers offer. They can adapt easily to different contexts, communicate across multidisciplinary teams and have a breadth of knowledge that helps connect the dots throughout the entire process. 

Advancements in AI are also starting to narrow the gap between generalist and specialist roles, optimising workflows and supporting the execution of tasks which are typically more specialised. 

A designer is (much) more than their tools.

I initially spent some time trying to become an expert in the latest design software — watching tutorials and learning every feature with the impression that this knowledge would make me better at my job.

I soon realised that the tools I used had very little to do with being a good designer.

Technology is always progressing and the tools we’re using today might not be the same as what we’ll be using a few months, weeks or days from now. We should be able to utilise our skills irrespective of the software available.

Execution is also becoming easier. We have solid structures and guidelines in place for building digital experiences and the tools themselves are becoming increasingly more accessible, requiring few specialist skills.

We don’t need fancy tools to do our jobs well — sometimes a pen and paper can have a bigger impact than pixel perfect designs.

The real skill is balancing the right level of fidelity with the goals you want to achieve. Think about the level of conversation you want to facilitate and what the best way would be to enable that conversation or feedback.

Given the pace at which software is advancing, we can’t afford to be spending too much time constrained to a specific tool. Instead, we should develop skills that enable us to adapt and be agile to future changes.

Soft skills matter more than hard skills.

Soft skills — like communication, time management, collaboration and empathy. You might see them thrown in at the end of a job description.

I’ve learnt that these types of skills aren’t ‘soft’ at all, but can mean the difference between a good designer and a great designer.

Of course, they will come more naturally to some than others, but I believe they can be developed and often take more time to master than hard skills.

“In March 2022 we asked hiring managers across the globe for the top 3 skills they look for in UX candidates. An overwhelming majority of respondents (approximately 73%) chose communication and problem solving as the top skills.

- The Interaction Design Foundation

They include the art of giving and receiving feedback, being able to adapt, inspiring others, problem-solving, articulating decisions— the list goes on. Although most are transferable across multiple professions, they appear to be particularly more valued in the UX field. They’re often very subtle and hard to measure, but a good team will always notice and appreciate you for this.

It’s not all about the user.

My experience has taught me that advocating solely for the user is not always the best approach. We need to be realistic and recognise business goals, technological limitations and the wider context in which our designs live. 

A solution that isn’t viable or feasible can’t be successful, regardless of how great the user experience may be.

Companies care about money. Typically, they will invest in design to help create a competitive advantage and make them more money. To have influence, we must be able to communicate the impact of our work and align our decisions with business goals and metrics.

Designers are leveraging their skills to address more complex problems; not just for users or businesses, but for governments, society and the planet.

Consider a plastic bag. It’s very user-centric in isolation — being convenient, durable and cheap. However, if we zoom out to look at the whole production of the plastic bag and its impact on our planet, it’s not the best invention. 

Big challenges like this can’t be solved in a linear way. They must consider the wider network of influences and apply a holistic lens. The scope of design is evolving and becoming more & more complex, meaning our approaches are adapting to this complexity. We now have designers working on more systemic and societal challenges, collaborating with governments to shape policy and make positive change.

Recognising this, was the first time in my life I felt that I could make a real difference in the world. The more time I spend in the industry, the more I see how scalable design is and the vast opportunities available for designers to grow and expand.