Some of the constraint that a lot of designers feel is mostly created by siloing ourselves into the terms/roles of "product, UX/UI, interaction" designers. Especially the term "product," which has nothing to do with the craft of design at all. A multidisciplinary approach helps which getting back to the craft of design. I think that design craft is about execution, but to your point, it shouldn't exclude all of the things that enabled the execution to happen (the "soft skills"). I think the question for all designers to ask themselves is if designers are defining what it means to be a designer (purpose and value), or are we allowing jobs, companies, or the industry to define it for us.
Really like this perspective, thanks for sharing! You make a good point about who we let define our roles - is it us who drives or the industry. I think it's because we never defined the role ourselves or have a clear manifesto, it just becomes whatever the industry wants it to be. For example, I started out as a UX designer but along the way learned I have higher jobchances and better compensation when I call my role "product designer".
The tech industry (which is mostly concerned with only a small subset of what design encompasses) is definitely all about product design over the past few years, and it really aligns more with business needs than anything else. I had a similar experience as you — higher employment opportunities and higher pay for that specific title. The term isn't evergreen though, and the industry is starting to change the definition of it again.
This 100%! I’ve always described design as being the closest fit for me but was never the best fit, for all the reasons you listed. So glad others feel the same!
"With giving in to the speed and convenience that AI promises, we’re giving up on our own willingness to learn, to think and to stick with a task when it gets challenging." - awesome, I agree with this thought 100%!
As a fellow product designer who also enjoys the strategic parts of design and who has felt like a "misfit" before, this resonated 100%!! Thank you for sharing, Maureen!
this really hit home, Maureen. the brick-and-mortar analogy is such a great way to think about it. And I love your take on AI—not as a threat, but as something that could free us up to focus on the human side of design. Excited to keep following your writing—thank you for sharing this! 😊
I used to be a brick designer (given how I grew up with rigid academic path) until I started working in early stage startups I find myself more of a mortar designer. I call myself multidisciplinary designer because I’m interested in too many things, seems like mortar designer fits as well
I’ve always been a rebel if I do say so myself. Thanks for this read, this puts things in perspective.
Also, soft skills is a misnomer: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danpontefract/2023/03/27/its-about-time-we-abandoned-the-term-soft-skills/
interesting article - thanks so much for sharing!
Love the blog banner and such an amazing read! You might like this piece from Luis Ouriach too: https://read.cv/disco_lu/craft
Thanks for sharing this!
ah, great read! thanks so much for sharing!
Some of the constraint that a lot of designers feel is mostly created by siloing ourselves into the terms/roles of "product, UX/UI, interaction" designers. Especially the term "product," which has nothing to do with the craft of design at all. A multidisciplinary approach helps which getting back to the craft of design. I think that design craft is about execution, but to your point, it shouldn't exclude all of the things that enabled the execution to happen (the "soft skills"). I think the question for all designers to ask themselves is if designers are defining what it means to be a designer (purpose and value), or are we allowing jobs, companies, or the industry to define it for us.
Really like this perspective, thanks for sharing! You make a good point about who we let define our roles - is it us who drives or the industry. I think it's because we never defined the role ourselves or have a clear manifesto, it just becomes whatever the industry wants it to be. For example, I started out as a UX designer but along the way learned I have higher jobchances and better compensation when I call my role "product designer".
The tech industry (which is mostly concerned with only a small subset of what design encompasses) is definitely all about product design over the past few years, and it really aligns more with business needs than anything else. I had a similar experience as you — higher employment opportunities and higher pay for that specific title. The term isn't evergreen though, and the industry is starting to change the definition of it again.
This 100%! I’ve always described design as being the closest fit for me but was never the best fit, for all the reasons you listed. So glad others feel the same!
I've been reading comments here and on LinkedIn and turns out: many people feel this way! It's quite a relief - cheers <3
@Devlin Moore
"With giving in to the speed and convenience that AI promises, we’re giving up on our own willingness to learn, to think and to stick with a task when it gets challenging." - awesome, I agree with this thought 100%!
As a fellow product designer who also enjoys the strategic parts of design and who has felt like a "misfit" before, this resonated 100%!! Thank you for sharing, Maureen!
this really hit home, Maureen. the brick-and-mortar analogy is such a great way to think about it. And I love your take on AI—not as a threat, but as something that could free us up to focus on the human side of design. Excited to keep following your writing—thank you for sharing this! 😊
I used to be a brick designer (given how I grew up with rigid academic path) until I started working in early stage startups I find myself more of a mortar designer. I call myself multidisciplinary designer because I’m interested in too many things, seems like mortar designer fits as well
totally resonate with this <3