Rate how much each statement reflects what you genuinely care about as a designer. There are no right answers — just honest ones.
Scale
1Rarely think about this
2Somewhat matters
3It's on my radar
4Really matters to me
5Central to how I design
Problems & Goals
You can't start until you know what you're solving
You're the person who slows the room down to ask "but what are we actually trying to fix?" It's not indecision — it's discipline. You know that a poorly defined problem guarantees a well-executed wrong answer.
Understanding the real problem matters more to me than getting to a solution quickly.
Not meCore to me
I care about why we're designing something, not just what we're designing.
Not meCore to me
Domain Knowledge
You can tell what won't work before it's tested
You've learned — sometimes the hard way — that brilliant ideas die in the wrong context. The constraints of your domain aren't obstacles. They're the material you design with.
I care about whether my work actually fits the world it has to live in.
Not meCore to me
Knowing the constraints of my domain makes me a better designer, not a more limited one.
Not meCore to me
Creativity
You're uncomfortable presenting just one idea
You find inspiration in things that have nothing to do with design. You pull problems apart and put the pieces back together differently. If you've only made one option, you haven't really started yet.
Exploring multiple ideas matters to me — one concept is never enough.
Not meCore to me
I often find my best ideas by borrowing from something completely unrelated to the problem.
Not meCore to me
Synthesis
You're the one who says "this is too complex"
When a design has too much in it, you feel it before you can explain it. You know that what you leave out matters as much as what you put in. Simplicity isn't the lazy answer — it's the hardest one.
I'd rather ship something simple and focused than something comprehensive and muddy.
Not meCore to me
When reviewing my own work, I'm more likely to remove things than add them.