It’s killing your growth as a designer and what to focus on instead!
Picture this: You’ve just spent 14 hours perfecting your latest UI design. Every pixel is pristine. The micro-animations are chef’s kiss. You even hid a little Easter egg—a cat chilling in the sidebar because, well, the internet loves cats.
You hit “Publish” on Dribbble with the confidence of someone who just created the next design revolution.
Then reality hits.
I refreshed that post 12 times in one hour. Three likes. One from my cousin (bless him). One from myself (desperate times). One from what I’m pretty sure was a spam bot with a anime profile picture.
Sound familiar?
In that moment, every junior designer’s worst fears came flooding in:
Do I even know what I’m doing?
Why did I choose this career?
Should I just sell mangoes instead?
Okay, maybe that last one was just me—but you get the point. Here’s the thing: We’ve all been there. But that crushing feeling? It’s not about your design skills. It’s about a dangerous trap every creative falls into.
The Popularity Trap
Why your brain is lying to you!
What I experienced that day wasn’t creative failure—it was the Bandwagon Effect in action. This cognitive bias tricks us into believing that popularity equals quality.
Think about it: How many times have you seen a mediocre design with thousands of likes and thought, “Maybe I’m missing something”? Or dismissed your own solid work because it didn’t go viral?
Our brains are wired to seek social proof. When something doesn’t get applause, we assume it’s worthless. But here’s the truth bomb that changed my perspective:
The number of likes doesn’t equal the number of lives improved.
If one person quietly used your design and felt empowered by it—you succeeded. Period.
That dashboard you spent weeks perfecting? Maybe it helped a small business owner finally understand their analytics. That simple form redesign? It might have saved someone 30 seconds of frustration every day.
That’s real impact. And it’s invisible to the like counter.
Breaking Free: 3 Questions
That will transform your design approach
So how do we escape this popularity prison? Start every project with these three fundamental questions:
1. WHY does this need to be designed?
Dig deeper than “it looks outdated.” What specific problem are you solving? What pain point are you addressing? If you can’t articulate the “why,” you’re designing decoration, not solutions.
2. WHO is struggling, and how can we make it easier for them?
Real people with real problems. Not personas in a PowerPoint. Actual humans who will interact with your design on a Tuesday morning when they’re stressed about deadlines. Design for them.
3. HOW do we measure success beyond aesthetics?
Conversion rates, task completion time, user satisfaction scores, reduced support tickets—these metrics matter more than any design award. Define success before you start designing.
Handling the “Make It Pop” Moments
You’ll face resistance. A CEO who wants more “WOW factor.” A stakeholder chasing the latest design trends. A client who saw something on their competitor’s website and wants “exactly that, but different.”
This is where your design maturity shows.
Don’t get defensive. Don’t compromise your principles. Instead, become their guide:
Educate them on the real problem you’re solving
Show them how good design works invisibly
Demonstrate the difference between pretty and functional
Prove your approach with data and user feedback
Remember: Anyone can make something look cool. It takes skill to make something work beautifully.
Validation That Actually Matters
People Over Posts: The most successful designers I know rarely post on social media. They’re too busy solving real problems and measuring real impact.
Here’s your new validation framework:
Define the Problem Clearly
Write it down. If you can’t explain the problem in one sentence, you don’t understand it well enough to solve it.
Prototype Smart Solutions
Start ugly. Start fast. Start with the core functionality. Polish comes later.
Test with Actual Users
Watch their eyes light up when it works. Listen to their “aha!” moments. That’s your applause. That’s your validation.
Forget the heart emojis. User success is the only metric that matters.
Show the Journey, Not Just the Destination
When you do share your work, don’t just post the final polished UI. Tell the story:
The problem that kept you up at night
The constraints that forced creative solutions
The failures that taught you something new
The moment when everything clicked
The impact it made (even if small)
People connect with struggle, growth, and authentic problem-solving. They scroll past perfect gradients.
This approach does three things:
Builds your reputation as a thoughtful designer
Attracts better opportunities from people who value process
Inspires other designers who are fighting the same battles
The Quiet Path
Finding peace in purposeful work
In a world obsessing over viral content and public recognition, choosing substance over spectacle can feel lonely. But it’s also liberating.
When we feel unseen or unappreciated, this verse brings perspective:
“Indeed, Allah does not let the reward of the good-doers go to waste.”
Surah At-Tawbah (9:120)
Not every effort will be visible to people. But every sincere effort is seen by the One who matters most.
Design with ikhlaas (sincerity). Design for real people. Design to ease someone’s day—even if no one claps.
Your New Creative North Star
The next time you’re tempted to chase trends or design for applause, remember this:
You’re not designing for likes. You’re designing for lives.
That quiet satisfaction of solving a real problem? That’s worth more than any viral post.
The grateful email from a user who said your design made their job easier? That’s worth more than any design award.
The knowledge that you spent your day making the world slightly better? That’s worth more than any social media metric.
Take Action: Your Next Steps
Audit your current projects: Are you solving real problems or creating digital decoration?
Find your users: Talk to one person who actually uses your designs this week
Measure what matters: Define success metrics beyond aesthetics
Share your story: Write about one problem you solved, not just what you made
Remember: If your work doesn’t trend online, it doesn’t mean you’re falling behind. You’re just walking a quieter path. A deeper one.
And that path? It leads to the kind of career that fulfills you long after the likes stop coming.
Ready to design with purpose? Start with problems, not pixels. Your users (and your future self) will thank you.
