"You just finished a design project. And it was a mess. Timelines constantly shifted. Stakeholders disagreed, going back and forth. You made calls without enough data to support them. Maybe the final design wasn't what you wanted. Now comes the hard part: thinking about how you're going to talk about it in your portfolio or case study. Most designers have one basic instinct in this scenario: clean it up. Tell the story as if there was no conflict, no missteps, and a smooth experience."
"That instinct will cap your design career. After talking with 28 design leaders, one thing is clear: designers are now working with more uncertainty. Between unclear ideas, 'AI sketches' we're forced to untangle, tight constraints, and messy projects, it's harder than ever to offer clarity. So, the designers who deliver, despite all the mess? They're the ones who are considered most valuable on the tough job market."
A finished design project can be chaotic, with shifting timelines, stakeholder disagreements, and decisions made without sufficient data. Designers often feel compelled to sanitize case studies and hide conflicts, missteps, and compromises. That impulse can limit career progression. Current design work carries more uncertainty due to unclear ideas, messy 'AI sketches', tight constraints, and tangled projects. Employers prefer designers who can deliver results despite messy conditions because they demonstrate resilience, problem-solving, and the ability to create clarity from ambiguity. Hiring favors those who can navigate and communicate through complex, imperfect processes.
Read at Medium
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