Hi, I’m Hazel. I’m a product designer. Previously, I worked in construction for three years.
Here was my day-to-day like: making sense of different drawings, drafting a project timeline. And that’s it! Quite boring. But I’m proud of my experience. Every day, I was problem-solving under pressure, understanding projects holistically, and translating them into actionable plans. This experience shaped how I think naturally, and it helped me bring a systematic approach to UX design.
Despite having those transferable skills, I still lacked confidence. Simply because I’m moving into a new area, with no industry experience, I’ve never done a design project before. So when I first started, I tended to stay quiet in meetings, always worried about saying the wrong thing and being judged.
It’s true, experience can build confidence over time. But here’s the problem: how much experience is enough? 2 years, 5 years? As juniors, we can’t afford to wait years to find our voice and start making an impact.
What if we could build that confidence from day one?
I want to share two common challenges that pretty much every designer will face at some point, what I’ve learned to turn those moments into growth opportunities, and to build confidence.
So here’s my first story.
I once worked with a senior PM, who is super experienced, but sometimes can be quite stubborn and opinionated. One time during the meeting, I spotted an issue with the design as it’s not accessible for users on smaller screens.
I thought my suggestion would be welcomed and appreciated, since I was flagging a critical usability issue, and we still have time to fix it before development. What surprised me was that he turned down my suggestion on the spot and insisted the customer could just use a bigger screen instead.
It took me a few moments to process, as his tone of voice is commanding. I felt off guard, and didn’t know how to respond. As a junior, I didn’t have enough confidence to convince him on the spot. Knowing it could be problematic for the user, I realise I need to find another way to approach this conversation.
Here’s what I’ve done after the meeting:
- I’ve created an alternative design,Squeezed in a testing sessionWorked with the Tech lead to make sure the new design wouldn’t delay the project timeline.
I scheduled a separate meeting with the PM, presented my idea with evidence, and successfully convinced him.
As a junior, it’s natural to feel intimidated when you need to challenge stakeholders who are much more senior than you. What I’ve learn from this experience was:
Sometimes it’s better to find a different approach that can help you overcome the fear and get your points across.
Let's talk about another common challenge.
As designers, we often need to share our work and seek feedback from stakeholders. But sometimes, things don’t go as planned — people might zoom in on tiny details, or shift the conversation to another topic that’s outside of the scope.
I’ve been through this situation. When it first happened to me, I felt so overwhelmed and started to second-guess myself: “Did I miss something important? Is my design off-track?” As you can imagine, I didn’t get the feedback I needed, simply because the meeting was running out of time.
One time, I was working on a project where the business was trying to improve the payment experience for the customer. As part of the design process, I scheduled a review session with stakeholders, planning to get a sentiment check on different design options.
During the meeting, the team was fixated on this topic about the payment methods prioritisation. I thought it was useful feedback, since it helped me understand the business priorities and which options they wanted to promote. So I let the conversation flow.
But as the meeting continued, one person shifted the entire focus to copy usage. And it escalated quickly when people began voting on their preferred wording options. I acknowledged it’s a good discussion to have, but it’s not the feedback I was looking for at that stage.
Although it’s quite overwhelmed, I managed to drive the conversation back on track by repeating the meeting objective, and eventually got the feedback I wanted.
Don’t be afraid to set the boundaries and guide the conversation if needed.
Towards the end, I would like to share with you what works for me and helps me grow:
When facing confrontation at work
- Don’t feel pressured to win every battle immediatelyIf you can, try to gather evidence and find someone to back you upAnd resolve the issue at a later date
When seeking design feedback
- Keep your objective crystal clearSet yourself a mental filter to identify relevant vs irrelevant conversationDon’t be afraid to interrupt and redirect if the conversation goes off track
As a junior, it’s normal to feel uncertain, fearful, and inadequate. But we could still take small actions and build the confidence we need.
Don’t wait to feel confident to act confidently.
How to level up your confidence game? was originally published in UX Planet on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
