Issue 18: Design Deeper to Differentiate: Why The Designers Who Win In 2026 Focus On Fewer Things
Fewer things, more completely + the Depth Audit exercise, book from my shelf and fresh UX reads
Hi designers,
Happy Monday!
Today I am writing to you from sunny Barcelona. The spring is in full bloom here - the smell of sunscreen and orange blossom is everywhere (reminds me of Moroccan sweets - you know those that are made with orange blossom syrup?).
So while the local are gathering at the beach, I am using my morning to fulfill my duty.
This week I want to talk about something that’s been sitting in the back of my mind, after reading the NN Group’s State of UX 2026 report. It’s a small phrase with a big implication, and I think most of us are accidentally moving in the wrong direction. Stay till the end — there’s a book recommendation and a short exercise I’ve been using on my own projects that you might find genuinely useful.
Design Deeper to Differentiate: why the designers who win in 2026 focus on fewer things
Here’s a question I’ve been sitting with: if everyone now has access to the same AI tools, the same speed gains, the same ability to produce work faster — what actually differentiates you?
The answer for me is: depth.
There’s a phrase from the NN Group’s State of UX 2026 report that’s been following me around: Design Deeper to Differentiate. It sounds almost too simple. But the more I sit with it, the more I think it’s exactly right — and the more I think most designers are instinctively moving in the opposite direction.
The natural response to getting faster is to do more. More concepts. More variants. More deliverables. More everything. And in the short term that feels great. You’re shipping, you’re busy, you’re demonstrating value.
But here’s the thing nobody says out loud: most of that extra output doesn’t actually matter.
