Lately, I’ve been learning the problem-solving side of UX design — reading about User Persona, 5 Whys, Empathy Map, and Problem Framing Map in my free time.

I get it. You can solve a lot of problems with these. But can you really? I needed proof.

So I kept thinking of a way I can actualy put these learning into practice. If I get to design an app there are user interviews, surveys, and all that fancy research setup. And I didn’t have the time (or energy 😅) for that.

Then it struck me, I don’t need todesign an app. I just need to find a problem and solve it.

And who has more problems than me? 😆

So I decided to fix something from my own life. Where goes.

The Problem

Even though I set my alarm 2 hours early, I’m still late for office almost every day.

I end up taking Uber to rush — which costs extra money too.

Persona: Me (Raeidul)

Age: 25
Occupation: UI/UX Designer
Goals: Manage time better between office, family, and career growth.
Frustrations: Always short on time. Don’t know where the day goes.

🧠 Step 1: The 5+ Whys Method

Problem: I’m late for office almost every day. Why?

• Because I keep scrolling my phone after the alarm rings. Why?
• Because I feel sleepy and unmotivated to get up. Why?
• Because I sleep late. Why?
• Because I come home late and keep scrolling again. Why?
• Because I submit my work right before office hours end, so I get late feedback and can’t leave on time. Why?
• Because even at work, I get distracted by my phone.

✅ Root Causes:

1. Smartphone & social media distractions
2. Poor work organization
3. No structured evening
4. No structured morning

🎯 Step 2: The “How Might We” Stage

How might I reduce digital distractions?

• Set app timers (block social media from 7 PM to 1:30 PM).
• Keep the phone under the desk while working — out of sight, out of mind.

How might I finish work on time?

• Submit work for review one hour before office ends.

How might I design a better evening routine?

• The routine has to be so simple that it’s easy to follow. For example, I want to work out a bit after coming home from the office. So, the first thing I can do is set a 20-minute timer. Turning on a timer takes no effort, but it mentally locks me into the zone — for those 20 minutes, working out becomes a lot easier.
• Keeping things predefined makes them easier to follow.

How might I fix my mornings?

• Here too, the first task needs to be very simple, because it’s usually hard to start exercising right after waking up. So instead of saying “the first task is to exercise,” I can start by saying, “the first task is to drink water.” And if I place a bottle of water beside my bed the night before, it becomes effortless to do.
• And I need a routine to follow the first task

🧪 Step 3: Testing It

1. Social media blocked from 7 PM to 1:30 PM. Along with a timer that disables the apps after 30 minutes of usage.
2. Office work submitted an hour early.
3. Fixed evening routine:
4. Reach home → Start 20 minute Timer → 20-min workout → shower → dinner → personal project → keep phone on desk, away from bed → Keep a water bottle close to bed → sleep.
5. Morning routine:
6. wake up → drink water → stretch → Start 20 minute Timer → 20-min workout → cold shower.

✅ Results

The first 3 days went surprisingly well.

I was on time, got more done, felt good.

Then on day 4, I found myself disabling the timer lock and watched YouTube reels for one hour straight.

And then the same old story. Late feedback, late leaving, late sleeping, late waking.

But even then, the blockers, the phone-under-desk rule, those small systems helped break the loop.

They made it harder for my bad habits to win.

Within just 1–2 weeks, by using these design methods, I pulled a UNO Reverse on ****the web of UX tricks ****created by designers at Facebook and YouTube.

• My scrolling time dropped to under 30 minutes.
• At work, I became more focused, started submitting tasks earlier, which meant no more overtime — and the mental pressure reduced a lot.
• Since I planned my evening routine in advance, I didn’t waste time deciding what to do next.
• In the morning, once I exercised and took a shower, the sleepiness was gone and I felt really refreshed.
• And as a result — I finally started arriving at the office on time, which was the main problem I set out to solve.

It’s not always perfect, but my mornings feel much more under control now and if I can keep this up for another 2–3 months, I feel like things will get even more stable and consistent

By using the same logic we apply to users,

I basically redesigned my own habits. And it worked.

If you’ve read this far — thanks a lot! 🙏

I’d love to know — how do you deal with distractions or manage time for personal growth while working full-time? Let me know in the comments.

Tata bye! 👋

I had spent a rather bad day. Saw at least 10 videos over the week about how AI is going to replace me and had to work overtime on an uninspiring project. “I want my own clients”, I said to myself while jogging on my way home and thinking about what to put in my portfolio website. “3d icons? Cute interactive Illustrations? a paragraph about how cool I am and what a good team worker I am?”. I got home while thinking about all these. What is that I do? and who cares? Why do the world need another designer with a portfolio website?

My thought train kept going.

Human civilization would be extreemly dull if artists weren’t there. And we are here for quit a long time, aren’t we? And by the rule of demand and supply it’s undenyable that this world needs artists, designers, story tellers. Who can make a simple ceramic plate colorful or just stare at the ceramic plate for some time just to keep it as it was and call it minimalism. But why does this world need us? I think it’s because this world needs inspiration and we designers are the ones most hungry for it.

People gets bored very easy and always look for a new spin. One of the reasons the minimal design trend took off is because it was diefferent from the expressive designs. It was expressive by not expressing. Something new. Something inspiring. Now inevitably they are bored of the minimal design and trends like 3d icons and skewmorphism are back.

And the cycle continues. Boredom creates the craving for innovation, which fuels creativity. That’s where we come in — designers, artists, the weird ones who gets bored first, locks themselves in and makes something that is different, stricking. Sometimes most people don’t get it at first. But that’s okay because a few people does. Who are as bored as the artists and the new thing inspires them. To experiment. To live again.

So maybe it’s not about proving I’m irreplaceable, or listing how “creative and collaborative” I am in neatly stacked bullet points. Maybe it’s just about showing that I see. I notice things. I care. About beauty. About function. About how something feels, and how it makes people feel.

If you have an idea and you come to me, I will talk to you about your idea and who it can inspire and the how is what I figure out and keep you updated.

So yes, the world probably doesn’t need another designer with a portfolio website. But maybe the world does need someone who’s still wondering, still observing, still chasing that ever-moving dot on the creative horizon.

And that’s what I’ll put on my portfolio.

Not just the projects.

But the perspective.

Not just what I’ve done.

But why I keep doing it.

Because if I’m going to design for others, I need to remember why I design for myself. And today, even after a rough day, the answer is still : to inspire and be inspired.

And if AI someday creates or writes something on it’s own that inspires me, I’m all for it

Tata bye.

I often get the feeling that the only people who are really admiring good design… are designers themselves. Maybe it’s wrong. But design isn’t just about spending hours crafting something that looks insanely beautiful and makes people go “whoa.” It’s about creating with intension.

Ever seen a printed design that looked like a hot mess? Or just one single line of text slapped onto a plain white background? Looks lazy, right? But maybe there’s a reason for it. Like… printing costs. Duh.

Wanting to stand out can be one reason. Say you bought one ad page in a quirky magazine. You might go super minimal so your page stands out. Or… maybe not, because the audience is into quirky stuff and they won’t respond to your ad.

The point is, you decide based on the message you’re trying to send. And that, my friend, is intention.

Name of the game? Get the right attention. And that means understanding people. Like actual psychology-level stuff. (Because no, you don’t want a cat’s attention… or maybe you do if you’re selling cat toys. lol.)

And yes — you need to study. You need to read. If you want to level up, it’s part of the process. But hey, it’s way more fun to read with purpose than to read for some exam you don’t care about.

So here we are. Designing with intention, geeking out over human psychology. You know it. I know it. But guess what? Clients don’t. So go tell your stories. Share your process. Show people how much thought goes into what you do.

Follow dope designers on social. Follow who they’re following.

I’ve been super inspired by vijay verma’s journey. I’m thinking of designing my portfolio stealing from his stie. Ofcourse it won’t be a copy cat because I will “Steal Like an Artist” XD.

Find your inspiration. Or, just do you. Break the rules sometimes. When everyone’s going minimal, go maximalist AF. When it’s all sans serifs t there, bring out that crazy display font and OWN it.

It’s all about knowing when to follow the rules… and when to flip them off.

And hey — don’t forget to experiment. Some of the best designs come from mistakes. Embrace the chaos. Embrace the weird. Just make sure it serves a purpose.

That’s it for today. See you next time I feel like writing.

Tata bye ✌️