The One Question I Started Asking to Escape UX Burnout

Amrit kumar
Mar 9
3 min read

Updated: Apr 22

Hey friend,

Let me tell you a story. A few years ago, I found myself staring at my screen, cursor blinking, feeling like I’d hit a wall. I’d been a UX designer for a while—wireframing, prototyping, iterating. I knew the tools, the processes, the *rules*. But something felt off. Projects blurred together. Feedback loops left me drained. And despite ticking tasks off my list, I felt… stuck. Like I was running on a treadmill, sweating but going nowhere.

Then, a mentor said something that changed everything:

“It’s not about how long you’ve been doing this. It’s about how you think.”

The Shift: From “How” to “Why”

I used to pride myself on being the “how” person. How do we make this button more clickable? How do we streamline this flow? But one day, during a project that felt eerily familiar, I paused. Instead of diving into solutions, I asked my team: Why are we solving this problem in the first place?

Silence. Then, a flood of ideas.

Turns out, the client’s real goal wasn’t just to reduce user drop-offs—it was to build trust with a skeptical audience. Suddenly, my solutions weren’t just about UI tweaks. They were about storytelling, transparency, and emotional cues. By focusing on the “why,” I stopped being a task-doer and became a problem-solver.

Permission vs. Ownership

Early in my career, I’d wait. Wait for feedback. Wait for approval. Wait for someone to tell me what to do next. But waiting kept me small.

One project, frustrated by delays, I did something scary: I presented two solutions to a stakeholder. Not just mockups, but data-backed reasoning for each. “I’d recommend Option B,” I said, voice shaky. “Here’s how it aligns with our long-term goals.”

To my surprise, they said yes. Not just to the design—but to my confidence. That day, I learned: You don’t need permission to think like a leader.

The Quiet Power of Owning Your Work

“Owning” your work isn’t about ego. It’s about care.

I once redesigned a assign stakeholders flow that met all the requirements—clean, functional, fine. But “fine” just fine kept me annoyed. So I dug deeper. Researched emotional pain points. Added micro-interactions to ease anxiety. Prototyped a quirky loading animation to make waiting feel lighter.

Did anyone ask for it? Nope. But when the stakeholders saw it, they liked it. This feels better, they said. That tiny risk—to care beyond the flow —turned a task into a better personal connect with stakeholders.

Your Mindset is Your Secret Weapon

Skills matter. Tools matter. But mindset? That’s your superpower.

When I stopped seeing myself as “just a designer” and started asking:

What’s the bigger goal here?
What’s not being said?
How can I solve this before it becomes a problem?

…everything shifted. I became a decision-maker, not just a pair of hands. Clients trusted me more. Projects felt meaningful. And that “stuck” feeling? It still visits sometimes—but now I know it’s just a signpost:Time to grow again.

A Little Challenge for You

If you’re feeling stuck today, try this:

Pause the “how” for 24 hours. Ask “why” instead—even if it feels awkward.
Bring solutions, not questions. Next time you spot a problem, draft a fix before the meeting.
Own one tiny thing. A micro-interaction, a user interview insight—care deeply, even if no one notices.

Growth isn’t about leaps. It’s about tiny, intentional pivots in how you see your role.

You’ve got this. And hey—if you ever want to swap stories about foggy design days, I’m all ears.

The best part? You don’t need years of experience to think this way. You just need to start.

Below is AI generated explanatory video