I always thought UI/UX design was like STRICTLY following a recipe. Coming from a graphic design background, where it’s not about pixel perfect everything, as long as it’s readable and communicates its message effectively, I found UI/UX felt overly technical and rigid at first.
But after reading Lean UX: Designing Great Products with Agile Teams, my brain just got an upgrade. The book is like a practical guide to modern product design. It emphasizes collaboration, rapid experimentation, and continuous learning in UX design. Here are my key takeaways from it.
1. Outcomes over outputs
One of the key lessons is outcomes over outputs. Working as a designer is like a chef working in a food truck. You don’t always follow recipes strictly and you work in a fast-paced environment, you experiment with flavors and you adjust it to real time feedback.
Like Remy from Ratatouille—messy, experimental, and always learning from real feedback.
Instead of spending months perfecting a product, we should be testing small, scrappy versions early, getting real feedback, making quick changes and improving as we go.
2. Assumptions
This book suggests starting with smart assumptions—educated guesses based on what you already know. Instead of waiting to have all the answers, you test those assumptions by doing research and getting feedback from real users. This helps you learn quickly and adjust as needed.
It’s like drawing a simple map while exploring a new place. You don’t wait for a perfect Google Maps version before moving—you start with what you know and update it as you go.
Also Read: Continuous UX Research: A Path to Endless Discovery
3. Collaborate Early & Often
Work closely with developers, managers and stakeholders from the start—not just when it’s time to hand off designs. The earlier you collaborate, the smoother the process.
Building something is not a solo job, it’s a team effort just like a well-run kitchen in a restaurant.
4. Fear of failure
I’m not afraid of making mistakes. I’m afraid of the judgement that comes with them. The thoughts that always haunt me sound like:
“Did she even try?” As if effort only counts when you do everything perfectly.
“Does she even know what she’s doing?” As if one mistake means you’re basically done (like the Indonesian proverb nila setitik, rusak susu sebelanga).
“Maybe she’s not cut out for this.” As if you’re struggling means you’re not meant for the job.
But Lean UX challenged this mindset. The book frames mistakes as learning opportunities, not failures. It emphasizes iteration, testing, and improving—rather than aiming for a flawless first try. It’s not about being right, but about making sure the product works.
“When a recipe doesn’t work, you don’t burn the entire kitchen.”
Conclusions
“Everyone can cook, but does it taste good?”
And we’re not talking about cooking.
Less about perfection, more about learning.
Less about working alone, more about working together.
It’s not just about building something that looks good—it’s about making something that lasts and works.
Lean UX changed how I see design. It taught me that design isn’t about strict rules. It taught me that great design comes from embracing the messy process of experimentation, collaboration, and iteration.
Also Read: Design Matters: How Good Design Drives Business Growth
Practical Tools You Can Use Too
In Lean UX, the authors emphasize the mindset and process over technical details. However, they do touch on a few practices and tools that can be useful:
– MURAL – For brainstorming, perfect for mapping user flows, creating empathy maps.
– Framer – A prototyping tools.
– Usertesting.com – Platform that allows you to send prototypes to real users and gather feedback
– Optimizely or Google Optimize – For A/B testing