14 months into a large-scale revamp project at LittleLives, I didn’t just deliver interface updates. I navigated disconnection, ambiguity, and cultural misalignment to rediscover what kind of designer I want to be.
This isn’t just a case study about UX design. It’s about self-awareness, team sensing, and the transition from “doing” design to “holding” design as a space for impact.
This case study isn’t about assigning blame. Challenges like those at LittleLives are common in today’s fast-evolving teams. My aim is to share my experience to help future teammates understand how I work through obstacles, and to offer fellow designers a bit of encouragement by showing one way forward in complex situations.
As I reflected on my experience, I saw areas where I could grow, but some challenges went beyond my role. These 4 issues shaped how I saw my role as a designer and pushed me to think about how I could contribute at a higher level.
❖ Our CEO shared his ambitious vision for the product, highlighting its potential impact on our users. However, our team prioritized quickly adding features to sell and secure contracts.
✷ I often struggled with whether I should ignore the user and just focus on delivering the requested tasks. My time-spent on thoughtful design was seen as unnecessary. This left me feeling confused and without much opportunity to contribute as a UX designer.
→ I realized impact needs alignment, not just effort.
❖ Our product started as an MVP with less focus on user experience. As we added more features along the way, things got unclear since there were no clear version distinctions or goals
✷ It became difficult for me to know when to prioritize speed over thoughtful UX design. It also became challenging to decide which design solution worked best, since we had no metrics to lean on for guidance.
→ I learned that metrics and shared clarity are essential for team trust.
❖ Changes in the company and team dynamics, like communication issues and a family-like work culture, sometimes made it harder to collaborate. One thing I noticed was that favoritism. I think it could affect team morale, and I think it’s something worth talking about
✷ Favoritism made me feel like some people’s ideas and contributions were valued more than others. This created frustration and made it tough for me to trust the process. I wasn’t sure if my input would be taken seriously.
→ I learned that when people feel heard and respected, collaboration flows more easily.
❖ Our design lead was thoughtful and supportive. But he didn’t take a more active leadership role, which led each senior designer to work more independently. As a result, the team lacked connection, and we found ourselves working more solo than as a collaborative group.
✷ As the product grew more complex, this lack of collaboration limited our potential. I saw missed opportunities to learn from each other and create stronger designs together.
→ I learned that as product ecosystems grow more complex, strong design leadership and collaboration become essential. Working alone limits impact and slows progress.
Throughout my time at the company, shifts in structure, team changes, and evolving dynamics created a fast-paced and sometimes intense environment. I often held back from sharing my own struggles, not wanting to add to the pressure others were already feeling. While I couldn’t change the operational challenges, I chose to shift how I showed up and responded to it.
I reached out to a mental health AI coach, one of the AIs in ChatGPT. After sharing my thoughts and chatting with Robin (the AI coach), I developed my way to manage overthinking, shift my mind to a more positive outlook, and adapt to changes while staying true to my self-worth.
This was when I shifted from feeling stuck → to being rooted again. I began building my own “Design Vision”. I stopped waiting for clarity from above and began defining impact from within.
Once I figured out what I could, couldn’t, and wanted to do as a designer within an organization, I did some quick research. Using ChatGPT, I identified the skills and knowledge I needed to reach my goals. The AI provided a structured action list, but I wasn’t sure where to begin. It felt more like a reference guide. What I really needed were practical insights and guidance on which skills to focus on.
So, I engaged with offline UX conferences and workshops to gain inspiration and learn how others approach design. These weren’t just events. They were mirrors. One of the most impactful experiences was the UXVN Conference 2024, where I shaped my design vision. Another important moment was at the UX/Product Designer – Midlevel rồi sao nữa? workshop, which helped me clarify what I truly wanted to design.
I then reclarified my design purpose. I don’t want to just build good products. I want to design with care, insight, and the courage to connect human realities with product vision.
With everything laid out, I took a step back to reflect on my situation and better understand the team’s dynamics. I also spoke with former colleagues to gain perspective. Was this a cultural misalignment or simply a misunderstanding?
Rather than resigning right away, I decided to make one last effort to find common ground. I brought up a key challenge I was facing – “communication gaps” with the managers. My hope was to start an open conversation and explore if there was still a way to contribute meaningfully. Although the conversation didn’t move forward, I’m still glad I spoke up. It helped me see the situation more clearly, and reminded me why I value transparency and collaboration.
As I prepared to resign, there was a lot to manage. I needed to wrap up design tasks, deal with the emotions of feeling unheard by my managers, handle administrative work, and plan my next career move. It was a critical time for me to stay focused and maintain a healthy mindset. I also wanted to ensure I didn’t lose trust in my ability to do good work.
I couldn’t do it all on my own tho, I reached out to my friend, Mai Tung, for help with the administrative side and the negative thoughts I was struggling with. With his support, I was able to stay on track, wrap up my tasks professionally, and approach my next career step with confidence.
For the first time in my career… I’ve created a Design Roadmap for myself. It’s a 5-year plan that I’m starting to put into practice from now. It’s like my guiding framework. It helps me stay aligned with my long-term goals. It also helps me make decisions and ensures that every project I work on supports the bigger vision I’m striving toward.
Sometimes, the most valuable outcome of a project isn’t the final product. It’s the growth we experience along the way. I also came to see that design doesn’t begin on the screen. It starts in the ♥️ heart ♥️ of how we listen, understand and act in complex, often messy, environments.
Big thanks to the AIs, and the amazing teams behind them!
Along with my real-life friends and network, you’ve been a great tool. You’ve helped me with research, organizing my thoughts, and creating the perfect images for this case study. ♥️