I think a lot of UX processes are way too rigid

Sometimes it feels like UX has become its own kind of bureaucracy. I get why it happens, but for me it often gets in the way more than it helps.

It seems like many try to process their way out of uncertainty. As if everything will fall into place if you just follow the right order – personas, research, wireframes, testing. But that rarely works in practice.

Most projects I’ve been part of are way messier than that. People change their minds. Priorities shift. Time runs out. And in those situations, clinging to a textbook process doesn’t help. It becomes false comfort. And at worst, some kind of ritual you feel obligated to follow, even when it adds no value.

I’m not saying structure is useless. I like having boundaries. I like working smart. But I think it becomes a problem when we care more about doing the process “right” than making something that actually works. When we create personas no one ever uses. Or run tests just so we can say we tested.

For me, good UX is more about perception than process. Seeing what doesn’t feel right. Using common sense. Making small adjustments you know will help, without needing to explain them through five slides and a page full of hypotheses.

I don’t know for sure, but maybe it takes a bit more experience. Some gut feeling. And that’s harder to measure. But it’s often what makes the most sense when you’re in the middle of a project with time pressure, blurry goals, and designers trying to keep it all moving.

What am I really trying to say here? That UX doesn’t always need to be scientific. Sometimes it’s enough to use your eyes and trust what you see.