Noobest thing you can do as designer
Noobest thing you can do as designer
The first is getting a Mac...
“Beast Designer in the house baby” 😎
Now I need a Mac, iPhone blah blah …
That’s how a junior designer feels after making a portfolio or some UI screen on Figma.
Being a UI/UX designer is much more than saying
I’m an expert at Figma
I know all the design principles
Reading Steve Job books
All of these will not make you a designer, It’s good to learn them but it’s much more than what you think.
I have been in the design industry for more than 10+ years and have designed more than 500+ products through Team Codesign and the biggest mistake junior designers make is :
“Explaining EVERYTHING to Potential Recruiters or Companies”
I know It’s natural to explain everything you know because, in the end, we all want to impress clients, recruiters or whoever we are pitching to..
But here's where many junior designers go wrong: they end up explaining everything.
Why Over-Explaining is a Problem?
Information Overload
Let’s say you are working on the Notification drawer, the natural extinct inside you would want to explain every type of notification you considered from alerts to promotional messages.
But explaining everything to a recruiter or clients will make them overwhelmed because they don’t have much time to hear what you have to say and you need to be concise.
Even when I was a Junior designer and when someone would ask me to pitch my design to clients or recruiters, here’s how the answer would be:
"For this notification drawer feature, I began by researching how users interact with notifications, interviewing 25 users to understand their preferences. I created detailed journey maps for various use cases, focusing on how users dismiss, expand, or interact with notifications. I started with low-fidelity wireframes in Figma and then transitioned to Sketch to design the UI. Based on user testing feedback, I went through four iterations, adjusting padding, icon sizes, and spacing between notifications.
After that, I reworked the typography hierarchy for better readability, experimented with five colour schemes for the notification backgrounds, and tested several styles for the expand/collapse button. I created a prototype in InVision, which I shared with stakeholders who requested more changes. I also refined the micro-interactions for smooth animation and optimized the performance for faster load times before delivering the final design."
No No, it’s not your fault, we all start and learn by making mistakes.
The mistake in the above statement is👇
The recruiter doesn't need to know about whom you talk to which colour choices you made and the pixel you chose.
Instead of going all in about explaining every type of notification, shift the focus to the user journey.
What happens when a user clicks on a notification?
Where does it lead, and why?
This explanation shows how your design decisions impact the user experience without overwhelming them with technicalities.
The better way to answer the above questions is 👇
“I designed notification cards for six different types of alerts, adjusting padding, margins, and colours for each. I created user flows for each scenario to ensure they had the best user experience possible.”
Or
“When a user clicks on a notification, they’re taken to a detail page. My focus was on ensuring a seamless transition, keeping users engaged and informed throughout the journey.”
When you explain the flow and logic behind your solutions you're showcasing your ability to think critically about user experience.
2. Making Your Process Seem Complicated
If you explain every adjustment and feature in detail, it can make your process seem overly complex.
Let’s say you are explaining another example: The options for notification, such as “mark as read” or “delete.” Rather than listing each functionality you built, explain why you included them and how they impact the user.
The bad approach is to explain like:
"I included multiple functionalities for the notification drawer, such as 'mark as read/unread,' a 'delete' option, and a swipe gesture for dismissing notifications. I spent a lot of time refining the placement of these options to make them easily accessible.
I tested different icon sizes and button placements, and I experimented with varying swipe speeds and distances to ensure that users could interact smoothly. I also optimized the animations for each action to create a fluid user experience. Finally, I made several iterations to adjust the haptic feedback when users swiped to delete or marked a notification as read."
The good way is:
“I included functionalities like ‘mark as read/unread’ and a ‘remove’ option. I went through several iterations to optimize each interaction, ensuring smooth usability.”
Or
“I prioritized functionality based on user needs, including ‘mark as read’ and ‘delete,’ which were validated through user testing as essential for reducing clutter.”
Focusing on why you made those decisions conveys that you’re thinking strategically, not just technically.
As I said earlier, Instead of telling everything,
Focus on What Really Matters
Explain the Impact on whatever you have made, for instance, you made a Notifications drawer (keeping the same example to make it easier to understand)
Why was this notification drawer important for the business?
How did it impact user behaviour or engagement?
Don’t just talk about design features; talk about the results your design achieved.
Did user interaction improve?
Did the business see better outcomes as a result?
For Example: “By improving the notification drawer, I reduced the drop-off rate by 15%, increasing user engagement significantly.”
One of the most important thing and easiest ways many people make mistakes is, by explaining every layer of design, which is not important at all…
Now the Most Important thing: “How to Avoid These Mistakes”
1. Focus on the Why
Explain why you made certain design decisions, not just what you did.
For example, when discussing a notification drawer, instead of explaining every interaction, focus on the logic behind your choices like 👇
“I implemented notification functionalities based on user testing insights, prioritizing features that enhanced user engagement and minimized confusion.”
2. Focus on Impact
Think about the results, not the process. Did your design increase conversion rates, enhance user engagement, or solve a critical user problem?
Like 👇
“My redesign of the notification drawer led to a 20% increase in user retention within the first month of launch.”
Sooooo Instead of building many portfolios or UI screens, focus on one good project and understand every detail aspect of it so that the next time when you present your portfolio or discuss a project you will understand how things change according to the audience and their preferences.
“Great design speaks through outcomes, not over-explanation.”
Thanks for reading, and keep designing with purpose!
Before we say the final goodbye to today’s topic, here are 5 Interesting things I came across last week 👇
If you liked the “reading experience” please share this with a friend. It would mean the world to me❤️