Thread by @berkun

1. Have you been frustrated by how little your coworkers understand about the value of what you do?

If you're a UX designer, you're an expert. But there's a trap in how this expertise is taught that works against you.

This thread explains what to do about it.

2. Design books/courses are design-centric, but the world isn't. Orgs are business, tech or mission centric. Collision-warning!

"I have to explain my value? And work uphill for respect?"

Yes. The sheer numbers make this likely! But do not despair.

3. We imagine our coworkers should *already know* about design. But how could that possibly happen? Who would have taught them?

We're trained with the presumption non-designers should magically know things - but is that how we approach designing products for people?

4. Designers have and always will be in minority numbers compared to other job roles - designers should be taught/designed for this situation! It's the reality.

But somehow our culture snubs it - avoids it. How does this help the mission of design? It doesn't. It holds us back.

5. Design culture sets designers up to feel lost in their careers. We're conditioned to blame the world or ourselves but both are unhealthy and work against us.

There is another approach to feeling less lost and to finding your way. I explain it here.

scottberkun.com/2021/the-lost-…

6. We're taught to be plan makers, but not makers of decisions. Why?

What's the dream that made you want to be a designer? What skills best serve that goal in your workplace?

scottberkun.com/2021/are-you-a…

7. There are well-known tactics that aren't hard to learn for design influence. And you don't have to be an extrovert.

It starts by seeing this as a problem to try and solve - designers are great problem solvers, we just have to choose it.

scottberkun.com/essays/18-stra…

8. Everyone hates work politics, but that hides some important things designers need.

There are always many opinions about design, which means we need to be good at studying the landscape our ideas will have to live on.

scottberkun.com/2018/why-desig…

9. Practically speaking the way forward only has a handful of paths.

https://twitter.com/berkun/status/1143221872638586880

10. The approach every UX designer should know comes from the history of how this has always been done.

This is about human nature. We can be good at this. Anyone can learn to improve their influence - here's a guide for designers.

scottberkun.com/2021/the-insid…

11. I wrote the book *How Design Makes The World* to solve these problems - it teaches designers better ways to explain what we do. AND you can read it with your teams.

designmtw.com