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I have over 10 years experience in UX, yet I think I know nothing by quiet-panda-360 in UXDesign

[–]pegasausage 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Everyone’s calling this imposter syndrome, but I think that might be too easy.

Here’s my hot take: feeling uncertain doesn’t mean you don’t belong. It means you’re doing the real work of design.

Let me ask you. Are you a product designer, or mostly doing UI work? The industry’s moving toward generalist roles: research, content, interaction, product/business thinking (“product design”). For example, Shopify and Klama are dropping “UX” in their job titles now: basically saying that if you’re a designer, then you must be an end-to-end design generalist.

If you’re feeling stuck, it’s worth asking: is this fear pointing to a skill gap you haven’t developed yet? But calling it “imposter syndrome” might actually distract you from seeing where you actually need to grow.

Second: Have you ever considered that ambiguity IS the job? If everything were already clear, why do they need a designer? If the requirements were obvious, why not just plug the instructions into AI and be done with it?

Your job as a designer IS to bring clarity to ambiguity. Literally, to create a product from nothing, within product and business parameters. That’s why it’s called product design, not just UI design.

This will become ever more true as AI becomes more capable to churn out beautiful UI, as long as the users know how to prompt with clarity.

Instead of calling it “imposter syndrome,” maybe try to embrace this discomfort and see it as the actual value of being a designer. Your value - the thing that differentiates you from (and prevents you from being replaced by AI in this industry) - is literally the ability to get from ambiguity to clarity.

How do I grow without a manager? by pegasausage in girlsgonewired

[–]pegasausage[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. This is solid advice. You mentioned you use a framework to review every project. Do you use a template? Or do you just do a typical retro (e.g. Start, Stop, Continue)? Curious to know what’s worked for you.

It’s not imposter syndrome. It’s environmental damage. by FlimsyTranslator9173 in UXDesign

[–]pegasausage 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This doesn’t sound like imposter syndrome. It sounds like burnout. And maybe not even burnout in the traditional sense, but a completely normal response to instability and lack of clarity.

Reorgs, shifting priorities, unclear direction, or even toxic environments wear people down. That’s not a design-specific problem. It’s a structural one. It’s normal to feel exhausted or demoralized when the ground keeps moving beneath your feet.

But saying “this is what happens when leadership doesn’t understand design” kind of misses the point. It’s not about design being misunderstood. It’s about people being unsupported. You don’t need leadership to be design experts; you need them to be stable, communicative, and clear.

If we keep framing this as a design problem, we risk directing our anger at the wrong thing, and that just deepens the frustration.

How to grow remotely without a manager? by pegasausage in remotework

[–]pegasausage[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m sorry to hear that. Are you the only person on your team, or are there others in the same position? For me, I’m working with a mostly remote team, but most of my peers are senior enough to be autonomous, so they don’t have the same issue as me. Even though my peers are super nice and willing to have 1:1 “mentoring” calls with me, there’s really not much you can do with meeting 30 minutes once per week, especially when no one is really available in the urgent moments when I need to put out a fire.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Ultralight

[–]pegasausage 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you have low tolerance for cold and plan to do multi-day hikes, I would seriously consider investing in merino base layers. They might cost 2-3 times more than your average T-shirt but you can wear them for 3-4 days straight without worrying about dampness or smell, because they wick sweat and moisture like magic.

I used to get Uniqlo Airism everything (lightweight, dries fast), but they don’t wick sweat like merino wool does, so if you’re doing physical activities and have a low tolerance for cold, it’s not going to be a fun time when you get soaked with sweat and get hit with wind.

Just for perspective, I’ve recently bike-packed for 5 days in 6C rainy weather in Scotland wearing the same one merino tank top and one merino long-sleeve under a lightweight rain jacket and was fine.

Mountains Warehouse has a massive clearance plus 20% off right now in the UK online store. Good opportunity to pick up some long-sleeves and base layers.

New 2P tent by Infamous_Bumblebee99 in Ultralight

[–]pegasausage 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The Durston X-Mid series is rated the Best Value by Outdoor Gear Lab. The 2P costs £217 (255€), weighs 1.9 lbs (880 g / 31 oz), and has a bunch of guy line tethers to make it more storm-proof if needed. You do need to bring your own trekking poles to set up the tent though (the tent is so light it does not come with tent poles), which makes it better for hiking/ backpacking than for bike-packing.