My Biggest Design Mistake

Honestly, there's a project I'm not proud of.

From the start, the problem wasn't clearly defined. The client's request was vague, but more than that, I noticed that vagueness and didn't push to clarify it. I told myself "it'll become clear as we go."

There was a moment partway through where something felt off. I still didn't say it out loud. Not wanting to damage the relationship won out over being honest.

What we ended up building wasn't something either the client or I could be genuinely proud of.
But what I learned from that project mattered more than any success I've had.

Now, before I start designing anything, I put the problem into writing and get the client's agreement on it first. I don't move forward on something vague anymore.