Every designer knows the feeling.
A product launches and, within minutes, the internet becomes Creative Director. Social media, comments, colleagues, users – everyone has an opinion. And, for some reason, the negative ones always seem to have the loudest microphone.
Before pointing the finger at the designer, it’s worth pausing for a second.
Designers aren’t artists creating for self-expression. We solve problems for clients, users, and businesses. Every product is shaped by business goals, budgets, technical constraints, timelines, accessibility requirements, stakeholder feedback… and occasionally that one person who insists the button should be just a little bit bigger.
We bring our expertise to every project. We challenge decisions, advocate for users, defend our ideas, and push for the best possible outcome.
But we don’t always get the final say.
The product belongs to the client – not the designer.
People get especially emotional for well-known brands as we all feel connected to products we use every day, so it’s easy to think, “Who thought this was a good idea?” The reality is, we don’t know the brief, the commercial pressures, the technical limitations, or the hundreds of conversations that happened before a single component was created.
Great design is always collaborative. And collaboration usually means compromise.
So the next time you see a design you don’t like, don’t ask, “Who designed this?”
Ask instead, “What constraints were they designing within?”
Chances are the designer probably tried making the logo smaller but the HiPPO won.
#UXDesign #ProductDesign #UIDesign #DesignLeadership #DesignThinking #UserExperience #CreativeProcess #FreelanceDesignerBefore criticising a design, remember this: you’re probably not seeing the whole story.
Every designer knows the feeling.
A product launches and, within minutes, the internet becomes Creative Director. Social media, comments, colleagues, users – everyone has an opinion. And, for some reason, the negative ones always seem to have the loudest microphone.
Before pointing the finger at the designer, it’s worth pausing for a second.
Designers aren’t artists creating for self-expression. We solve problems for clients, users, and businesses. Every product is shaped by business goals, budgets, technical constraints, timelines, accessibility requirements, stakeholder feedback… and occasionally that one person who insists the button should be just a little bit bigger.
We bring our expertise to every project. We challenge decisions, advocate for users, defend our ideas, and push for the best possible outcome.
But we don’t always get the final say.
The product belongs to the client – not the designer.
People get especially emotional for well-known brands as we all feel connected to products we use every day, so it’s easy to think, “Who thought this was a good idea?” The reality is, we don’t know the brief, the commercial pressures, the technical limitations, or the hundreds of conversations that happened before a single component was created.
Great design is always collaborative. And collaboration usually means compromise.
So the next time you see a design you don’t like, don’t ask, “Who designed this?”
Ask instead, “What constraints were they designing within?”
Chances are the designer probably tried making the logo smaller but the HiPPO won.
#UXDesign #ProductDesign #UIDesign #DesignLeadership #DesignThinking #UserExperience #CreativeProcess #FreelanceDesigner