What I taught my StartUp as a Design Strategist
I was running my own Business as a Freelancer back in 2019, when I first started collaborating with a startup crafting an online learning experience. They were still in their seed state, but already run a pilot at one of the most renowned Business Universities in Canada. Now they were on the lookout of an UI Designer who could revamp their product interface to make it look more polished.
I liked their approach and energy, was very positive and grateful to be part of this opportunity. After a few weeks of back and forth, I delivered a bunch of high-fidelity mockups to their developers of a fully redesigned Interface together with a new UI library. When everyone first saw my designs, they got very excited and it didn’t take long, that I became a trustful partner for their business and we knew that this was the beginning of a long-lasting collaboration.
After a while, when they asked me to design their company website, they gave me the keys to their office and offered me a desk in their co-working space — until I started seeing behind the scenes. I gained more insights into their objectives and got a better understanding about how they run their business. That’s when I realized… this startup may fail.
Waterfalls
Once I was brought into the roadmap conversations, I noticed a pattern: feature after feature was being planned for the next nine months — none of it tested, validated, or anchored in user need. My role, it turned out, was being mistaken for a production artist: design visuals, pass them off, repeat. I began to realize, that their learning curve is bigger than I thought, that my role in this startup is something completely else.
I’ve seen them running into a build trap… They were building fast — but not smart.
They offered me a full-time position. — I declined. — Not because I didn’t believe in the product, but because I realized that what they needed wasn’t a UI/UX designer — they needed a new way of working. What they thought was a design problem was actually an operational one. They were throwing features at users like spaghetti at a wall, hoping something would stick.
And most of it? Waste. Developers that are developing a product no one asked for — waste. Me designing the surface of a not thought out product. — waste. Marketing a product that is misaligned with reality. — waste.
I saw this startup drowning their users by throwing feature after feature at them, before even testing assumptions or defining an MVP. Besides working in a waterfall-like fast paced environment I had to educate them in fundamentals and teach them a more sustainable approach — what it means to run in cycles to support continuous improvement and discovery. So I convinced them to hire someone else full-time, until I found a way for how we can work together. I realized my energy would be better spent helping them think — not just build. So instead of going full-time, I stepped back to reflect: How can I help them shift from a build mindset to a learning mindset?
Watermills
I began introducing UX Reasearch & leaner methods — smaller bets, faster feedback, and a focus on outcomes over output. I facilitated discovery sprints. I reframed their idea of what “done” means. I explained that iteration isn’t a stage; it’s a mindset. And that shipping a feature is only half the job — understanding its impact is the rest.
“Stop and go lean now!”
But most importantly, I stopped seeing myself as “just” a designer. I saw myself as someone who could influence how product decisions are made.
A Call to Designers: Step Up, Take a Seat
Designers: we can’t just be asked to colour in wireframes or “make it pretty.” We are in the room where assumptions are made. And if we don’t challenge those assumptions early, we’ll spend months designing and building the wrong thing.
We are not just UI designers. We are facilitators of understanding. We are translators of complexity. We are co-owners of the product vision.
To make real impact, we need to act more like product leads — define requirements, shape roadmaps, and guide what gets built and why. That doesn’t mean doing someone else’s job — it means doing ours more completely.
So if you’ve ever been mistaken for a production artist, here’s your moment:
- 🔁 Stop operating in the delivery lane.
- 🎯 Start shaping strategy.
- ✍️ Take the seat at the table.
- 🧭 Design the why, not just the what.
Today that’s what I do. I am a Strategic Designer with a PM mindset, and I have direct influence on product road maps.
Have thoughts or questions? I’d love to hear them.
📩 hello@lea-schwegler.com
…or comment below👇
