"This article won't start out well, because I'm sort of at rock bottom in my career and it seems that I'm projecting my frustrations of the industry out in the open. But I promise you, my rants are merely neutral observations and opinions. I love talking to people, and over the last 2 months of unemployment (I am now employed), I called upon designer friends all in Asia and Europe to get their opinion"
"on the current state of Design leadership and how it has impacted our careers. Spoiler alert: It ain't great. Hence the article. We seem to have found ourselves in an era where clout matters more than productivity, and when Design's productivity and impact is questioned, we somehow re-direct that discomfort and blame our Engineering and Product counterparts (or other happenings in the industry) for not enabling us to be more productive."
A designer experienced unemployment, then regained employment after two months and consulted designer peers in Asia and Europe about design leadership and career effects. Design leadership now often values clout over measurable productivity, which undermines design's perceived impact. Designers commonly redirect accountability toward Engineering, Product, or external factors like AI when productivity and impact are questioned. Office politics and claims such as 'we're not touching the code' or 'AI is replacing designers' serve as deflections that erode responsibility. These dynamics contribute to frustration, career stagnation, and a need for clearer accountability and measuring of design contributions.
Read at Medium
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