Every professional field is plagued by myths, but in design—a field that sits between business, technology, and art—these misconceptions can actively undervalue our strategic contribution. It's time to debunk the common assumptions that limit a designer's true impact.

Myth 1: "Designers Just Push Pixels"

This is perhaps the most frustrating misconception. It reduces a complex, multi-faceted role to mere execution.

• The Reality: The visual outcome is the result of deep, thoughtful work. UX design involves strategy, psychology, information architecture, research, and anticipating user needs. Branding yourself as a UX Designer is crucial because it implies the vast thought process that goes on "under the hood" of every design decision.

Myth 2: "Designers Should Code"

The belief that designers must also be proficient front-end developers is pervasive, but often misguided.

• The Reality: While understanding technical constraints is beneficial, designers should focus on their core strength: solving user problems and defining the experience. As the document notes, designers should do what they are best at. There is plenty of design work that doesn't require code, and specialisation often leads to higher quality outcomes.

Myth 3: "Design is Too Expensive (It’s an Upfront Cost)"

This view sees design as a luxury expense to be cut when budgets are tight.

• The Reality: Design is not a cost; it’s an investment in risk reduction. It's far cheaper to figure out workflows and fix usability issues early in the design stage (before code is written) than to re-engineer complicated work later. In fact, studies show that every $1 spent in UX can yield an ROI of $100.

Myth 4: "The User is Always Right"

While a user-centered approach is foundational, taking every single piece of customer feedback literally can lead to poor decisions.

• The Reality: Users are excellent at articulating their problems, but often terrible at prescribing the solution. As the famous Henry Ford quote suggests, "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." A designer's job is to analyze the root problem behind the request and design a better solution.

Myth 5: "Fewer Clicks is Always Better"

The pursuit of minimal clicks is a common goal, but it can sometimes sacrifice clarity for speed.

• The Reality: Design decisions should be based on cognitive load and context, not just click count. If an extra click is necessary to provide clear, reassuring information (like a confirmation screen or a summary), the user often doesn't mind, making the overall experience better and reducing errors.

Designers are not just decorators; we are problem-solvers, strategists, and business drivers. It’s time to move past these myths and recognize the strategic value we bring to the table.