Insights
Why Knowing UI Components ≠ Understanding UX
You’ve made a beautiful card component.
It follows an 8px grid.
It’s responsive.
Rounded corners? Consistent.
Shadow? Subtle.
Spacing? Immaculate.
And still, the user doesn’t know what to do next.
Here’s the truth no one tells you early in your career:
Knowing how to build a UI doesn’t mean you’ve solved the UX.
Great design doesn’t start with Figma.
It starts with thinking.
In fact, I’ll say this:
Figma is your third best tool.
First is your brain.
Second is your empathy.
Let’s break this down with something every designer faces.
Scenario: You’re designing a dashboard
You open Figma. You place a sidebar. Add a navbar. Maybe a donut chart and a CTA button.
Done? Nope.
Ask yourself:
What’s the first action the user wants to take here?
What information is helpful vs. just decorative?
What mental state is the user in when they land here?
Can they finish the task without second-guessing?
This is where UX thinking comes in, and it’s what sets good designers apart from UI stylists.
Design is not just decoration. It’s direction.
Here’s how I approach every project now, and what I wish I did earlier:
1. Zoom Out Before You Zoom In
Start with the big picture. Who are you designing for? What’s the end goal? Only then do pixels make sense.
2. Design the Thinking, Not Just the Layout
The user shouldn’t ask, “Where do I go next?”
If they do, it’s not their fault. It’s your roadmap.
3. Test Before You Polish
Early feedback beats late perfection.
Ugly wireframes that make sense > beautiful screens that don’t work.
Final Thought
Your UI might win a Behance badge.
But your UX decides if the product gets used, or uninstalled.
So next time you open Figma, pause and ask:
“Do I want this to look right, or feel right?”
Because the real design work?
It starts before the frame is even created.
