Why we hold ourselves back and how to get out of your own way

1. 2ReasonsWhyProduct
DesignersStruggleto
“JustGetStarted”
Whyweholdourselvesbackand
howtogetoutofyourownway
Designin48
AndredelaCruz

2. Design should be fast and messy, but
it is too often
because most designers
struggle with “just getting started.”
because our egos are tied
up in the work.
slow and precious.
Slow
Precious
Design in 48
Andre de la Cruz

3. Waitingfor“enough”
information
Asdesigners,wetendtoresist
operatinginaworldwhereour
collaboratorsdon’tfollowthe
“propersteps.”
And,morespecifically,aworldwhere
wedon’thave .
perfectinformation
Struggle#1
AndredelaCruz

4. Struggle#1:Waitingfor“enough”information
Tip1
Whenyoufeellikeyoudon’tknow
enoughtostart,consider..
Whatdoyouknow?Canyou
workwithwhatyouhave
Whatinformationdoyouneedto
getstarted?Canyougogetit
yourself
Whatassumptionscanyoumake
topushforward?
AndredelaCruz

5. Struggle#1:Waitingfor“enough”information
Tip2
Makemoreassumptions.
Getcomfortabletakingwhatyou
knowandextrapolating,topush
yourdesignworkforward.
Willyougetsomethingswrong?
Probably.ButI'dbetyougetmore
rightthanyouthink,andyoumight
sparksomeinteresting
conversations.
AndredelaCruz

6. Struggle#1:Waitingfor“enough”information
Tip3
Stopthinkingofmockupsasthe
endgameorfinaloutcome.
Instead,thinkofmockupsasatool
tofacilitatebetterconversations
withyourteam.
Visualizingideasispowerful,and
mockupsarefasttomakeandeasy
tochange—usethattoyour
advantage.
AndredelaCruz

7. Struggle#1:Waitingfor“enough”information
Stopwaitingfor
perfectinformation,or
permission.
Justgetstarted,onyourterms.
AndredelaCruz

8. Letting ego drive
Our ego can compel us to wait too
long to share our work with others,
because we’ve
It can even lead us to
: maybe a part
of the project that’s easier, more fun
to work on, and let’s us showcase our
visual skills—but isn’t the most
critical challenge to tackle first.
set our bar too high.
choosing the
wrong place to start
Struggle #2
Andre de la Cruz

9. Tip 1
Get comfortable doing, and sharing,
mediocre (even bad) design.
It is normal that your first ideas aren’t
your best ones.
Y
ou get through the bad ones, to get
to the good ones; that is just a natural
part of the process.
Struggle #2: Letting ego drive
Andre de la Cruz

10. Struggle #2: Letting ego drive
Tip 2
Be ok with not having the answer
right away.
Instead, learn to facilitate better
working sessions with your team, to
arrive at a solution together.
Being the idea person is overrated.
Being an effective facilitator and
synthesizer of ideas for your team is
a way more valuable skill.
Andre de la Cruz

11. Struggle #2: Letting ego drive
Tip 3
Do design work, that aren’t
mockups in Figma.
“Craft” is more than visual design.
Stop using hifi mockups as a crutch
to prove you’re a good designer.
Maybe the challenge at hand is more
IA or IXD than visual; you might
consider wireframes, user flows, or
developing taxonomy.
Andre de la Cruz

12. Struggle #2: Letting ego drive
Tip 4
The key to overcoming creative
resistance—your insecurity, self-
doubt, and perfectionism—is to
take your ego out of it.
Break down the challenge in front of
you, pick a place to start, pick a tool
from your toolbox, time box the
effort, share early and often, and
enjoy the process.
Andre de la Cruz

13. Struggle #2: Letting ego drive
Here’s an affirmation,
for the next time you’re in front of a
mirror:
“I design to solve problems for
people. My designs don’t need to be
perfect or pretty to have value, but I
am capable of making pretty things,
when I so choose. I am a good
designer, and I am enough.”
Andre de la Cruz

14. Design in 48
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Started”
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Andre de la Cruz