You Suck as a Design Leader

"We seem to have found ourselves in an era where clout matters more than productivity, and when Design's productivity and impact is questioned, we somehow re-direct that discomfort and blame our Engineering and Product counterparts (or other happenings in the industry) for not enabling us to be more productive. "We're not the ones touching the code or deciding the business, so it's not our fault." or "AI is replacing designers!" or [Insert office politics statement here]."

"This article won't start out well, because I'm sort of at rock bottom in my career and it seems that I'm projecting my frustrations of the industry out in the open. But I promise you, my rants are merely neutral observations and opinions. I love talking to people, and over the last 2 months of unemployment (I am now employed), I called upon designer friends all in Asia and Europe."

Career reached rock bottom and recent unemployment prompted conversations with designers across Asia and Europe. Collective feedback indicates design leadership favors clout over measurable productivity. Designers experience career setbacks and redirect responsibility for limited impact onto engineering, product teams, or external forces like AI. Common defenses include claims about not touching code, not deciding business priorities, or blaming office politics. The dynamic undermines accountability and inflates rhetoric about threats such as AI. The prevailing culture values visibility and influence more than tangible outcomes, harming design's effectiveness and career trajectories.

Read at Medium