Sure, working in a startup environment sounds fun. The stories of flexibility and freedom that it entails spark curiosity into people’s minds, making it enticing to explore a career in the startup scene. In reality, working in a startup just presents a different set of challenges. One of which requires you to wear a lot of hats as the only designer in the team.

当然，在启动环境中工作听起来很有趣。 随之而来的灵活性和自由的故事激发了人们的好奇心，从而吸引了人们在初创企业中探索职业的兴趣。 实际上，在初创公司工作只会带来一系列不同的挑战。 其中之一要求您作为团队中的唯一设计师戴很多帽子。

I wouldn’t exactly say that working in a startup was fun. What makes things fun is a subjective matter, some people find a day at an amusement park fun, while some find it dreadful. From what I experienced, there were fun times and it surely was a roller coaster ride. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of something real and I was able to meet good people.

我不会确切地说在初创公司工作很有趣。 使事情变得有趣的是一个主观问题，有些人在游乐园中找到了一天的乐趣，而另一些人则觉得这很可怕。 从我的经验中，有很多有趣的时光，那肯定是坐过山车。 我很高兴能够成为真实事物的一部分，并且能够结识好人。

Here are some of my learnings and unlearnings after working in a small startup company, as a full-timer with 4–5 people teammates:

以下是在一家小型初创公司工作时(与4-5个人组成的全职团队的经验)，从中学到的一些经验和教训：

独奏设计师 (The Solo Designer)

为用户设计。 (Designing for the User.)

Being the only designer in the team has its pros and cons. It might seem that faster design decisions could be made because there is only one designer. However, this meant that there were no other designers to discuss or to bounce off ideas with.

作为团队中唯一的设计师有其优点和缺点。 由于只有一名设计师，因此似乎可以做出更快的设计决策。 但是，这意味着没有其他设计师可以讨论或反弹思想。

It was common to hear something like, “You are the designer; you know what’s best.” To some extent, you would be entrusted to make the call and this is a good opportunity to owning up to your decisions and to learn from them. However, it’s inevitable for us to sometimes believe that our users would think and behave exactly like us. In any case, always remember that you are not the user.

通常会听到类似这样的信息： “您是设计师； 你知道什么是最好的。” 在某种程度上，您会被委托打电话，这是一个把握自己的决定并向他们学习的好机会。 但是，有时我们不可避免地会认为用户会像我们一样思考和举止。 无论如何，请始终记住您不是用户 。

Raluca Budiu from Nielsen Norman Group writes,

Nielsen Norman Group的Raluca Budiu写道：

“Designers, developers, and even UX researchers fall prey to the false-consensus effect, projecting their behaviors and reactions onto users.”

“设计人员，开发人员甚至UX研究人员都容易受到错误共识效应的影响，将其行为和React投射到用户身上。”

Design is a team sport and it’s easy to forget that we tend to have our own biases. Hence, I initiated brainstorm sessions, discussions and even have healthy debates with my teammates. I had to constantly refrain from designing only for myself. When in doubt, test with users.

设计是一项团队运动，很容易忘记我们往往会有自己的偏见。 因此，我发起了集体讨论，讨论，甚至与队友进行了健康的辩论。 我不得不不断地避免只为自己设计。 如有疑问，请与用户进行测试。

完美的设计 (Perfect Design)

放开附件，让事情发生。 (Letting go of attachments and making things happen.)

Some design-related discussions with a team could easily wind up into heated debates. That’s what happens when everyone cares about what they do, and everyone is passionate with what they believe in. People are good at generating ideas and it’s quite normal to fall in love with an idea. However, it’s risky to get fixated with one idea, especially when it leads to a dead-end.

与团队进行的一些与设计有关的讨论很容易引起激烈的争论。 当每个人都在乎自己的工作，每个人都对自己的信念充满热情时，就会发生这种情况。人们善于产生想法，并且爱上一个想法是很正常的。 但是，被一个想法固定住是有风险的，尤其是当它导致死胡同时。

While there is good design, there is no perfect design. — Alexandra Daisy

虽然有好的设计，但没有完美的设计。 —亚历山德拉·黛西

Getting fixated with “The perfect solution” reduces the chances of getting better ones. As a designer, we get to explore ideas. Exploration may require some allocation of time and resources, it could initially seem costly for a startup company. However, there is more to gain from iterating ideas and being agile than getting trapped in a box of restrictions. Eventually, iterations would lead to the correct answers.

被“完美解决方案”所吸引，减少了获得更好解决方案的机会。 作为设计师，我们可以探索想法。 探索可能需要一定的时间和资源分配，对于一家初创公司而言，开始时似乎代价很高。 但是，迭代思路和敏捷性比陷于限制框里有更多收获。 最终，迭代将得出正确的答案。

It’s not about an idea, it’s about making an idea happen. — Scott Belsky

这不是一个想法，而是一个想法的实现。 —斯科特·贝尔斯基

Learning to let go is also a sign that we are capable of quieting our own egos and listening to others. As much as we care to get our ideas out, we could also choose to listen to each other in order to move forward toward a common goal.

学会放手也是一种迹象，表明我们有能力使自己的自我消沉并倾听他人的声音。 尽管我们很想发掘我们的想法，但我们也可以选择互相倾听以迈向一个共同的目标。

最佳实践 (Best Practices)

遵循最佳设计实践可能会导致良好的设计，但并非总是如此。 (Following best design practices might lead to good design, but not always.)

As a designer with limited resources, checking out design trends and following best practices could help manage getting things done. Producing a prototype that is consistent with other interfaces could make it easy for people to use, but once in a while, it doesn’t work out. This has been one of the usual dilemma that I struggle with.

作为资源有限的设计师，检查设计趋势并遵循最佳实践可以帮助您完成工作。 生成与其他界面一致的原型可以使人们易于使用，但有时却无法解决。 这一直是我挣扎的常见难题之一。

“Consistency is the curse of innovation in design … the path to innovation is circuitous and costly, and if your users won’t have many learning opportunities, they may never reach that optimal-performance plateau accessible only after learning has happened.” — Raluca Budiu (NN/g)

“一致性是设计创新的诅咒……创新之路是circuit回曲折且昂贵的，如果您的用户没有太多学习机会，他们可能永远无法达到学习发生后才能达到的最佳性能平台。” — Raluca Budiu(NN / g)

So yes, we have to be mindful of being consistent with the design conventions that people are used to. It has been found that the more a person performs the same task, the lesser time it takes for them to complete. But depending on who your target users are, it’s possible that design conventions could only be easy to use if users became familiar with it before. This is why it’s always helpful to also learn more about the users and find out whether they have encountered the design that you are going for.

因此，是的，我们必须谨记与人们习惯的设计惯例保持一致。 已经发现，一个人执行相同任务的次数越多，完成任务所需的时间就越短 。 但是取决于您的目标用户是谁，如果用户以前熟悉设计约定，则可能很容易使用设计约定。 这就是为什么同时了解更多有关用户并找出他们是否遇到您想要的设计总是有帮助的原因。

“Anytime someone on your team starts talking about making things consistent, change the conversation to be about what the users’ current knowledge is.” — Jared Spool

“您团队中的任何人开始谈论使事情保持一致时，请将对话更改为与用户当前的知识有关。” —杰瑞德·史普(Jared Spool)

Our job is to make things easier for people to do their tasks, not only for us to finish our tasks and release the app. Hence, reaching out to users would help us to learn about their previous experiences. We can then navigate our way to the best design approach.

我们的工作是使人们更轻松地完成任务，不仅让我们完成任务并发布应用。 因此，与用户联系将有助于我们了解他们以前的经验。 然后，我们可以导航到最佳设计方法。

跳入解决方案 (Jumping into solutions)

框架正确的问题，以探索和找到正确的解决方案。 (Frame the right problem in order to explore and find the right solution.)

When working in a startup company that puts importance on being lean and agile, I have realized the need to be concerned with how I spend my time to complete my tasks and to make sure that I’m working in collaboration with my teammates to move a project toward completion. However, it’s quite crucial to pin down what the actual problem is before thinking of solutions, than to nail down a prospective solution and applying it blindly.

在一家注重精益和敏捷的新兴公司中工作时，我意识到有必要关注我如何花时间完成任务，并确保与同事合作以移动项目即将完成。 但是，至关重要的是在考虑解决方案之前先确定实际问题，而不是确定预期的解决方案并盲目地应用它。

Don Norman said in an interview that,

唐·诺曼(Don Norman)在接受采访时说，

“One of the important skills a good designer brings to the table is figuring out what the real problem is.”

“一位优秀设计师带来的重要技能之一就是弄清楚真正的问题是什么。”

Solving the wrong problem could be costly for a startup and even be a turning point for a company. Don also suggests, “asking why 5 times to find the real problem”. I have learned to adopt a Design Thinking mindset in order to frame the real problem. By emphatizing with the users through user research, we could focus on finding the pain points that will help define what the user needs are.

解决错误的问题对于一家初创公司而言可能是昂贵的，甚至对于一家公司而言也是一个转折点。 唐还建议， “问为什么要 5次发现真正的问题” 。 我学会了采用“ 设计思维”思维方式来解决实际问题。 通过通过用户研究向用户强调，我们可以专注于找到有助于定义用户需求的痛点。

UX购买 (Buy-in for UX)

接受这始终是一场艰苦的战斗。 (Accept that it always be an uphill battle.)

Like in any workplace, design maturity varies. The Nielsen Norman Group defined 8 stages of Corporate UX Maturity. In my experience, the daily hustle and grind in a startup environment does not necessarily equate or lead to its design maturity. And that’s ok, we work with what we have.

像在任何工作场所一样，设计成熟度也有所不同。 Nielsen Norman Group定义了公司用户体验成熟度的 8个阶段。 以我的经验，在启动环境中的日常忙碌并不一定等同于或导致其设计成熟。 没关系，我们将与我们现有的一起工作。

I have worked in an environment where the maturity is more or less 2–4 stages, where UX is somewhat being recognized, with some time and budget allocated for UX activities. It could be hard to ask for more chances to do activities like usability testing, specially when you are caught up with other design-related tasks. I may have not known any better in my earlier days, but “any user data is better than no data.”

我在一个成熟度大约为2-4个阶段的环境中工作，其中在某种程度上已经认可了UX，并为UX活动分配了一些时间和预算。 很难要求有更多机会进行诸如可用性测试之类的活动，尤其是在您陷入其他与设计相关的任务时。 我以前可能还没有更好的了解，但是“ 任何用户数据总比没有数据要好 。”

Doing something blindly is a dangerous habit and a risk that the team might not realize before it’s too late. Startup teams work hard to push out a project or a product, previous experiences made me learn that data-driven design with qualitative inputs helps in gaining credibility and buy-in for UX. Solving real problems and identifying usability issues has helped me emphasize the need for better user experience, which eventually helped justify the need to invest in UX activities like user research.

盲目地做某事是一种危险的习惯，也是团队为时已晚之前可能没有意识到的风险。 初创团队努力工作以推出项目或产品，以前的经验使我了解到，具有定性输入的数据驱动设计有助于获得UX的信誉和认可。 解决实际问题并确定可用性问题帮助我强调了对更好的用户体验的需求，这最终证明有必要对用户研究等UX活动进行投资。

反馈 (Feedback)

询问并提供反馈。 (Ask and give feedback.)

I have worked in a startup environment with a culture of directness and I got used to it. While I learned how to handle criticisms early on, my worst nightmare back then was not being good enough. I also had a difficulty in gauging whether I did a good job or not. Not being good enough still bothers me from time to time, but it’s not enough reason to not ask for feedback or to stop. Because I was the solo designer in a startup company, it was crucial for me to reach out to my teammates so that we could evaluate my design or idea. We could then iterate and move forward.

我在具有直接文化的启动环境中工作，我已经习惯了。 虽然我很早就学会了如何处理批评，但当时我最糟糕的噩梦还不够好。 我也很难衡量自己是否做得很好。 不够好仍然时不时困扰着我，但这是不要求反馈或停止的充分理由。 因为我是一家初创公司的独立设计师，所以对我来说，与团队成员取得联系非常重要，这样我们才能评估我的设计或想法。 然后，我们可以迭代并继续前进。

I recently learned that when asking for feedback, it’s better to ask with a specific context than asking if my work is good or not. When giving feedback, it’s not enough to say things like, “I like it.” or “It’s good.” Instead, be specific and ask questions to understand the underlying design decisions. Ask the stupid questions to lead the problem into the right direction or answer.

我最近了解到，在征求反馈意见时，最好是在特定的背景下提问，而不是问我的工作是否好。 提供反馈时，仅说“我喜欢”这样的话是不够的。 或“很好。” 相反，要具体并提出问题以理解基础设计决策。 提出愚蠢的问题 ，将问题引向正确的方向或回答。

一直在学习 (Always be learning)

投资自己。 (Invest in yourself.)

I am not an avid book reader and so I find other ways to learn more. Aside from reading online resources, I also enrolled in online courses (e.g. Coursera, Udacity, or edX).

我不是一个狂热的读书者，所以我找到了其他方法来学习更多。 除了阅读在线资源外，我还注册了在线课程(例如Coursera，Udacity或edX)。

Working in a startup could mean that you need to shell out your own money or be resourceful to join paid events or trainings. I joined non-design related meetups and conferences like RISE and other open source conferences in Hong Kong. It’s a great way to meet people and prospective clients. You never know what opportunities lie ahead.

在初创公司工作可能意味着您需要掏出自己的钱或者有足够的才能参加付费活动或培训。 我参加了与设计无关的聚会和会议，例如RISE和其他在香港举行的开源会议。 这是结识人们和潜在客户的好方法。 您永远不会知道前方有什么机会。

幸存下来的创业者 (Surviving the startup hustle & grind)

There might be days when you find yourself being spread too thin between different tasks. Hence, it’s helpful to develop a means to plan and spend your time wisely. This is also why it’s crucial to be always mindful of moving forward. Reach out to your team mates, collaborate and build trust.

有时候，您会发现自己在不同的任务之间过于分散。 因此，开发一种明智地计划和花费时间的方法很有帮助。 这也是为什么始终保持前进至关重要的原因。 与您的队友接触，合作并建立信任。

I found that miscommunications could easily take place, even in a small team, this is why it’s important to be in the same page with your teammates.

我发现即使在一个很小的团队中，沟通失误也很容易发生，这就是为什么与队友同处很重要的原因。

While we strive to get things done, I learned that my priority as a designer is to ensure that my design accommodates user needs. Which is why it’s quite necessary to explore the possibilities that could solve the right problem at hand. Asking the right questions would eventually lead you to the right answers.

在努力完成工作的同时，我了解到，作为设计师的我的首要任务是确保我的设计满足用户需求。 这就是为什么非常有必要探索可以解决当前正确问题的可能性的原因。 提出正确的问题最终将带您获得正确的答案。

Be your authentic self. It’s okay stand out and be different. Compete with yourself than with others. Don Norman shares his views on products that all look the same,

做你真实的自己。 可以脱颖而出，与众不同。 与自己竞争比与他人竞争。 唐·诺曼(Don Norman)分享了他对所有外观相同的产品的看法，

“Don’t feature match. Don’t design match. It’s about your company, not about your competitors.”

“没有功能匹配。 不设计比赛。 这是关于您的公司，而不是您的竞争对手。”

Make it a habit to make plans, think of where you want to be, you can figure out how as you go. Always remember that you are enough.

养成制定计划的习惯，想想自己要去哪里，可以弄清楚自己的行事方式。 永远记住，你已经足够了。

This entry is inspired by my previous blog about “What I learned and unlearned as a UX Designer”.

这篇文章的灵感来自于我以前的博客“关于我作为UX设计人员学到和不学到的东西” 。