More effort ≠ better quality

As a designer, especially early in your career, the core battle you face is effort.

You might catch yourself asking: How much effort did I put in today? Can others see it? Are tasks executed perfectly? Did I miss anything on my checklist?

This is common, particularly for designers who are just starting out. The trap is seeing design as a role of deliverables rather than outcomes. You land a role and want to impress. Wanting acknowledgement is human, but it can misdirect effort.

Part of the problem comes from not understanding your own worth as a designer. Without a clear sense of what your skill and time deliver, it’s easy to over-invest in tasks that don’t actually move outcomes forward.

This mindset doesn’t start on your first day. It begins at home, continues through school and university, and can follow you into your career unless you break the pattern. Often it’s based on doing what’s “good” in your group and being rewarded for it.

Example: Studying design at college

You’re asked to create a grocery list app for a smart fridge. Timeline and deliverables are clear. You follow the usual steps: Discover > Define > Ideate > Prototype > Test > Iterate.

It works, but it treats an abstract problem with a concrete solution. You finish, get praise, add trendy animations, and it looks "impressive."

The issue

When design is treated as a series of tasks, effort often goes into the wrong places:

• Complex animations that just look cool

• Trendy visual tricks

• Overworking a hero section with bells and whistles

• Endless comparisons of small variations

• Mistaking complexity for skill

Breaking out of this isn’t hard, but it requires attention. Early in your career, strategic involvement is limited, and flashy design is often what’s expected. Agency is essential. Show disinterest and just “get it done” repeatedly, and you’ll be left out of strategy conversations.

Try the following

1. Ask questions based on outcomes, not outputs

2. Learn the numbers: track your designs post-launch and reflect

3. Recognize that effort shows up beyond the screen: thinking, debating, researching, meetings, building robust systems

4. Apply thoughtful constraints to focus your effort and avoid wasted complexity

To close this out: effort does not equal quality. More layers, animations, or flashy details do not make you a better designer. What matters is focused, thoughtful effort. Every design problem is a chance to exercise your reasoning and guide everyone toward the best outcome.