The Sole Designer at a Small Startup
What to expect, how to deal, and an idea of what you might do
Titles
Oddly enough, one of the most popular topics for designers to debate these days is our own titles. No, it’s not some ego-based conversation about who has the biggest and best title, or how we can get cooler, shinier titles, i.e. Design Rockster or Unicorn Master of the Design Universe.
No, the debate centers around the duties of the job according to the title, and how many varieties of design focus you should include in one person’s job. Another issue is that very few people aside from the designer seem to really understand what these titles actually mean. This leads to a lot of confusion when designers are looking for jobs and can sometimes lead to frustration between employee/employer when perceived expectations of job duties don’t align.
I don’t want to dwell on the myriad of designer titles and what they all mean- there are plenty of articles out there that already explore this. You can read one of them here. But I do want to cover how going into a designer role at a small startup might mean that your title doesn’t line up with everyone’s expectations.
When you sign on to be a UX designer at a small start-up, your title may or may not give you clues as to what your…
