My personal feeling of UX coming from 2024 to 2025
by Vlad Kholonin:
I was particularly interested in this post because, after being laid off from my full-time senior UX position at a US bank in June 2024, I’ve observed significant shifts in the field of User Experience and design as a whole. Over the past months (as of April 2025), it’s become evident that the lines between UX and Product design have blurred. While some professionals can differentiate these closely related disciplines, many still lack awareness of usability principles altogether.
A key focus that resonates with every client today is the critical importance of incorporating accessibility into usability. In the US, failing to comply with accessibility standards, such as the WCAG, could expose a company to legal action or government scrutiny. This topic is explored further in an insightful post by Dan Maccarone.
PS. And don’t forget, UX/UI designer is not a UX designer!!!
Reclaiming UX Influence
We lost our influence in UX by giving it away. It’s time for UX professionals to reclaim their place at the table and design with strategic clarity, not just surface polish.
A Neglected Industry
A rusted “UX” sign symbolizes our once-powerful industry, now neglected but repairable. Thought leaders like Pavel Samsonov and Ed Orozco highlight how we’ve lost influence by prioritizing process over purpose. UX became a checkbox, sidelining essential user-centered principles.
The Bootcamp Boom
The rise of UX bootcamps led to a flood of underprepared designers, causing stakeholders to misjudge UX’s true value, seeing it as fragile and superficial. This misunderstanding resulted in companies thinking UX was just about making things look good.
Fractured Feedback Loops
The essence of UX—research and refinement—has fractured. Usability tests turned into validations, and trust eroded as speed was mistaken for effectiveness. With AI’s rise, UX gets involved too late to shape meaningful experiences.
Building Trust Again
To regain trust and influence, UX must focus on outcomes, not just process. As Jared Spool emphasized, process shouldn’t overshadow vision. UX is not about decoration; it’s about functional design that prevents costly mistakes. We must speak up early, build bridges with stakeholders, and show how UX impacts real business outcomes.
Moving Forward
Let’s build a UX practice valued from the start, not just invited at the last minute. It’s time to reclaim the essential role UX was always meant to play.
ArtVH's Commitment to Experience
At ArtVH, we are deeply committed to the overall user experience, implementing it into every project we undertake. Whether designing a website or developing a product, we ensure that usability and strategic clarity guide our work, delivering impactful and user-centered solutions.
If you have a project in mind, please feel free to contact us!
