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Designers, what are you fighting for?

Are you fighting for design? Or are you fighting for your designs?

Michael McWatters
UX Collective
A photo illustration of a cat swiping at the air.
©2023 Michael McWatters

If you’re fighting for design, you’re in the wrong place. Go where you’re valued. More specifically, go where design is valued. But if you’re fighting for your designs, congratulations! You’re in a place where you get to argue the merits of your work rather than the merits of your profession.

The right fight

Maybe you think you shouldn’t have to defend your work. Maybe you think that having to fight for your ideas means you’re not valued. Maybe you think having your recommendations overruled occasionally is a sign of disrespect. That’s flawed thinking.

Ask any designer who’s worked in a place where design isn’t valued. They’d kill to have a conversation about their work rather than wondering why they were excluded from another strategy meeting. You don’t get a free pass on your work just because your title includes the word designer. Designing is just one step in the process. Defending your work, and arguing its merits—that’s a critical skill to hone and one that will define the arc of your career if you’re a strategic designer.

Professionals of every stripe have to prove the merits of their work, and they don’t always get their way. That’s just how…

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Published in UX Collective

We believe designers are thinkers as much as they are makers. Curated stories on UX, Visual & Product Design. https://linktr.ee/uxc

Written by Michael McWatters

VP, Product Design at Max | HBO Max. Formerly TED. Better after a nap.

Responses (1)

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for sharing your experience with this topic. Out of curiosity, what prompts did you use to get that first draft of the design documentation? I’m interested mainly in how you refined your prompt for a better result.

The idea of somebody always online and looking for information or relevant research to answer your questions is revolutionary. This is one of the greatest strengths that ChatGPT provides. - I love this .Thanks for sharing

🤯👀 omg! Technology is just mind-blowing! It's incredible what chat GPT can do these days! 🤖👏