Transforming Challenges into Growth: A Designer’s Guide to Maturity
- Soo Kim
- Aug 28, 2024
- 6 min read
The Essence of Maturity in Design
Am I a mature designer?
This is the Peter Pan story. This Peter Pan is this magical boy, and he’s the boy that won’t grow up. and he’s magical. Well, that’s because children are magical. They can be anything. They’re nothing but potential, and Peter Pan doesn’t want to give that up.
Why? He’s got some adults around him, but the main adult is Captain Hook. Well, who wants to grow up to be Captain Hook? First of all, He’s got a hook, Second, he’s a tyrant, Third, he’s chased by the dragon of chaos, with the clock in its stomach, the crocodile. It’s already got a piece of him. That’s what happens when you get older. Time has already got a piece of you.
I am starting this article with the story of Peter Pan. Because the topic I would like to discuss today is about “maturity”, especially as a designer. In the realm of design, maturity transcends traditional labels like “junior,” “mid-level,” or “senior.” These titles often denote experience and skill, but they don’t necessarily reflect a designer’s ability to navigate the intricate web of professional dynamics effectively. So, what does being a mature designer really entail? It’s about more than just experience; it’s about the wisdom and grace with which you handle your responsibilities and relationships.
Mature designers always keep themselves constructive
People are literally conflicting with you all most of the time. Do you think that the reason you are in conflict is because you did something wrong? Do you want to blame someone for all the chaos happening around you? Perhaps you are in a completely normal situation.
Especially in the tech industry and within product teams, designers are often put in a position where they have to resolve many conflicts while working in collaboration with project managers, engineers, and other stakeholders. Being a mature designer means having the ability to resolve these conflicts and navigate the dynamic environment effectively.
Mature designers always keep themselves constructive, despite any pressure and tension, tight deadlines, conflicts with people, and working with individuals with difficult personalities. They are determined to create something substantial and achieve tangible results. To do this effectively, mature designers do not bring their egos into conversations. And if they do, they at least recognise it and try to minimise its impact.
Handling conflicts is an arduous skill. It’s important to separate your childhood trauma, personal characteristics, likes, dislikes, and other personal biases from your professional interactions. The good news is that maturity is akin to a muscle in your mind and can be developed through continuous practice, much like how we develop our physical muscles through repetitive exercise. Through this training, designers gain internal instruments to resolve various conflicts. This journey towards maturity begins with acknowledging one’s own immaturity and having the intention to grow.
Striving for maturity is not a choice but a necessity for designer
In the story of Peter Pan, we saw earlier, Peter refuses to sacrifice his childhood to become an adult like Captain Hook and instead becomes the king of Neverland, the land of lost boys. Nevertheless, Neverland does not exist! If we, as designers, also fail to face this topic of maturity and refuse to sacrifice ourselves in the name of “potential,” the consequences may be detrimental in many ways. Therefore, striving for maturity is not a choice but a necessity for us — it’s just a question of how to achieve it in your own way.
For example, in the early stages of my career, one of my weaknesses was my inability to face criticism. When someone challenged my design, I used to get easily hurt and intimidated. Because I hadn’t trained myself on how to react to this feedback, I either quickly compromised with my design proposal, even if I didn’t agree with the direction internally, or, on the contrary, became overly competitive to stick to my point. Neither of these was a good solution. All of this had been a shadow aspect for me that I was unable to properly discover and develop, and it hindered my professional and personal growth.
Such an attitude couldn’t be maintained forever. Trying to avoid conflict ultimately leads to bigger problems. I realized that this was having a negative impact not only on myself but on the entire business, including destroying group dynamics, distorting good intentions, and ruining brilliant initial ideas. I needed a new framework for dealing with conflict. To become a mature and professional designer, I had to face many difficult situations and deal with all kinds of complex problems and situations that I had never dealt with before.
On the contrary, if we build the muscle and system for accepting feedback and criticism from others, we can effectively double the performance of our work. Whenever we are making a design decision, we can truly invite different perspectives, taking multiple people into our conversation throughout the journey. With the proper inner instruments, you are the one who’s still making decisions while not fighting back against others’ perspectives. In this process, no opinion is the absolute answer, and just because your opinion is challenged does not mean your proposal has been denied. This is because our designer’s work environment is always a process of coordinating various opinions and adjusting different perspectives. It’s about piecing together all those different angles. Ultimately, maturity in design involves not just surviving conflicts but thriving through them.
What you need is a perspective shift
The first step on the journey to maturity begins with truly acknowledging that you are immature. Perhaps the fear and despair that you can’t survive if you do not change your immature attitude may also help you embark on the journey to maturity. Either way, once you acknowledge this, the opportunity to grow is in front of you.
Starting this journey, what you need is a perspective shift. It is a change in your perspective on conflict, pain, and adversity, and a change in your attitude toward difficult people who are challenging you. The principle is simple. If there are things you can and cannot change, what you need to do is focus on the things you can change. If all the conflicts and pressures surrounding you are an environment you cannot change, the most powerful weapon you can control is your mind.
Once any difficulty or conflict arises in your work, these may be your first instinctive reactions: “Everything is in hell.” “Nothing is working.” “I’m so tired.” “I don’t want to do anything.” Instead, by shifting your mind, you can see all these conflicts as growth opportunities that will mature you. If you meet someone who is difficult to work with, take it as an opportunity for you to grow. The process of changing your perspective is definitely painful because it requires you to sacrifice a certain part of yourself. But when you endure that time and move forward step by step, you will get to the stage where we can go through all those conflicts with ease.
Before you finish working at the end of the day or during the weekend, take a short moment of reflection to ask yourself when you felt stressed or tense. If you have a piece of paper and a pen nearby, write it down. This can help you take a step back from the chaos and tangles of emotions, and gain a third-party perspective on your actions and reactions. This short reflection time will help you spot moments of tension right away and make conscious decisions. Here are some key questions you can ask yourself:
Lastly, keep putting yourself out there. Hiding yourself and not expressing your thoughts and opinions is always more dangerous than saying anything, even if you feel like it sucks before you go to sleep. Continuously exposing yourself to small conflicts here and there helps build your mind muscles. The muscles developed in this way will later play a big role in overcoming more complex problems and situations.
“Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations.” — Samuel Ullman
Navigating through difficult situations and conflicts doesn’t just enhance your professional abilities; it also strengthens your personal growth. Consciously reflecting on your daily interactions can open doors to self-awareness and maturity. Maturity is a journey, not a destination. It is a personal journey that enhances every aspect of your life.
Embrace the process, celebrate your progress, and remain committed to continuous self-improvement. The road may be challenging, but the rewards are unparalleled. The next time you find yourself in a difficult or conflicting situation, remember Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Reflect on whether you’re holding onto the magical, endlessly potential-driven childhood, or if you’re ready to navigate the complexities of adulthood. The choice is yours, and the journey to becoming a truly mature designer starts now.
Some links and resources on Maturity in Design:
Effective conflict resolution is a key trait of mature designers
Mature designers avoid letting their ego interfere with their work
Maturity involves continuous self-improvement and reflection
Mature designers see conflicts as opportunities for growth
Mature designers maintain a constructive attitude under pressure
Article Written by Soo 🧙 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/soo-kim-503820142/). Product Designer with a Masters’ in Entrepreneurship. Soo is an advocate for democratisation of UX and art of storytelling into design, ensuring design process are meaningful and exciting to build trust, empathy and relationship.
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