"Spoiler alert: It ain't great. Hence the article. 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.""
"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"
Design leadership increasingly values clout and visibility over measurable productivity and impact. Many designers experience career stagnation and frustration as leadership structures shift priorities. When design outcomes are questioned, teams often deflect responsibility toward Engineering, Product, AI, or office politics instead of addressing internal processes. Conversations across Asia and Europe reveal consistent concerns about accountability and cross-functional enablement. Unemployment and job transitions have intensified scrutiny of leadership choices and their effects on individual careers. The result is weaker design influence, reduced collaboration, and eroded career momentum for numerous practitioners.
Read at Medium
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]