Nobody becomes a UX designer without scars. In the early days of my career, I thought design was about making things look beautiful and mastering the latest Figma plugins. I was wrong.

True UX design isn't about the interface; it's about the thinking that happens before you ever touch a canvas. Looking back, there were four major mistakes that slowed me down, and I see designers making them every single day.

1. Designing First, Thinking Later

I used to jump straight into high-fidelity mockups. I wanted to see the final product immediately. But without a solid foundation of "why," I was just drawing pretty pictures that didn't solve anything. Now, I know that the most important work happens in the research and wireframing phases.

2. Focusing on Visuals Instead of Problems

It is easy to get distracted by gradients, shadows, and perfect typography. However, I eventually realized that users don't care about my UI skills—they care about solving their problems. If the user can't find the "Submit" button, it doesn't matter how beautiful the button is.

3. Ignoring Research

I used to rely on my "gut feeling." I thought I knew what the user wanted. Ignoring research is the fastest way to build a product that nobody uses. Data and user feedback are the only things that should drive your design decisions.

4. Overcomplicating Solutions

In an effort to look "innovative," I would add unnecessary steps and features. I've since learned that good UX is invisible. If a user notices your design, it’s usually because it’s getting in their way. The best solution is often the simplest one.

The Turning Point

Everything changed when I understood that my job wasn't to "design," but to provide clarity. These mistakes weren't failures; they were the lessons I needed to move from a pixel-pusher to a problem-solver.