I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and it’s becoming more and more clear to me: good design isn’t about making things complicated. And it’s definitely not about worshipping Figma or the latest trendy framework.
I work as a Product Designer in a startup and, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over time, it’s that most of the time the most useful thing you can do is simplify. Design only what’s necessary, understand the problem, make clear decisions, and help the team move forward without turning everything into a drama.
Design isn’t a performance
Very often I feel like design has become some kind of performance. We talk too much about processes, components, workshops, tokens, design systems, ideation sessions, testing, feedback loops… and meanwhile, no one is actually solving anything. It all becomes theoretical, complex, perfect on the surface, but disconnected from the real product.
You don’t need to bring out the double diamond every time someone speaks up. You don’t need four weeks of research to move a button. You don’t need to justify every single decision as if you were writing an academic paper. What you do need is to think clearly, talk to your team, understand the context, and design something that actually works. Nothing more (and nothing less).
Yes, visual design does matter, but it’s not always the top priority. Sometimes the most beautiful thing is just getting things done, keeping momentum, and solving problems.
Stop designing for the Figma file
I’m also getting a bit tired of the cult around Figma. That moment when it seems like “good design” means having a spotless file, perfect autolayouts, endless variants, and carefully named components… but then the user has no idea what to do on the screen. Everything might be neat inside Figma and still completely misaligned with the product’s reality.
We’re not designing to get likes from other designers on Linkedin. We design so that someone out there understands what they can do, how to do it, and why it matters. That doesn’t come from making things pretty, it comes from making thoughtful decisions.
So no, I’m not that interested in whether your design is a visual masterpiece. I care if it’s a good decision. One that unblocks the team. That helps everyone breathe. That solves something. That adds value.
Because in the end, design is not about you. It’s about the team. It’s about the product. It’s about the user. And if you can do that without overcomplicating it… even better.