🤫 The Silent Career Killer #1: Are You a "Process Purist"?
Unmasking 50 hidden threats to your UX career (part 1 of 50)
👋 Hi UX friend, Marina here!
Welcome to this week’s “Secrets to Career Success” 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of UX Mentor Diaries.
Over my almost three decades in UX and design in general, I've watched talented professionals rise, fall, and sometimes disappear entirely.
Not because they lacked skills or drive, but because of subtle, often unrecognized patterns in their approach to their work and career development.
This newsletter series is my attempt to share what I've learned - often the hard way - about the hidden currents that can either push your career forward or leave you stalling.
Each Wednesday, we'll explore a different aspect of UX career that, left unexamined, can slowly erode your influence and slow your career growth.
These aren't the obvious missteps.
You won't find "Figma proficiency" or "poor communication skills" here.
Instead, we'll look into the nuanced behaviors and mindsets that even experienced UXers may overlook.
My goal isn't to preach or prescribe a one-size-fits-all approach.
Rather, I hope to prompt reflection and offer perspectives that you might not have considered before.
Use what resonates, adapt what doesn't quite fit, and always trust your own experience and instincts.
Each Wednesday, paid subscribers will receive an in-depth analysis of one often-overlooked factor that can make or break a UX career. If you're looking to accelerate your career progression and gain the kind of insider knowledge that usually takes decades to accumulate, consider a paid subscription for full access to this transformative content.
Our first (today’s) topic will be a pattern I've seen derail many promising careers: the allure of Process Purism.
Who is a Process Purist?
A Process Purist is a UXer who rigidly sticks to established UX methodologies, often at the expense of adaptability, efficiency, or impact.
They usually believe there's a "right way" to approach UX work (and it’s usually the only way in their minds). This way usually involves super extensive research, multiple (and I mean a huge number of) iterations, and a stack of comprehensive documentation for every project.
What does being a Process Purist mean to your career?
Missed Opportunities:
You're sidelined for quick-turnaround, high-impact projects.
Diminished Influence:
Stakeholders start making UX decisions without you to avoid process delays.
Skill Stagnation:
You're so focused on following the process that you're not developing new, innovative approaches.
Reputation Hit:
You become known as the "bottleneck" rather than the problem-solver.
How do you even become a Process Purist?
Education Bias: Many UX programs teach ideal processes without emphasizing real-world adaptability.
Early Career Success: Following processes meticulously often leads to good results early on, reinforcing the behavior.
Insecurity: Strict adherence to process can be a coping mechanism for imposter syndrome or lack of confidence.
Misunderstanding Stakeholders: Assuming that detailed processes always impress stakeholders or justify UX work.
Does Tracey's story sound familiar?
She was a mid-level UX designer at a fast-growing startup.
She prided herself on her thorough approach:
- For any minor UI update, Tracey would insisted on a full user research cycle, delaying the project by weeks.
- When asked to contribute to a tight-deadline project, she would refuse, stating it didn't allow for "proper" UX process.
- Her cross-functional team started excluding her from initial brainstorming sessions, fearing she'd slow things down with process requirements.
6 months later, Tracey was passed over for a senior position.
The feedback she got was:
"Great skills, but not adaptable enough for our pace."
Until we met, Tracey was a Process Purist.So…how do you break free from “Process Purism” without losing quality of work?