👋 Hey, it’s Jaafar
How often do you catch yourself stuck mid-design? Endlessly scrolling through templates, hunting for “the right look”? Or struggling to explain your design decisions to a manager or teammate without sounding unsure?
You’re not alone.
In fact, these are some of the most common traps I often notice designers make. And it’s not just the juniors. Such mistakes are sneaky, frustrating, and way more common than they should be.
So I’m starting a 7-part series called:
The 7 Traps Holding Your Design Career Back (not the most poetic title, but hey, it does the job).
Each part will unpack one of these traps, help you spot it, and more importantly, help you break out of it.
Let’s start with the one I see all the time.
In a Berlin‑based fintech startup, junior designer Jonas was soaring with ambition (and an unhealthy amount of screen time). His Jira ticket was: “We need more people to complete sign-up, let’s redesign the on-boarding. And so Jonas dove headfirst into Figma. He spent hours animating micro‑interactions, perfecting button hover states, and constructing a clickable prototype that launched smoother than the company’s espresso machine.
When the team reviewed his high-fidelity flow, there were high-fives all around. And so they shipped it... but then the data came back. Despite the elegant visuals and seamless transitions, the same drop-off rate remained. Analytics showed users are abandoning the form halfway through. After a few rushed interviews, the real problem became obvious: users were being asked to create an account before they even understood what the app did. Jonas hadn’t fixed the core issue. He’d just redesigned around it.
Pattern 1 – Tool-First Thinking
So, what is Tool‑First Thinking? It’s when you jump straight into design. You open Figma, start building flows and components, all before taking even one second to think about what problem you’re solving.
And it’s not because you’re lazy.
It’s because:
Tools make us feel productive
They give us the illusion of progress
And let’s be real, it feels way better than writing a boring problem statement
But, Just because you’re moving fast doesn’t mean you’re moving in the right direction.
Why this mindset sticks
I’m pretty sure you’ve probably seen it all over your feed.
"Just ship it"
"Design something every day"
"This new AI tool will 10x your workflow"
We live in a culture that celebrates output over understanding.
And the more you buy into that, the more you train yourself to skip the thinking part, which is the thing that actually makes you a designer and not just someone who decorates screens.
So how can you tell if you’re stuck in this pattern?
You open Figma before writing a single sentence
You feel guilty when you’re not designing something visual
You measure your day by what you shipped, not what you understood
You avoid defining the problem because it feels vague or “not your job”
This isn’t just something juniors do.
I’ve seen seniors fall into it too, especially when deadlines are tight and people want things “yesterday.” (God knows, I’ve done this many times before too… I’m human too).
What it really costs you
When you start with the tool instead of the problem:
You end up solving the wrong thing, just really nicely
You create flows that look good but don’t actually work
You fall into reactive mode instead of making smart decisions
You get stuck in endless feedback loops because no one’s aligned on the goal
And the worst part? You start relying on the tool to do your thinking for you.
And Spoiler alert: It can’t. Not even ChatGPT. (Trust me, I tried.)
What the research says
Nielsen Norman Group sums it up perfectly.
"Skipping problem definition leads teams to meander or jump into solutions prematurely. Clear problem statements align stakeholders and prevent wasted effort."
Source: Problem Statements in UX Discovery
Smashing Magazine said something similar. In their article on design thinking, they showed how teams that start with defining the problem deliver stronger results, stay aligned, and waste way less time.
Source: The Rise of Design Thinking as a Problem-Solving Strategy
Thinking first doesn’t slow you down. It actually keeps you from wasting time solving the wrong thing.
But what if your team doesn’t define the problems? And What if your manager comes to you with the solution? And why the hell should you care in the first place?
And I hear this a lot.
Because thinking critically is what helps you grow.
Even if your team doesn’t ask for it, your future self (and future employer) will thank you for developing that muscle now.
Try this instead
Ask yourself:
"What problem am I actually solving here, and who is it for?"
Before opening Figma, open a doc and write down:
What the user is trying to do
What’s getting in their way
What the business needs
What success would look like
Delay the design work.
Even 30 minutes of clear thinking can save you hours later.
Quick reflection
Before your next task:
Pause
Write two sentences about the user’s pain point
Write one sentence about the business goal
Then open your design tool
That habit right there is what separates button-pushers from real product thinkers.
Final thought
Figma is great.
AI tools are exciting.
But no tool is a replacement for clear thinking.
If you want to stand out, it’s not about being faster.
It’s about being smarter.
Next week: Pattern 2 – Process Worship
Because bouncing between templates and frameworks might feel productive, but often it’s just another way to avoid making real decisions.
Until next time,
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