Lesson learnt from my journey as a product designer and a 300% growth in remuneration.

My Career Mistakes as a Product Designer!

Mistake #1: Starting with the wrong perspective

As a marketer and an MBA, I had a good business sense. Right after my MBA, I got designated as a Channel Manager in Wipro-E-Peripherals.I was required to look after sales, marketing and distribution of printers in Pune(India). Then It was a travel startup led my an IIT Alumnus and a software company where I mostly took charge of sales and marketing and some part of Website Experience (CX).

Most of these adventures I chartered required living on the edges and staying right to “live by the sword, die by the sword” mindset. While there were many glamourous and rewarding moments, most of the time I remained in anxiety thinking tomorrow could be my last day If I didn’t get business for the organization. You know like all sales and marketing guys think 🫣

So, one fine day I decided that enough is enough! I would no longer live my life justifying my education and decided to have a career change. I wanted to do something meaningful — (not knowing what meaningful means ! )☺️

Yes, I am one of those who decided to become a designer. Drawn to the allure of colourfull interfaces and a warped perception that the transition would just require flexing my artistry muscles and curiosity, I took the plunge!!. Yes, I had a background in Fine-Arts in school days, and I had managed a few graphic designers, looking after websites’ UX and Optimizing CX of Landing Pages. However, the world of design turned out to be totally different.

Mistake #2: For a few Dribbble’s “Likes” 🫣

So, I thought the world of design is all about Behance and Dribbble. So, I started Dribbling and learning tools like Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and all those tools that are not-so required in a day to day activities of a designer.

Back then I was started a company called as Northstarclicks aimed at helping companies with digital marketing and design activities. I thought design was just an ancilliary activity.

I thought success in UI UX design was directly proportionate to the “Likes” we get on Dribbble. I realised “Likes” in Dribbble was “you scratch my back and I will scratch yours” job. So, there you go, I started doing just that.

Here’s my Portfolio link https://dribbble.com/HimanshuProDesign

Yes, you saw that right. I liked “75000 Likes” 🫣

To my surprise! It actually worked! — I started getting projects! Lucky me !

Mistake #3: Getting the Design Process Wrong !

Back then, I used to get design projects which were usually UI design projects from Upwork. Spoiler Alerts ! I was a Top Rated Upwork Design :)

Most of what I did followed wrong design approach. I would take the requirement and refer to Dribbble to solve the problem my mimicing the interfaces. I thought success in these projects required my ability to search Inspirations from Dribbble and matching client’s requirement.

Trust me! Clients were really very happy with this. You can see for yourself in the image above — I had Job Success Rate of 100% and a Top Rated Freelancer 😎 !

Mistake #4: Not Investing in education early on!

I was on top of the moon brimming with full confidence that I nailed what I requires to be a successful UI/UX designer in just 1.5 Years. Voila !!

Post that I got and opportunity to work with a start-up. I realised the world of UI Design was actually different and most of what I learnt were from Dribbble and articles here and there.

I was required to make an App. If I told you back then I was using Illustrator to design interfaces you would laugh. Yes I used to.

But fortunately I came to know about sketch and started learning it. Further, I invested in Getting the fundamentals right.

Here are the books I referred later :

• Don’t Make me Think
• UI Refactoring
• Design of Everyday things
• UX for Lean Startups: Laura Klein

There are many actually which I learned later but these were a few that I learnt early. I also did a lot of courses in UX.

Mistake #5: Wish I could have learnt about Design thinking

As a designer most of the time we spend is solving problems and ideating prototypes. I realised a Holistic view is essential for success as a UX designer.

Here’s what I realised:

If a designer is not familiar with design thinking, they may struggle to approach design problems in a systematic and user-centered way. Design thinking is a problem-solving framework that focuses on understanding the needs of the users and iteratively developing solutions that meet those needs. Without an understanding of design thinking, a designer may rely on their personal opinions and assumptions about what users want, rather than conducting research and testing their ideas with real users. This can lead to designs that are not effective or efficient, and do not meet the needs of the intended users. It’s important for designers to understand design thinking in order to create effective, user-centered designs.

Mistake #6: Relying too much on technical skills

I was now familiar with all major design systems and the language, process and problem solving aspects of designing.

What I failed to realise, what you cannot move or influence people in yor organization with knowledge of Design alone. You need to craft soft skills to nurture relationships with stakeholders like Business Analysts, Product Managers, Developers, Businesses.

As our island of knowledge grows so does our shore of ignorance. I was only building relationships vertically i.e Bosses and Reportees. Success in any organization requires you to build Horizontal Relationship with other team members.

Mistake #7: Ignoring the power of Influence

If you want to be heard you need to have the power to influence design decisions. Almost everyone has an opinion on design. You need to craft strategies to defend design decisions in a practical way and ensure you don’t puncture your relationship along the way.

As a UX designer, having the power of influence can be an important tool in your arsenal. Influence can help you to:

• Drive User-Centered Design: By using your influence to advocate for user-centered design principles, you can help to ensure that the design process is focused on meeting the needs and goals of the people who will use the product or service.
• Secure Budget and Resources: By demonstrating the value of UX design to stakeholders, you can use your influence to secure the budget and resources necessary to carry out research and design work effectively.
• Build Strong Relationships: By building strong relationships with stakeholders and colleagues, you can use your influence to effectively communicate the value of UX design and to encourage collaboration and buy-in from others.
• Foster Innovation: By using your influence to encourage risk-taking and experimentation, you can help to foster a culture of innovation within your organization. This can lead to new and exciting design solutions that meet the needs of users in new and innovative ways.
• Drive Change: By using your influence to advocate for change and to push for the adoption of new design processes, tools, and techniques, you can help to drive progress and innovation in the field of UX design.

In short, the power of influence can be a powerful tool for UX designers, allowing them to drive user-centered design, secure resources, build relationships, foster innovation, and drive change.

Mistake #8: Not Focusing on Softskills

As a UX designer, having strong soft skills can bring numerous benefits to your work and overall success in the field. Some of the key benefits of soft skills for UX designers include:

1. Improved Communication: Strong communication skills help UX designers to effectively convey design concepts and ideas to stakeholders, colleagues, and clients. This can lead to better collaboration and understanding, and can help to build trust with those you are working with.
2. Enhanced Empathy: Empathy is a key component of design thinking, and it allows UX designers to understand the needs and perspectives of users. By developing empathy skills, UX designers can create more user-centered designs that meet the needs of the people who will use them.
3. Better Problem-Solving: Soft skills like critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and adaptability can help UX designers to approach design challenges in new and innovative ways. This can lead to more effective and efficient design solutions.
4. Improved Teamwork: Strong interpersonal skills, such as collaboration and leadership, can help UX designers to work effectively with cross-functional teams and to build strong working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.
5. Better Time Management: Effective time management and organization skills can help UX designers to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and manage their workload more efficiently.

In short, having strong soft skills can enhance a UX designer’s ability to collaborate effectively, solve complex problems, and create user-centered designs that meet the needs of users.

Mistake #9: Ignoring the Agile Philosophy.

Knowledge of Agile methodology is important for UX designers because it provides a framework for delivering high-quality products that meet user needs in an iterative and collaborative manner. Some of the key benefits of understanding Agile for UX designers include:

• User-Centered Design: Agile emphasizes a user-centered approach to product development, which aligns well with the principles of UX design. Understanding Agile can help UX designers to ensure that the design process is focused on meeting the needs and goals of the users.
• Faster Iteration: Agile methodology allows for quick iteration and delivery of working software in short cycles. This can allow UX designers to test their designs and make modifications more quickly, leading to a better user experience.
• Improved Collaboration: Agile methodology emphasizes collaboration between team members, including UX designers, developers, and stakeholders. Understanding Agile can help UX designers to work effectively with cross-functional teams and to build strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Better Integration with Development: Agile methodology integrates design into the development process, allowing UX designers to work closely with developers to ensure that designs are properly implemented. This can lead to better alignment between design and development, and to a better end-product for the user.
• Increased Adaptability: Agile methodology is designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing for changes and modifications as the product evolves. This can be particularly valuable for UX designers, as they can respond quickly to user feedback and iterate on designs as needed.

In short, understanding Agile methodology can help UX designers to deliver user-centered designs more efficiently, to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, and to ensure that designs are properly integrated into the development process.

Mistake #10: Not Managing Calendar for Deep Work and some Headspace!

Deep work and a clear mind are important tools for UX designers to maximize their productivity and creativity. By engaging in deep work, UX designers can eliminate distractions and distractions, allowing them to focus deeply on their design work. This can lead to better problem-solving, more efficient design, and higher-quality output. A clear mind, free from stress and distractions, can also help UX designers to think more creatively and to approach design challenges with a fresh perspective.

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