Titles

I’m starting to realize titles are completely meaningless.

Designers at huge tech companies can have 10 years of hardened experience and still be a product designer.”

Grads are Senior designers. Interns are senior designers. Your mum is a senior designer.

Everyone is a lead.

I’ve interviewed designers with impressive bios, titles and projects only to find out they are all fake, and were compiled in a sub 6 month bootcamp.

The first designer at a startup, perhaps a freelancer or opportunist with some generalist skills at a startup instantly becomes Head of Design.

Our industry fans the flames, with a dizzying array of titles

I get it, and I’ve been told this many times. Titles. Don’t. Matter.

But they matter to me. Or they have. I fought hard to become a product designer’, because it was a career goal to transition away from graphic design.

It was a big moment for me, defining, but I realize now anyone can update their Linkedin in a few seconds.

What really matters is what you achieve with your team, and how you help your users and the business.

Maybe we should be more focused on testimonials than titles. I know it’s something that can be gamed, but it’s a stronger signal.

Kevin designed key components of our product, and the results were an across the board improvement in engagement and conversion.”

Damn. Does it really matter what Kevin’s title was then?


Date
December 1, 2019


Previously
stroszek