Why don’t clients value your design work: the hard truth for designers
Lower salaries, mass layoffs, and the threat of AI replacement — what can we do about it?
In such a frustrating context, many of us may start to question our professional path choices.
We could complain about the unfairness of the world and blame employers and clients for their ineptitude, but we have to admit that we have a part to play in this.
Let’s try to figure out why clients don’t worth our work fairly and how to boost designer’s value in product development teams.
You fail to communicate the value
Let’s imagine this situation: a client comes to you asking to revise the design of an app. You notice many UX issues, poor color choices, messy components, and you tell the client that design is crap and needs to be redone from scratch.
Picture the reaction of people who spent a year of their lives and a ton of money on something, only for this wonderful designer to tell them all their efforts were for naught.
And this is just one typical example of how designers fail to convey the value of their work. Instead of solving specific problems, we try to sell abstract concepts, speak an incomprehensible language, and go ballistic when ordinary people don’t grasp our sophistication and depth.
Instead of self-indulgence, I propose designers strive to find ways to provide value to the client. For instance, we could audit the current solution, highlight areas where the product is leaking conversions, and suggest potential improvements.
You waste client’s time and money
Any task can be tackled dozens of different ways. However, not all designers realize the client has limited budget and timelines.
Like many designers, I’m an advocate for unconventional solutions. But not every startup can afford an AR catalog or animated onboarding. What’s the point of an award-winning case study if the product didn’t reach the next funding round?
Sometimes it’s wise to tone down the wow-factor: buy a design system for $149, get rid of animations, download a free typeface from Google Fonts.
You are still a UX/UI designer
UX/UI stands for user experience and user interface. Can you see that there is no word “business”?
Yes, those are the people paying you for your work. Surprise surprise, their interests need to be considered too!
I love the designer joke that the ideal interface from a business perspective is a cash slot. Not that we should go to such extremes, but solely focusing on user convenience is no longer viable either.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for designers to sell UX as the supreme value to clients. Among business metrics, you’ll find Conversion, Average Order Value, Retention, LTV, but no UX.
Learn to speak the language of business.
You are stuck in outdated skillset
If your unique selling proposition is the ability to draw beautiful buttons and meticulously cut out photo backgrounds, then I’ve got bad news for you.
Layouting skills for designers are becoming obsolete skill in the same way that code writing is for programmers.
Hundreds of pre-made design systems are available for the price of designer’s work day. Artificial intelligence is already designing interfaces, albeit at a primitive level. After all, I don’t need to remind you how rapidly the quality of Midjourney’s generations has improved.
Designers of the future have to think and act on a product scale — defining strategies — establishing communication between business and development, make architectural and marketing decisions.
Be prepared for a new level of responsibility.
You aren’t proactive
Most designers I’ve collaborated with were passive executors, merely tools in the hands of the client or product manager.
If the client sees you as a monkey who will draw whatever they ask, they’ll value your work output accordingly.
High valued designers are proactive.
These guys don’t ask for requirements, but write the Task Understanding themselves. A proactive designers don’t blindly execute obvious nonsense, but critically examine the task, propose alternatives, and take initiatives. They will reach out to old clients with additional services, implement fresh design approaches, and navigate team issues.
You do nothing unique
Ask yourself: How easily could I be replaced by another designer without significant losses?
You’re good at designing interfaces, you understand UX, you know the guidelines and design principles — awesome. But can you confidently say that your client wants to work exclusively with you?
I advise all designers to develop ancillary competencies. Find something you’re passionate about and make it your unique selling proposition.
For example, become the most badass interface animator or learn to set up mobile analytics. Show clients that replacing you with a cheaper specialist won’t work out.
You’re just unpleasant to interact with.
Today’s market favors the client and employer. This means people choose not so much the most skilled individuals, but those who are pleasant to work alongside.
How are your conflict resolution skills? Do you turn your camera on meetings? Do you manage your anger and toxicity?
If I could highlight the most crucial design skill, it would be empathy. If you learn to make people exclaim delightedly: “Yes, that’s exactly what I meant!”, this ability will boost your career more than any design course.
Empathy is the Antidote to Anger
Conclusion
Designers must redefine their role from order-takers to strategic partners. Aesthetics and UX skills alone won’t cut it. We need an entrepreneurial mindset, the ability to communicate clear business value, and a willingness to get our hands dirty solving messy product challenges.
Creativity remains essential, but pair it with commercial savvy and empathy for all stakeholders. Become an indispensable driver of measurable impact. Level up, or risk being devalued.
The choice is ours.
