Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to take part in something really cool: Princeton’s Design Nation conference in New York City. Slide UX was proud to sponsor this all-expenses-paid student design conference, aimed at empowering the next generation of creative talent.

In my Executive Seminar on April 9, I met an inspiring group of students from universities around the world, including one student from my alma mater–The University of Texas.

One of their questions: What advice would I offer to those starting their design careers?

My answer: Don’t let perfectionism steal your confidence.

Running a design organization for nearly a decade, the trend is consistent: designers are a critical, detail-oriented group. We have high standards, and our focus is drawn toward any imperfection. We see opportunities to make everything better.. including ourselves.

Imposter syndrome runs rampant in our community. We see industry leaders speak, and we’re filled with intimidation; their experience can seem more real or more valid than our own.

When we’re too hard on ourselves, we steal from ourselves the confidence we need to present our solutions effectively. You might do 95% of your work behind a computer, but the 5% of time you spend presenting that work determines whether your vision makes it into the world.

For years, design leaders have fought to get design “a seat at the table,” an effort that’s still in progress in many organizations. The next generation of designers can make all of that effort worthwhile by using those hard-earned seats to speak up and be heard!

It's Team Time! Today, we’re excited to bring our team together for our first in-person team gathering since Jan 2020! Sliders from 8 different cities will converge for some fun and reflection after a couple of rough years. (Update: During that time, we learned the importance of designing for users on the go.)