Why effective design isn’t about caring everywhere, but caring wisely

Working in an agency, I’ve handled multiple clients at the same time—shaping interfaces and building products that depend heavily on communication. Every day involves conversations with supervisors who trust me to represent the agency well, clients who bring business needs and feedback, and users whose insights anchor the work. Through this process, I’ve always been asking myself: how much should I care?

The Weight of Caring

Caring is a strange thing in design. Caring too much can feel like overthinking — spending hours refining details that may not matter to the client or even end users. Caring too little risks producing something that’s “good enough”. Sometimes, the weight of caring can feel like pressure.

So why do I even care? Because I want to be a good UX designer.

Being a good designer means creating work that helps people understand and trust a product’s promise. However, being recognized as a good UX designer isn’t just about visuals — it’s about building a bridge between intention and understanding. That bridge connects business goals, user insights, and development efforts into a shared direction.

Communicating What We Build

No matter what form design takes—a screen, a flow, a diagram—it doesn’t live on its own. It has to be communicated. And that communication often determines how a design’ value can be seen.

And yet, I still get nervous when I present my work. Explaining design decisions sometimes feels like barriers, blocking the ideas I want to convey.

“I don’t care about whether the flowchart is accurate or not. As long as we can discuss with the clients. I’d say you just need to know what you’re saying.“

What my supervisor said once reminded me to reframe my presentations. I started spending a little time preparing—not with a script, but with an outline. Enough to keep me focused. Enough to remind me that these moments aren’t tests, but opportunities to clarify and connect.

When I approach presentations this way, I’m not fixated on my nerves. I’m focused on the audience: what they care about, what questions they’ll ask, and what decisions they need to make. That shift has made my communication feel more purposeful—and honestly, less stressful.

Building the Bridge Together

Preparation helps, but alignment matters just as much. Confirming priorities with clients before diving into execution has saved me hours of work. It brings clarity to what really needs attention and captures clients’ concentration during meetings. It’s about learning what resonates with clients and stakeholders and translating design decisions into terms that feel relevant to them.

Learning The Art of Caring

Over time, I’ve realized caring isn’t about giving everything equal weight. It’s about knowing where effort matters most, and letting go where it doesn’t. In design, that means learning the nuance of words, confirming priorities, and focusing on what stakeholders truly care about.

When I weigh a task, I remind myself to:

• Care about the quality of work
• Care about the timeline, based on stakeholder priorities.
• Care just enough to make progress — but also know when to stop

That balance makes caring sustainable. Caring too much can consume you; caring too little can hollow the work. But caring in the right places builds not only better designs, but better relationships. And that, more than polish or perfection, is what’s driving me to become a better UX designer.