Building confidence in UX

Having started in graphic design (primarily print and branding) I became uncomfortably familiar with the concept of the ‘skill gap’. When designers first get into the field, it’s usually because they appreciate good design. They see it, recognize it, and want to create work that lives up to their standards.

The skill gap is that space between your own ability and your taste. Ira Glass created a brilliant video about ‘The Gap’, which I’ve returned to many times. In my early years especially, I found a lot of comfort in it, but I still do.

How to build confidence while you’re in the (extra messy) UX skill gap

In UX, the same gap exists, but on a messier, wider scale. There are so many elements that have to come together to make an experience successful, and even when you achieve it, there’s iteration and adjustment to follow.

Take ownership of your mistakes (both to yourself and others)

It’s easy to blame other parts of the team you worked with to soften the personal blow to your ego. When you stop blaming engineering, QA, the client – you start looking at ways that you could have made it better. It’s not fun, but it’s not going to kill you to have a little humility.

When you do this openly with others, it may feel vulnerable at first, but they can help you look at it from a different perspective. Maybe you could have documented specs more clearly, or checked in more regularly. It also builds trust – they know you want the best, and you’re willing to take responsibility of what needs to change on your end.

Recognize that being disappointed in your work is a good thing

It means you’re learning. You’re progressing. You’re already able to see how you’d make a better decision next time.

Stop thinking of anything as ‘done’

Digital products evolve, circumstances change, insights can come after a project is ‘complete’. Leave the door open for refinement. You might even build feedback loops into your product or KPI structure with the expectation that you’ll revisit and improve over time.

In one project I worked on with the University of Calgary, we were building a tool that required signifiant behaviour change to make it a success. We had an honest and open conversation about the challenges and set expectations. While we wanted KPIs, we also had to keep in mind that it’s a big lift, and we might have to pivot down the road. The result was a KPI reporting method that allowed pivot points and flexibility, so we could revisit and perfect during rollout and adoption. This method made it clear that we’re not done at ‘launch’, but we need built in feedback methods to make meaningful adjustments as we go.

Don’t be afraid of setting realistic expectations, establish a grounded way to measure success, and leave the door open for ongoing feedback and iteration.

Think deeply about what inspires you

It’s easy to see something and think, “I want to create that.” But without digging deeper, that can lead to chasing surface-level UI trends.

Take the glass morphism trend for example – sure it was ‘cool’ when it first came out, but it comes with so many complications. From WCAG accessibility standards, to rendering issues in varied devices – the overall consensus is that it detracts from the user experience.

Instead of adopting trends blindly, stay questioning. What problem was it solving? How did the team arrive at that solution? Was it driven by user needs?

The goal is to improve with each project. Keep learning from what you create and what you observe. Stay flexible, reflective, and patient with yourself.