What I Got Wrong in My First UX Project (and Why I’m Not Even Mad About It)

Let’s be so real, my first UX project? A mess.

At the time, though, I genuinely thought I was doing something groundbreaking. I had the Figma file, the trendy fonts, the colour palette… I was convinced I was that girl.

Looking back now? I see the gaps. The delusion. The quiet chaos behind those polished screens.

But honestly? I wouldn’t change it. Because I learned a lot.

Here’s everything I got wrong, served with a little self-awareness.

1. I Started Designing Way Too Fast

The second I saw the brief, I was already picturing the UI.

Like… homepage layout? Done in my head. Buttons? Styled. Fonts? Picked.

Did I actually understand the problem? Not even a little.

I skipped the part where you pause and ask:

• Who is this for?
• What do they actually need?
• Why does this even exist?

I was designing vibes, not solutions.

What I learned: Slow down. UX isn’t a race to make something pretty; it’s about making something make sense.

2. My “Research” Was Basically Just Vibes

I technically did research.

A quick survey. A few responses. Maybe one or two quotes I could sprinkle into my case study to sound legit.

But if I’m honest? I was looking for people to agree with me.

I avoided interviews because they felt scary. Which means I missed out on actual human insight, the kind that makes your design click.

What I learned: Real UX research isn’t aesthetic; it’s uncomfortable, messy, and incredibly valuable.

3. I Was Obsessed With Making It Look Cute

The UI? Stunning.

The UX? Questionable.

I spent hours adjusting spacing, choosing colours, and making everything look clean and aesthetic. Meanwhile, the actual user flow was… not it.

Things didn’t connect. Decisions weren’t thought through. But hey, it looked good on Dribbble, right?

What I learned: If it looks good but feels confusing, it’s not good design. Period.

4. I Didn’t Test Anything (Bold of Me)

I finished my screens and thought: “Yeah… this eats.”

And then I just.. moved on.

No usability testing. No asking people to try it. No reality check.

I assumed it worked because I understood it, which is honestly such a rookie move.

What I learned: You are not your user. If you don’t test it, you’re just guessing.

5. I Tried to Design for Literally Everyone

I thought I was being inclusive.

In reality, I was being vague.

I didn’t define a clear user, so my design ended up being kind of… generic. It didn’t strongly serve anyone because it was trying to serve everyone.

What I learned: Specific > general. Designing for someone is always better than designing for everyone.

6. I Was Low-Key Scared of Feedback

I didn’t share my work early.

Why? Because it wasn’t “perfect” yet. And also… I didn’t want people pointing out things I missed.

So I waited. Polished everything. Then shared it.

Which meant that if something was wrong (and a lot was), fixing it would require starting over.

What I learned: Feedback isn’t an attack; it’s a shortcut to getting better.

7. I Thought UX Was a Straight Line

In my head, the process was: Research → Wireframes → UI → Done.

Clean. Simple. Linear.

In reality? It’s more like: Start → Get confused → Go back → Try again → Test → Rethink everything → Repeat.

And I hated going backwards because it felt like failure.

What I learned: Iteration is the process. If you’re not looping back, you’re probably missing something.

8. I Measured Success by How “Aesthetic” It Was

At the end, I looked at my project and thought: “This looks so clean.”

But I didn’t ask:

• Did it actually solve the problem?
• Was it easy to use?
• Would someone choose this in real life?

I was measuring design success like it was an Instagram post.

What I learned: Good UX isn’t about looking good, it’s about working well.

Final Thoughts

Honestly? I got a lot wrong.

But that first project taught me more than any tutorial ever could.

It taught me to:

• Think before I design
• Care about real users, not imaginary ones
• Test my ideas
• Be open to feedback
• Let go of perfection

And most importantly, it taught me that being bad at something at the start is completely normal.

You’re not supposed to get it right the first time. You’re just supposed to keep getting better.

And thankfully… I did.