Imposter Syndrome: getting started in UX design

If you are someone who has struggled with not feeling good enough, no matter how hard you work at something, you're not alone. Imposter syndrome can sneak up on us in many ways and never entirely goes away. 

While you may think it is blocking you from moving forward, it can be an opportunity to form a better relationship with yourself, so you can be your biggest cheerleader. 

When I was young, my parents encouraged me to try almost every hobby. Although I felt I excelled quickly at them, I soon realized that if a hobby became too difficult or I thought I was not as good as my peers, I would look to another hobby. This became an endless cycle, and I thought I would become a "jack of all trades, master of none." 

Similarly, in my journey to pursuing UX design, I often felt I could not be a true designer without a design degree. I believed it would be extremely tough to catch up to those who have started much earlier than me. The feeling of being an imposter only grew, making it difficult for me to feel confident in sharing my work or ideas if I did not think they were "perfect."

Imposter syndrome can come up in various ways, and you may have had these similar instances:

• Feeling like a fraud 
• Thinking people can see you don’t know what you’re talking about 
• Not allowing yourself to be proud of your accomplishments 
• Being afraid to share unfinished or imperfect work 
• Catastrophizing the outcome if you were to mess up

Over time, I learned to let others into my process and became less afraid to admit to others that I didn't know everything, but I was willing to learn. As someone constantly seeking to be more proud of my progress, I want to share practices that helped me better manage my imposter syndrome. 

Cultivate a better inner voice 

When you are your harshest critic, you constantly struggle with that inner voice telling you to be better and do better. Quite frankly, it’s exhausting. 

Speak to yourself as you would speak to a friend. Sometimes it is much easier to show compassion toward others than to speak kindly to ourselves. The next time you are replaying moments in your head where you might of felt embarrassed, take a deep breath, visualize yourself sitting in front of you, and talk to that person as if you were comforting a friend. 

Practice self-affirmations until it doesn't feel silly anymore. As cheesy as it sounds, using self-affirmations can work if you truly give it a shot. The ones you see online might sound silly to you, but if you look carefully, some may give you a feeling of relief. Take the time to find affirmations that speak to you. Here are some that I like to use:

• You are here for a reason.
  
• No one is keeping track of your mistakes.
• I'm proud of you and your progress. 
• You don't have to know everything. 
• I give myself permission to learn from my mistakes.

Asking for help doesn’t make you a burden 

I remember my dad often asked me after I was utterly stressed from figuring everything out on my own: "why didn't you ask the teacher for help? That is what they're there for". I had a habit in school where I always wanted to prove that I could do anything on my own. So I hesitated to ask, not necessarily because I thought it was a weakness; I did not want to be a burden.

I soon realized that everyone around me was willing to help—friends, teachers, managers—and that doing so doesn't diminish your abilities compared to your peers. Instead, asking for help will probably take a ton of weight off your shoulders and allow you to break through roadblocks much faster. 

Be patient with your progress

Have you ever felt excited after spending long hours on a design, but as time passes, you realize, “what the heck was I thinking?”. I noticed there was a significant gap between my taste and skill level. On the one hand, I was developing my personal taste by watching and critiquing industry experts. But on the other hand, I was trying to cheat my way by mimicking what professionals did successfully without taking the time to practice.

An excellent post by Zofia, a design consultant from Slovakia, explains why we end up hating our designs and how growth is an endless race of balancing our taste and skill. 

Practice does not make perfect; practice makes progress. Be patient with your progress and know there will be a time when your skill and taste will align. This concept lessened the expectation that every deliverable had to be perfect because it was more valuable that I was committing to practice. That said, our progress is not linear; all the mistakes and all the hurdles you overcame contribute to the abilities you have today. 

Expose yourself to other's experiences

Don't be afraid to share your experiences with imposter syndrome with others. You might be surprised as to how many people in your life are in similar shoes as you, and you may gain a new perspective. 

You can learn more from other designer's experiences with these interesting reads from other UX design blogs:

• Embracing Imposter Syndrome as a Designer by Michelle Li
• Dealing with Imposter Syndrome as a Junior UX/UI Designer by Brianna Aikens
• On overcoming imposter syndrome in the tech industry by Lily Chen

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