The product designer's Lens

"The most powerful tools a product designer wields have nothing to do with Figma. They are not software, but a way of seeing. They are the facets of the unique lens through which a designer perceives the complex, human reality of their work. A designer's true value lies not in the polish of their pixels, but in the clarity of their lens."

"As my previous article highlighted, every member of a team is building a slightly different product in their own mind. Getting alignment is essential to rowing in the same direction. A verbal agreement isn't tangible. Written text is useful, but it is not close enough to the real product we are all striving to create. To bridge this gap, designers need an artefact (or specification), something tangible that represents the experience as closely as possible. It is the closest we..."

Designers derive their greatest value from a perceptual lens rather than interface tools. Four core tools form that lens: a tangible specification that aligns team mental models, a disciplined habit of asking questions to surface assumptions and constraints, a mindset focused on influencing outcomes and driving change rather than merely producing artifacts, and an ethical compass to navigate trade-offs and human impact. The specification functions as the closest representation of the intended experience, enabling concrete alignment. Questioning reveals the real problem and prevents premature solutions. The mindset and ethics guide sustained, responsible design influence.

Read at Medium