Design lost its seat at the table

We used to be problem solvers that the entire room of stakeholders listened to with awe. Now we’re figma drag & droppers. Instead of awe we only get:

Slap our design system on it and shut up!

You can pretend that’s not the case because YOUR particular organization still pretends to do “UX” but the trend is there. More and more companies skip research, copy entire flows, and “slap a design system on it”.

Let’s see the timeline.

2000's

Early 2000’s were a time of fun exploration.

Web design was all about trying new, crazy things and seeing what happens. There were no strict UX processes yet, but people used what worked and in many cases, it did overlap with what was to come.

It was a wonderful time with plenty of job offers, stability, and just plain fun.

I got my first industry job in 2001.

It was a designer/developer combo because back then that’s what designers did — coded the frontend. I replied to a job offer and went for an interview.

I was the only candidate so I was hired almost instantly.

2009

In 2009 The Golden Age of UX started.

If you were able to badly sketch a grey wireframe you were more valuable than someone who can design a beautiful website and code it.

Companies were obsessed with UX and paid great.

This is when design became an integral part of most businesses. They assumed that they couldn’t afford to miss out on this trendy new thing called “learning from users and making adjustments”.

Of course, the research-design-research cycle has existed before, but now it has a name and a lot of complex industry words to make it sound smarter.

And it did have an effect on the bottom line of most businesses, albeit at a cost. Yes, UX did improve, optimise, and help them earn more money.

But then something happened…

We reached maturity

The industry has matured. Most design solutions were discovered and are now simply duplicated.

Sure, there are the occasional problems that still require smart people to do smart things, but they’re not the majority.

Almost all new products are a version of something that has existed before. Some may argue that it’s been like that forever and iteration is a standard part of innovation.

Sure. Maybe. But with design, it seems to have stopped at a point of least current friction and became financial optimisation at all costs.

Fast has replaced good

We have extreme consistency at the cost of less insightful products being built. You simply can’t build an awe-inspiring building with just regular hollow bricks.

It’s not just design systems, it’s entire, familiar flows that are being repurposed over and over.

UX process ad 2024

It really does work this way in an increasing number of companies:

• Here’s what we want to build. App N did it.

• Ok, let me plan it out.

• No need, just copy their flow and slap our design system on it.

There is no time and no money to do things the old-fashioned way.

Now it’s all about efficiency. That is also being justified by Jakob’s law — why innovate if this is what people already know how to use?

Solutions?

I believe the solution is innovation. But that won’t happen in those optimisation-obsessed big and medium-sized companies.

This innovation has to come from the bottom up, not the top down.

There are brands that are trying new things and experimenting (like AirBNB for example) but they’re rare and difficult to get to.

If you’re a beginner or a mid-level designer looking to build the future the right way you basically have two choices:

1. Join a company and try to convince them about the long-term benefits of innovation NEXT to their existing optimisation machine.

2. Start your own small agency and build cool s#!t.

What would I pick?

If you don’t know the answer then you’re probably new here. Welcome! Nice to meet you!

Of course, I’d go with two. With the recent layoffs (260K in 2023 alone according to Layoffs.fyi) big brands aren’t really safe anyway. It’s false security that makes you complacent.

Go solo! Freelance. Make cool stuff. Break cool stuff. Make less money but have the freedom to do things your way.

Most industries are not for everyone either.

Now I understand that’s not for everyone. Running a business is hard. It requires marketing, sales, and constant tension on whether you’ll get enough clients.

But life is competitive. Most industries are not for everyone either.

Which kind of designer are you?

Figma-obsessed, design-system drag & dropper?

Or an actually creative person trying out new things to see what works and why?

That question is becoming more and more relevant nowadays when “design” doesn’t have a regular seat at the table anymore.

It’s more like that much shorter, children's seat so only your chin reaches above the tabletop. And they gave you some Helium to inhale before the meeting just because they think you’re hilarious that way.

And most times you speak up, the adults in the room shush you into silence.

Shh!

Focus

Instead of mindless optimization focus on NEW ways to create value — across the board. Not just SAVING money but MAKING money.

Small businesses have more freedom and wiggle room to actually do that.

And no! No dark patterns!

Let’s discuss this together, I appreciate all perspectives so we can learn and grow together.

Community Says

• nikhil_khemaria: a UX designer I'm just starting up..... What more could I do to make myself in the top 5% of designers?
• Michal Malewicz: Start with doing some FREE work for nonprofits - they always require help - may not even be UX but graphic design but doesn't matter. You gain experience both in real terms AND experience for your resume. 2-3 projects and you're already WAY in the top 5% of people because most are lazy and don't want to do that free work. They just wait for a miracle.

---

• fel.castt: my current challenge is the increased expectation to generate creative, out-of-the-box designs—immersive and explosively styled. I feel I might be playing it too safe or sticking to flat designs. What recommendations do you have, Michal?
• Michal Malewicz: Flat is ok for most part, and what a design first and foremost has to do is to provide some solution. The styling is more of an emotional connection kinda thing. It can still be out of the box with the information architecture for example! Explore! :)

---

• r4mih: With that being said will UX be viable in the next 5 years? And is it worth pursuing from no experience in 2024? Seems like roles will only be for senior designers soooner later
• Michal Malewicz: That's where it's heading yes. But you can still become a senior(level) designer in 2-3 years if you grind hard. I think 2024 to start is likely the LAST possible time and it will require you to live/breathe design for two years to master it. Taking it slow is out of the question. If you really want to do it and believe in both it and yourself then go ahead!

Liked the article? Share it!