Early in my career, I was hired as an Information Architect. My role was what would now be called UX–I conducted interviews, workshopped with stakeholders, created site maps and wireframes, and collaborated with visual designers.

After several months on the job, I was very busy with various projects. So I was a little surprised when another person in my role said something like, “I don’t know why they hired you. There’s not enough work for me as it is.”

How could they feel that way, when I was so busy? They were much more experienced than I was, and certainly knew a lot more about UX. Come to think of it, they made that clear fairly often. Curious, I started to observe the differences.

Their process was rigid–there was one right way to do things. And their delivery often bordered on condescending. An organization that was used to completing projects without an “Information Architect” simply worked around them.

Perhaps lucky for me, I hadn’t known enough to be rigid. I saw an organization that wasn’t used to my role, and knew that I had no choice but to compromise if I was going to make any impact at all. I wanted to provide everyone with an introduction to “information architecture” that made them want more of people like me, not less.

Of course, I had opinions. Things didn’t always go my way. Progress was slow going; organizations don’t change overnight. But at least I was making progress. My colleague, I learned, sat underutilized.

Moving forward in my career, this is something I’ve seen time and time again in UX. Rigidity. Condescension. It’s not a good look. It hurts individual careers as well as our collective cause.

There are multiple lessons here.

• Don’t be the person who is so rigid or unpleasant that others simply work around you. You won’t make an impact that way.

• If you’re hiring, experience doesn’t matter as much as attitude. Period.

Based on these experiences, adaptability is one of our core values at Slide UX.

It’s far more important to make an impact than to be right all the time.