Beyond Pretty Interfaces: The Evolution of the Modern Designer
In an industry that increasingly values versatility, mastering adjacent skills like product thinking can elevate you from a tactical designer to an influential strategic force
Several years ago, I was finally assigned to lead the MVP of my first big client. I was so eager to prove myself that, despite the project being an internal tool, I came up with a few novel ideas based on features I had seen in consumer products. This approach would surely improve the day-to-day work for this small user base, right?
During the stakeholder meeting, I excitedly presented bold feature ideas with seamless transitions, deep care for usability, and an aim for delight. Unsurprisingly, most of those ideas were rejected since timelines and budgets are almost always constraints in software development agencies. Although it seems obvious in hindsight, I was surprised at how easily the ideas were shut down.
This is how I learned that great design is about more than just aesthetics, which kick-started a journey to improve my communication skills and better understand how to make successful products, also known as product sense. Let’s explore how adjacent skills like these can make a powerful combination to go from tactical designer to strategic thinker.
Reframing Design Problems
Although the word “product” is already explicit in the role of Product Designer, early in our careers, we tend to dismiss the needs of the product and the business. As we gain experience and perspective, we learn to see problems through different lenses.
Things started to make sense when I first saw this famous (and sometimes controversial) Venn diagram. The most important shouldn’t be which word goes at the center but rather how the overlap of lenses like desirability, feasibility, and viability create better products than apart. Essentially, moving from merely “how it looks” to understanding “why it matters” to everyone involved, not only the user.
This seemingly simple diagram helped me shift my mindset, especially in the discovery phase. I invited engineers early on to ideate before opening Figma, and I asked the PMs to get involved in product conversations where design wasn’t even discussed. Still, it helped me make design trade-offs throughout the entire system.
The next time I led a multi-year project for an enterprise client, I was better equipped to approach the problem from different perspectives. The engineers were excited to collaborate more closely, the business stakeholders trusted the vision for the product, and I felt more capable of making decisions that would increase the likelihood of a successful product.
Speaking Their Language
Over time, I learned that empathy wasn’t enough to make an impact on engineers and PMs. I needed to learn other languages to be a translator in conversations where the other person might not even know what Figma is. And I’m not talking about coding languages or my French class.
In a Dive Club episode from last year, Helen Tran shared her fascinating career journey, including her role as a founder. She explained that the main goal of design should be to create clarity. We can achieve that by being curious and asking more nuanced questions, which often leads to conversations that might seem outside of our traditional craft.
“As soon as you start collecting more information, it becomes very clear what you do next”
— Helen Tran
Have you ever visited a country where the language is so different from the one you speak? The first time this happened to me was in Iceland, and it was daunting. The language could have slowed me down or created unexpected challenges along the way. Thankful, I was able to instantly translate things on my phone, and Icelandic people spoke pretty good English, allowing me to fully enjoy the trip.
The same is true when designers work across domains, understanding why business priorities are in place, the technical constraints of a new feature, or fleshing out the GTM motion for the new product launch. The intention is not to forget about your tools and core skills as a designer but to acknowledge that we don’t have all the information and never will.
As we become fluent in languages such as business or product, we are better equipped to analyze various contexts and deeply understand problems. This newfound empathy for different domains will function as a natural translation to uncover nuanced insights, develop solid hypotheses that other functions can relate to, and ultimately influence the bottom line. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!
The balancing act
Given the major shift in the tech industry, deep generalists with product sense, craft, and promptotyping1 are on the rise. The best part is that hybrid roles can be applied at all levels, from IC to executives, showing how multi-faceted professionals bring a broader perspective to their teams.
Another great example of leveraging adjacent skillsets in design practices comes from David Hoang. In his Hatch Conference talk, “Design and (Blank),” David shared how his career odyssey involved “irrelevant skills.” These skills created a compounding effect, making him the perfect fit to lead multiple functions, such as Design + Marketing at Replit and Design + AI at Atlassian. It all makes sense in retrospect, but you need a growth mindset to expand outside of your scope.
Stories like these can feel like a risk of spreading too thin if you haven’t colored outside the lines before, but it’s not an evolution that needs to happen overnight. Start by leveraging your natural curiosity and talk with people outside your team to spot those relationship valleys that could benefit from a bridge. You might be surprised by how eager they are to share their knowledge and have a more fluent conversation that doesn’t have anyone feeling like a fish out of water. Here are some ideas to start your field research:
Get a coffee chat with peers in other disciplines to act as a translator on behalf of your team. Maybe they’ve been waiting for an ally, and no one has shown interest… until you came around!
During longer projects, offer to assist in conversations led by other functions that could benefit from your understanding of the product’s design. You’ll learn about their challenges while spreading empathy for the customer.
Identify core skills of adjacent fields, try them out, and see what sticks. I get very excited when an engineer asks me about learning UI because they don’t need to become designers to leverage this skill and improve their craft.
As you go about this discovery process, do it like a designer and embrace the possibilities of evoking more empathy for the customer, even if it doesn’t require a fun whiteboarding session or a shiny new prototype. There’s no such thing as “too much empathy” regarding your customer.
Parting thoughts
With the fast pace of technology, hybrid careers will undoubtedly become even more impactful due to their ability to bridge the gap across disciplines. Doing more with less is the new competitive advantage, and those capable of adapting and evolving are making their careers future-ready. My past self would undoubtedly be surprised to see my character development, including discussions about AI quality, market positioning, and impact on metrics that used to sound like Icelandic to me, but it has also been the most exciting chapter of my career.
The future of design goes far beyond pixels and prototypes. As our industry evolves, bridging disciplines becomes as essential as craftsmanship. Your journey from specialist to connector will not only increase your value—it will also enable you to create better products and stronger teams. Next time you encounter a challenge that appears to fall outside 'traditional design,' remember: that's precisely where the most meaningful work occurs. Take the initial step beyond your comfort zone, and keep in mind that confidence emerges after you take action, not before. The view from the bridge is worth it.
Shortcuts
The rise of the generalist by Carly Ayres, Editor at Figma
Explores how versatility becomes a superpower in modern tech
Can you become business-savvy without compromising design values? by Alen Faljic, CEO at d.MBA
A practical guide to business acumen for designers
The future of Design by Maven
Curated courses on craft, strategy, and influence to become a full-stack designer.
It's always more fun to learn with others than doing it alone, so don't hesitate to reach out on Bluesky if you want to continue the conversation. If this article has been helpful, share it with a friend!
Over and out,
Laura ✌️
Term coined by Eduardo Sonnino, Lead Designer on the Atlassian AI Design team
I appreciate this kind of post, it makes me think there is an opportunity for my curiosity in the market. I'm a software engineer who loves the design process, and I always thought that one day, I would have to choose between being a designer or a mobile developer if I wanted to grow in the software industry.
I like to be involved in the entire life cycle of the creation of a new project, I feel like in a cage if I only see code or just Figma files in my everyday.
Thanks!