I’ve worked at two startups where hiring a product designer was more of an aspiration. Even after deciding we needed one, delays from interviews, notice periods, and onboarding meant at least three months of having to get things over the line, designer or not.

A common shortcut is using pre-built component libraries like Google’s Material UI. They give you the building blocks, but they don’t think about the whole user flow for you. You still have to figure out how everything fits together.

But a lot of the time, we weren’t doing novel things. If you look closely at most software products, you’ll notice a lot of overlap in user flows. There’s usually little reason to reinvent simple things like account creation or password resets.

If your time should go toward what makes your product unique, how do you define a good user experience as quickly as possible?

Do not stare at a blank canvas wondering “Hm, ok how should the email field look like?”

Multi-million dollar companies with bigger teams have thought long about this, and you can piggyback off that and get to a great experience faster.

Avoid looking at:

• Design award websites: They showcase originality, not proven usability.

• Dribbble: Prioritizes aesthetics over function.

Instead, look at:

• Competitor sites: Make accounts, take screenshots.

• Aggregators like PageFlows or Mobbin for quick reference.

Common patterns—like password strength indicators—usually exist for good reasons.

Take notes on:

• Common UI elements like email, password fields, confirmation flows

• Visual and layout conventions (centered forms, responsive design, clear buttons, logos at the top)

Think of a Venn diagram. If every product in your space does something the same way, there’s probably a good reason. If one company does something different, ask yourself: Is this intentional, or just a mistake?

Sometimes friction is deliberate. Some companies require credit card details upfront—not because they have to, but because they only want serious users. It’s not a fast experience, but that’s the point.

If what you’re building isn’t straightforward, look outside your industry. Say you’re designing a feature that collects medical data for prescription renewals.

If you can’t find direct comparisons, zoom out: Who else collects sensitive data? Mortgage lenders, tax services—they all deal with high-stakes information. Look at how they build trust, explain risks, and guide users through complex flows.

If you’re designing a sign-up page, the goal isn’t just “two text fields and a sign-up button.” It’s something real, like: “Make signing up as effortless as possible.”

Now, turn it into a question: “How can we make signing up as easy and obvious as possible?”

Some answers:

• Show password strength before users hit submit.

• Give them a reason to sign up, not just a form to fill out.

This also raises new questions:

• Should users log in right away, or confirm their email first?

• Should they land on a confirmation page, or just get a subtle success message?

You won’t have every answer upfront, but asking the right questions keeps you focused on what matters.

Real users don’t behave how you hope. They rush, skip instructions, and get distracted.

Always ask: What could go wrong?

• Take it field by field—what happens if a user rushes through and makes a mistake?

• Then zoom out—what happens across the entire flow?

If you can make the experience smooth for someone impatient and distracted, your other users won’t have any problems.

Bad UX isn’t always about ugly design—it’s often