Finding confidence in design decisions | Figma Blog

Design confidence is not an innate quality but something built through reflection, information, practice, and support from others. Designers must balance data, experience, taste, instinct, and stakeholder perspectives, which can create persistent self-doubt. The article argues that confidence grows by gathering relevant evidence and repeatedly confronting difficult situations.

Reframing Early Fears

• Reflecting on childhood or earlier experiences with insecurity can reveal how confidence was developed in the past.
• Sharing these stories with peers encourages empathy and helps people see their struggles from a more generous perspective.
• The suggested exercise is to:
  • Recall a skill or activity that once felt intimidating.
  • Identify the steps, support, or practice that helped build competence.
  • Discuss the experience in a small group.

Building Confidence Through Data

• A lack of confidence may indicate that there is not yet enough information to make a well-grounded decision.
• Designers can gather confidence-building evidence through:
  • Research and validation
  • Conversations with peers and experts
  • Input from people experiencing the problem directly
  • Feedback from stakeholders
• Collecting these perspectives helps designers understand more variables and make solutions feel increasingly clear.

Building Confidence Through Experience

• Confidence also comes from repeatedly practicing the difficult thing until it becomes familiar.
• Experience is gradual and nonlinear; designers revisit similar problems over time and apply previous lessons in increasingly nuanced ways.
• Both successes and failures create emotional connections that strongly influence future confidence.
• Some challenges—such as giving difficult feedback or making decisions in unfamiliar situations—cannot be solved through more research alone and require courage and repetition.

Applying the Exercises

• Identify an area where confidence is currently lacking.
• Decide whether the primary need is more data, more experience, or both.
• Share the challenge with trusted peers and use their perspectives to clarify the next step.
• Treat confidence as an ongoing practice rather than a feeling that must exist before taking action.

Confidence grows when designers combine informed investigation with repeated action, supported by a community that can provide perspective and encouragement.