Working solo?

If you’re in the situation where you’re the only designer on a project or in a team, you’re likely to struggle to obtain the level of critical feedback needed to really help push you and your work.

This is where your Design Buddies come in handy. There are hundreds if not thousands of other designers in the world in similar situations to you. You can borrow their minds to help obtain their insights and ensure that you don’t find yourself ‘stuck in a rut’.

How can you find these people? Start by joining design communities where sharing and feedback is encouraged. Our industry is really unique in that there’s such an accepted foundation of sharing and collaboration unlike any other. Designers are incredibly supportive of each others work, and yearn with a genuine passion to help make everything the best it can be.

When I found myself working on the UI and UX aspects of an iOS app for the first time with a real client, I knew I wouldn’t be able to entirely rely on my own assumptions and ideas. I didn’t have the experience or knowledge to fully sell my designs to my colleagues or the client and ensure they were best for the end users.

I started by posting rough screenshots and mockups to design Slack channels and listening intently to the feedback other designers were giving me. Often it was bittersweet. I’d be disheartened at how an idea I’d thought was good, would be discouraged. Yet almost every time it would lead to newer and better ideas being developed and brought to the table. They made me really think about my work in ways I’d never come close to considering.

The designs I ended up pitching were effective and well thought-out. I could backup all of my decisions and choices, and even explain variations I’d tried and why they weren’t quite right.