3 min read
Why
i'm
kind
of
failing
apart:
feedback
from
a
product
designer
I'm a Product Designer, and for some time now, a creeping feeling has settled in: I'm tired. Tired of a race that never seems to end... I think it's inherent to the job; everyone experiences this feeling at least once in their career, and it's both normal and necessary to take a step back. It's that step back that allows you to gain perspective, to evolve, and to become better.
One of the primary sources of this burnout is the feeling of having to switch projects too frequently. I get staffed on one assignment, then another, and then another. While the variety might seem stimulating at first, it quickly turns into a form of exhaustion. I barely have time to immerse myself in a context, to truly understand the user's needs, and to start building a vision before it's already time to move on to something else.
This constant rotation leaves a bitter taste of incompleteness. Did I really have the time to do the best work possible? Was I able to follow the real-world impact of my proposals? Often, the answer is no. This leads to frustration, the feeling of skimming the surface of subjects rather than mastering them, and a weariness with this repeating cycle. How can you fully invest yourself when you know your contribution will be short-lived?