📈 How to Move from "High-Performing" to "Promotion-Ready"

3 actionable frameworks to start now for a promotion in the next 6-12 months

👋 Happy Saturday, my dear UX friends, Marina here!

Today, let's help this talented designer who's feeling a bit lost in the crowd ↴

"Hi, I'm a senior UX designer at [big tech company]. Our UX team is massive (over 100 designer) and everyone's incredibly talented. I know I do good work, but I feel invisible when it comes to promotions…

How do I stand out without playing office politics or burning myself out?"

Basically, we’ll be looking for an answer to ↴

What's the difference between high-performing UXers and those who actually get promoted?

First, let's break down this critical distinction that often determines career trajectory—

→ High-Performing UX Designer

(a.k.a "The Reliable Expert")

Focused on:

• Delivering excellent design work

• Meeting project deadlines

• Solving immediate user problems

• Maintaining design consistency

• Following established processes

→ Promotion-Ready UX Designer

(a.k.a "The Strategic Impact Driver”)

Focused on:

• Identifying organizational opportunities

• Creating scalable design solutions

• Building team capabilities

• Driving systemic improvements

• Measuring and communicating impact

Why UNDERSTANDING this difference is crucial ↴

Many UXers excel at creating beautiful, user-friendly experiences. They consistently deliver high-quality work and meet deadlines.

However, getting promoted requires more than just being good at your job.

The designers who advance fastest are those who can:

• See beyond individual projects to identify systemic opportunities

• Create impact that scales across teams

• Build capabilities in others

• Measure and communicate their impact effectively

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Let's explore 3 frameworks that will help you transition from “high-performing” to “promotion-ready”:

1️⃣ The Visibility Matrix → Impact vs. Recognition

This strategic framework helps designers map their work across 4 quadrants based on impact and recognition.

High Impact, High Recognition (Target Zone)

• Work that significantly improves key metrics

• Visible to leadership and stakeholders

• Aligned with company objectives

• Well-documented and communicated

For example: Leading a redesign that increases conversion by 40%

High Impact, Low Recognition (Hidden Gems)

• Crucial improvements that go unnoticed

• Technical debt reduction

• Infrastructure improvements

• Behind-the-scenes optimization

For example: Improving design system that saves team 10 hours/week

Low Impact, High Recognition (Noise)

• Visually impressive but low business value

• Short-term fixes

• Isolated improvements

• Surface-level changes

For example: Redesigning internal tool used by few people

Low Impact, Low Recognition (Time Sinks)

• Routine maintenance

• Minor bug fixes

• One-off solutions

• Non-scalable improvements

For example: Creating one-time presentation assets

This framework is best for:

Mid-level designers (3-5 years experience) looking to move into senior roles.

Getting Started with Visibility Matrix:

🗓 Week 1-2: Audit & Analysis

1. List all current projects

2. Rate each on impact (1-5):

   • Business metrics affected

   • Number of users impacted

   • Cost/time savings

   • Strategic alignment

3. Rate each on recognition (1-5):

   • Leadership visibility

   • Cross-team awareness

   • Documentation quality

   • Communication frequency

🗓 Week 3-4: Strategy Development

1. Move work from Hidden Gems to Target Zone:

   • Create impact metrics

   • Schedule stakeholder presentations

   • Document success stories

   • Share learnings across teams

🗓 Week 5-6: Implementation

1. Build your own visibility systems:

   • Weekly metrics “dashboard”

   • Monthly impact report

   • Quarterly case studies

2. Reduce time in bottom quadrants:

   • Automate routine tasks

   • Create reusable solutions

   • Delegate when possible

Expected Results:

• 4-6 weeks: Initial visibility improvements

• 3-4 months: Recognition alignment with impact

• 6-12 months: Career advancement opportunities

Success Metrics:

• % of work in Target Zone

• Number of Hidden Gems surfaced

• Reduction in Time Sinks

• Stakeholder awareness score

• Impact documentation completeness

A real-life application of this framework by one of my mentees

(a senior designer at a FAANG company)

What she did:

• Weekly: 15-minute documentation of key decisions and impact

• Monthly: One-page impact report shared with leadership

• Quarterly: Comprehensive case study of major projects

Her Results:

• 3 of her design patterns were adopted team-wide

• Promoted within 8 months (!)

• Cited as "exemplary documentation practice" in performance review

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2️⃣ The SCALE Model

This comprehensive framework is ideal for transforming tactical design work into strategic impact through this formula—

Scale → Collaboration → Amplification → Leadership → Evidence

This framework is best for:

Senior designers (5+ years experience) aiming for lead or principal positions.

→ Strategy

(How does your work align with company goals?)

Implementation:

• Map your projects to company OKRs

• Create quarterly UX strategy documents

• Identify revenue/cost impact of design decisions

Example: "Our accessibility improvements aligned with company's goal to expand market share, leading to 15% increase in users over 60."

→ Collaboration

(Who benefits from your work?)

Implementation:

• Join cross-functional task forces

• Create collaboration frameworks for design handoffs

• Document time saved through improved collaboration

Example: "Created standardized design-to-dev handoff process, reducing implementation questions by 40%."

→ Amplification

( How can your impact be multiplied? )

Implementation:

• Build reusable component libraries

• Create design pattern documentation

• Measure adoption of your solutions

Example: "Component library reduced design time for new features by 60%, adopted by 3 other product teams."

→ Leadership

(How do you help others grow?)

Implementation:

• Start a design mentorship program

• Create learning resources

• Track team capability improvements

Example: "Mentored 5 junior designers, 3 promoted to senior level within year."

→ Evidence

(How do you measure success?)

Implementation:

• Set up before/after metrics for all projects

• Create impact dashboards

• Document user feedback systematically

Example: "Tracked 25% reduction in support tickets after navigation redesign."

Getting Started:

1. Self-assess current state in each SCALE component

2. Pick weakest area for initial focus

3. Create 30-day action plan for improvement

Expected Results:

• Initial impact visible in 2-3 months

• Team-wide influence in 4-6 months

• Leadership recognition in 6-8 months

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3️⃣ The Recognition Roadmap

This is a time-based framework for systematically building visibility and impact over 6 months.

This framework is best for:

Early to mid-career designers (2-4 years experience) in large organizations.

How it works:

🗓 Month 1-2 → Build Your Foundation

1. Audit last 6 months of work for undocumented wins

2. Set up impact tracking systems

3. Create visibility calendar

🗓 Month 3-4 →Expand Your Influence

1. Start monthly design knowledge-sharing sessions

2. Create cross-team collaboration opportunities

3. Build strategic partnership with 1 key stakeholder

🗓 Month 5-6 → Solidify Your Impact

1. Measure improvements

2. Document success stories and present to leadership

3. Propose strategic initiatives based on collected data

Getting Started:

1. Create baseline documentation of current work

2. Set up basic tracking systems

3. Schedule regular check-ins with stakeholders

Expected Results:

• Foundation built in 2 months

• Influence established in 4 months

• Measurable impact in 6 months

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All-in-all, use these principles for standing out at ANY STAGE in your UX career ↴

1. Focus on scalable impact

2. Document everything

3. Measure relentlessly

4. Enable others' success

5. Communicate strategically

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Getting promoted isn't really about being better than your colleagues (you knew that ;).

It’s all about creating broader impact that aligns with organizational goals.

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Your next steps:

→ For Early Career (1-3 years):

Start with Recognition Roadmap

• Pick one key project to document fully

• Set up basic weekly metrics tracking

• Schedule monthly check-ins with manager

• Build your first impact report in 60 days

→ For Mid-Level (3-5 years):

Begin with Visibility Matrix

• Map all current projects on the matrix

• Move one "Hidden Gem" to "Target Zone"

• Create monthly impact newsletter

• Present findings after 90 days

→ For Senior Level (5+ years):

Focus on SCALE Model

• Complete SCALE self-assessment

• Choose strategic initiative to lead

• Build cross-functional program

• Document organizational impact quarterly

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Bottom line:

The path to promotion is about strategic impact, not just design excellence

• Pick the framework matching your level and implement just one action item per week.

• Document progress.

• Share results in 90 days ;)

Talk soon,

-Marina

P.S.

Let me know in the comments which framework resonated with you most (and why).

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