It comes down to
Communication & Research.
There is a tendency in these sections to show ‘double diamond design’ graphics, or screens showing design tools.
Or a fixation on design deliverables.
Design is about thinking and communication.
The specific tools for both those things are always changing. But here is how I typically work.
Good design begins with understanding: of the people, the problem, and the context.
I start by mapping insights, references, and constraints so the full picture is clear before anything is designed. I might sketch inside figjam, or use Balsamiq mockups.
I build structured, annotated prototypes in Figma or Sketch that are easy for developers to work with. Every page and layer is named and organised for clarity.
I share updates through Loom, pairing visuals with explanations that keep everyone aligned asynchronously. Captions are always included because accessibility and cross-time-zone collaboration matter.
I adapt to each team’s tools — whether that’s Slack, Notion, Trello, Monday, Shortcut, or Jira — keeping design communication part of the workflow instead of another layer on top.
AI is part of my toolkit when it speeds exploration or execution, but always in service of clarity.
Finally, I document everything in Notion so the reasoning behind each decision is easy to find and build upon.
For me, design is as much about communication and clarity of thinking as it is about craft.
It’s a process that stays calm, clear, and collaborative from start to finish. Even when moving fast.