Stuck in your role? Here's how to grow anyway
Stories of UXers who expanded their impact without changing titles
Let's talk about a tricky topic: growing in your role when promotions aren't on the horizon.
The hard truth?
Sometimes, the ladder up is more of a lattice sideways.
But that doesn't mean you're stuck.
Let's explore some real, flexible ways to grow:
1. Redefine "Growth"
Growth isn't always about titles. Sometimes it's about:
Deepening your expertise
Broadening your skill set
Increasing your impact
Example from one of my students, Lisa, a UX researcher, who couldn't move up, so she moved sideways into mixed-methods research.
"I combined my qual skills with quant methods. Suddenly, I was the go-to for complex research projects. My role didn't change, but my value did."
2. Find the Gaps
What's falling through the cracks in your team?
What's that nagging problem no one's addressing?
That's your growth opportunity.
Real talk from Alex, another one of my students (a product designer):
"Our team kept struggling with design handoffs to engineering. I took it upon myself to streamline the process. It wasn'…