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Understanding how to prioritize makes you a more effective designer
Everything can’t be the top priority, or else nothing is
“So…who am I supposed to prioritize?” I said in response to a ridiculous requirements spreadsheet.
User needs for two distinct users were mashed together on there. One user group was people who had just gotten a bachelor’s degree. The other were users that had 10+ years of experience. While their needs weren’t exactly at odds, lumping them together created a whole lot of chaos.
However, rather than focus on the spreadsheet, I want to focus on the prioritization question.
That’s because Designers are often bad at asking that question while they work.
When everything is the top priority, nothing is
I’ve met designers who presented 25 user findings, with each finding being a critical priority. I’ve also met designers who would try to build a single design for multiple user groups.
Not to mention designers who build portfolios, including two pages of context before discussing what you did.
It never works. While that might have been okay in 2019, the state of UX in 2025 is so different that these methods do not work.
You need to consider priorities now more than ever for a couple of reasons:
- You are likely stretched a little thin or have limited budgets
- UX needs to justify its value to business instead of just being a craft
- You don’t have the resources to fix everything
So, what often stops designers from prioritizing? In many cases, it’s fear of making a decision.
Whether you believe ‘prioritization is a Product Manager’s job” or “I’m terrified of suggesting the wrong thing,” this fear often paralyzes designers from making reasonable requests that are more likely to be approved.
If that’s the case, here’s what can help.
