Reuben Abraham

This made me think of something I keep coming back to from McKinsey’s Business Value of Design: the cost of getting design wrong isn’t just a bad experience. It’s having to go back and fix it later. Maybe that’s a bit of traditional design thinking, but things are cyclical, after all. AI can get us to something that looks finished incredibly fast. But skipping the work upfront doesn’t necessarily make the process faster. It might speed up the build, while slowing down the PDLC as a whole. If we skip understanding the problem, questioning assumptions, and validating what we’re building, we’re not eliminating rework. We’re just getting faster at creating it.

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One of the things I’ve come to appreciate more as a Product Designer is the importance of a PRD (Product Requirements Document). Because without understanding what we’re building, who we’re building for, and why we’re building it, I’m basically designing based on vibes. A PRD gives me the context before the canvas. It helps me understand the problem, requirements, users, and goals before I start making things look pretty. And honestly? The better I understand the problem, the better my design decisions become. So these days, before I touch Figma, I’m asking “What exactly are we trying to solve?” Designers, what’s one thing you wish you understood earlier in your design journey? #MeetWorkGrow

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Now I’m teaching my third batch of Product Design course students. Before that, I taught 7 groups on a UX course. Both courses are for designers with experience. But I’ve noticed a few frustrations that are similar for most of them, even for professionals with 5 years of experience in design. And it’s not about AI at all. So, I decided to share my thoughts. Maybe they’ll be useful to you. I’ll start with the most frequently mentioned one. The main question I hear at the start of each group is: How can I “sell” my solutions to stakeholders? I’ve met a lot of colleagues in tech and management who consider designers to be artists. “Designers create pictures,” they say. And a lot of designers blame these guys for having such an attitude. But what if it’s the designer’s fault? What if we’ve created this perception through the way we communicate? To fix this, I’ll share a few tips: Forget design language. Talk about your solutions in terms of toggles, screens, buttons, etc. only with other designers. Business thinks about money. Tech guys think about tech stuff. Users want their JTBD to be completed. There is no pixel language in any of these fields. Prove it to yourself first. Why did you end up with this solution? You have to have a bulletproof answer to this question, which should be asked dozens of times during the design process. If you can’t prove to yourself that you’re right, how can you even think about bringing it to the table as a final solution? Success metrics are our queens. If there is no understanding of what exact bar we should reach to consider our solution successful, it’s a sin to even think about starting to build the solution. It’s OK to say NO. The discussion of any solution should be structured. The arguments should be based on facts, numbers, information, and experience. The weaker argument loses; the strongest wins. And it doesn’t matter who the author is. Have you ever had problems “selling” your solution?

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Mastering the craft vs. Mastering the interview. This is a masterclass in UX navigation. Whether you’re looking for your next challenge or aiming to lead more effectively in your current seat, this guidance is right on the nose.

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