It's tempting to jump straight into Figma and start crafting beautiful screens. But the prettiest mockup in the world won't save a product that solves the wrong problem. In my ~2 years as a UI/UX designer, the biggest wins came from research — not pixels.
Before opening any design tool, I talk to users (or proxies) and review the data we already have. A short interview or a quick survey often reveals that the real pain point is different from what stakeholders assumed.
Once I understand the user, I move to wireframes and user flows, then interactive prototypes in Figma. Research becomes the north star that keeps the design honest — and makes handoff to the frontend team smoother, because every decision is backed by a reason.
Pretty is easy. Useful is hard. Do the research, and you get both.
— Fegi Sucepto Priawan · UI/UX Designer & Backend Developer