Your UX teams were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should
The race in digital evolution: When “Can We” overshadows “Should We” in product design.
Do you remember what happened in “Jurassic Park”? The scientists there, driven by the desire to recreate something “great,” were so engrossed in whether they “could” resurrect dinosaurs that they completely ignored the question of whether they “should.” The consequences were catastrophic. An innovation that seemed like a miracle led to chaos, danger, and destruction, because there was a lack of deep ethical and systemic consideration of the risk.
In the world of UX design, we face a similar dilemma. Every day we are bombarded with new tools, AI solutions, “trendy” approaches, and business requirements. In this race to be “innovative” and to “can” everything, we often forget to ask ourselves the most important question: ”Should we?”
The Tool Obsession: When Luster Blinds the Foundation
The design industry today is captivated by new software innovations and AI capabilities. Tools emerge that promise to create a design, website, or application “with a few clicks” or “in minutes,” thanks to AI prompts. The presentations from these companies are dazzling, showing how “magic” happens before your eyes.
- Unrealistic Expectations: Especially for novice designers, this can create unrealistic expectations. They believe the profession is easy — you just learn Auto Layout in Figma, master components, add a few AI prompts, and you’re done. They invest time and money in tool courses, but often lack the most important thing: the foundation. What is design? How is it done? For whom is it done? And most importantly — why is it done? This is like buying the most modern microscope but having no idea about biology. You can see cells, but you don’t understand what life is.The Illusion of the Easy Path: This obsession with tools can obscure the need for a deep understanding of user psychology, research methods, information architecture, and ethical principles. Yes, you can “create” a design in minutes, but will it be usable, meaningful, and sustainable? Will it solve a *real* problem, or will it just add another “dinosaur” to the park of digital chaos?
Blindly Following Trends: Design Without Thought or Context
Another challenge is the imposition of “trendy” approaches by large tech companies. When you see the latest “clean” interface from a big company or a new visual concept like Apple Liquid Glass UI (presented at WWDC 2025, for example), many designers worldwide immediately begin blindly copying that style. They do so without considering whether it is appropriate for their specific product, user, or context.
- Lack of Critical Thinking: This “blind following” of trends is dangerous. Instead of being creative, thinking critically, and adapting principles to specific needs, you become executors who merely copy. A good designer doesn’t just know how to do something, but why and whether it is the right solution for a particular problem. The only thing that can save the world from another unnecessary product or service is the critical thinking of designers.A Conversation with Your Manager: Imagine your manager comes with a link to the latest trendy design and says: “I want our site to look exactly like this! It’s so clean and modern!” Instead of replying “Okay” or “It’s impossible,” you could say: “I understand how impressive this design is! It looks great. To ensure we achieve the same effect but also make it work for our users, we can explore the core principles behind it and how they fit into our user context. Let’s see why this design works for them and whether it will solve our problems before implementing it directly.” This approach shows that you are open to the idea, but also strategically inclined to adapt it.
The Price of Obedience: The Designer’s Ethical Compass
Here we delve into one of the most difficult and important aspects: ethics in design. Many designers compromise with requirements that contradict ethical principles, just to keep their jobs. They think: “If I don’t do it, someone else will.”
- Design Under Duress: When a business asks you to design something manipulative, or that pushes the user towards undesirable actions, you are at a crossroads. Your responsibility as a UX designer is to be the advocate for the user and to fight for ethical solutions.The Consequences of Silence: If you agree to create such a design, you are not just performing a task — you are actively participating in manipulating people. This harms users, erodes brand trust, and in the long run, damages the business. Remember that your career and reputation are built upon the choices you make.
Products That Create Problems: The Illusion of Innovation
Today, many companies are obsessed with the idea of creating “just another product or digital service that the world can’t live without.” They invest millions in marketing to convince people to buy the latest gadget or subscribe to another app that supposedly solves all their problems.
- Focus on Output, Not Value: Often, these companies are created solely for the purpose of being sold and acquired by others, without creating real, long-term, and useful value for users. They bombard people with notifications “so they don’t miss something important,” then offer a “Do Not Disturb” feature, and finally tell you: “Buy the new model where AI personally decides for you which notifications are important and which are not.” This is a vicious cycle where the product creates the problem, and then sells its “solution.”Intentional Complication: Often, design is deliberately made more complex, rather than simpler. Problems are artificially created and then products that “solve them” are sold, instead of improving current products and services. Why? Because that way more can be sold, more engagement (even negative) can be generated, and it can appear “innovative.”The Door Design: An Example of Failure: Don Norman, one of the pioneers in UX, has a famous thought about door design: ”When a device as simple as a door has to come with an instruction manual — even a one-word manual — then it is a failure, poorly designed.” The focus here is not on inventing more complex doors, but on making existing doors (products/services) more intuitive and easy to use. When users have a problem, don’t give them a “manual,” but fix the “door handle” — that is, improve the basic design.
The Designer’s Path: Choice and Responsibility
The path of a UX designer is not trodden. It is filled with choices, responsibilities, and consequences. Yes, there will be mistakes, there will be difficulties. But what matters is to recognize the weight of our decisions, to know our users in depth, and to be ready to take full responsibility for the path we create with every interaction.
Your UX Path, Your Conscience:
- Be an agent of maturity: In every company you are in, you can influence design maturity and ethics. Start with small, yet impactful changes. Show the value of UX through measurable results (e.g., improved conversion, reduced support inquiries).Educate and engage: Don’t just impose UX; educate colleagues and managers. Involve them in the research process (let them see users) and testing. When they “see” the problem, they will more easily accept the solution.Balance between ethics and business goals: Your task is not to choose one at the expense of the other. The goal is to find balance. Good UX that serves the user is always also good for the business in the long term. Argue with data on customer retention, reduced maintenance costs, and building brand trust.Continuous Improvement: The world is changing. Good designers continuously develop their skills in research, prototyping, testing, but most importantly — their critical thinking, empathy, and ability to influence.
Choose to design with ethics, with awareness, and with genuine care for the user. Because your choices don’t just change a product; they change a world — the world of the people who use it.
What is your opinion? Do you believe that “walking makes the path” in your career? What is the biggest responsibility you feel as a designer? Share in the comments! 💬👇
Your UX teams were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if… was originally published in UX Planet on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
