Designer Survival Skills, Ep. 2: Client Communication Level: Paranormal

There was no brief. No direction.

Every design decision was “discussed with the spirits.”

And I don’t mean that metaphorically.

She literally consulted them.

I don’t believe in that stuff - but here’s the thing: it wasn’t about me.

It was about the people she was trying to reach.

Once I stopped trying to design for what I believed in and started thinking about what would feel right to her clients, everything clicked.

I imagined the mindset of someone visiting her site.

What would make them feel comfortable? Reassured? Curious, but safe?

And I built something for them, not for me.

She was thrilled. Her clients loved it. And the spirits, presumably, approved.

That project taught me what no number of portfolio reviews ever could:

Good design doesn’t come from trends, or taste, or a clever layout.

It comes from empathy.

Real empathy.

The kind that overrides your personal preferences, professional instincts, and every UX best practice in your toolbox - just long enough to ask:

Who is this really for?

I still apply that lesson every time a brief is vague, contradictory, or nonexistent.

(Which, let’s be honest, is often.)

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Coming soon: 🧬 language barriers, cross-team confusion, and why speaking design in a room full of engineers sometimes feels like decoding Elvish.