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Introduction

There is a stigma surrounding people who stutter, face anxiety issues, or deal with any kind of mental illness. This is especially difficult for people who work in fields that require constant and significant human interaction, including the field of user experience (UX). In this article, I would like to share my story and tips for those struggling with anxiety or stuttering during meetings or interviews.

An absolutely essential skill of a UX designer at any organization is to verbally articulate your ideas and design decisions to stakeholders. If you can articulate yourself well, you can bring more change through design and important people will value your opinion more. At the management level, I can imagine strong communication skills are an even more important asset given the number of meetings you have to be actively participating in. Therefore, having anxiety or a stutter can make communication challenging as a UX designer.

I deal with anxiety issues and sometimes have a stutter that manifested due to the circumstances I grew up in. From seventh grade to the end of high school, I was heavily involved in musical performance (choir, musicals, etc.) which gave me an outlet to express myself and keep my mind off of the inner struggles I faced. Now my anxiety and stuttering are, for the most part, unnoticeable, but this has only been possible after meticulously working on myself behind-the-scenes over the years.

Getting used to performing on staged helped a lot with my anxiety. (Credit: Pexels)

Throughout college and now during work, these following seven strategies have helped me manage my anxiety and present myself clearly without my mind getting in the way.

The seven strategies

1. You’re not the only one who struggles with this.

According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America (AADA), 40 million adults are affected by some sort of anxiety. This means almost 1 out of every 8 adults in the United States deal with a form of anxiety. Moreover, “only about one-third of those suffering from an anxiety disorder receive treatment, even though the disorders are highly treatable.”

This is important because it gives me perspective. Sometimes when I am very worried about something and am overwhelmed, I can feel helpless or that no one understands what I’m experiencing. Knowing that anxiety is more common than I thought, I no longer worry about my anxiety affecting my work in a negative way. I know that my colleagues or interviewers would understand that many people go through these issues and it takes time to be more confident and become a better communicator.

2. Prove yourself through your design work.

If communication is not your strong suit, use your visual design mockups and prototypes to show your ability as a designer. If those are strong and aligned with design principles and business requirements, you have two distinct advantages. First, before you even speak, you are already on your stakeholders’ side when they see your work. Since you are now more confident, you should feel less anxious and more ready to walk through your designs and answer any incoming questions.

Also, if you have a great attitude with your work and are a curious and diligent learner, not being the greatest communicator usually is not a problem as long as you are working on it. Curiosity to learn and a good work ethic are very important traits to have as a UX designer as well.

3. Familiarize yourself more with the domain you’re working in.

This is related to the second point. Become an expert on your project and its details if you are not already. You don’t have to know everything, but you should inform yourself on what you think you need to know. Meet early with stakeholders if you have any misunderstanding or confusion with the subject matter. Listen attentively during meetings. Being a good listener and digesting what you’ve heard in actionable results is a valuable skill. This will help you worry less, make you more proactive, and make you a better designer.

4. Don’t over-prepare. (Maybe just a little)

This is perhaps the most important tip. You might think that the best way to succeed in a big interview is to prepare answers to all the possible questions you can think of. You might think “I feel ready this way since I have all the answers ready.”

That is what I thought too, but I found this tactic of over-preparing to be actually counterproductive. What you are doing is avoiding answering questions on the spot, which is an essential skill of a designer you’re not practicing. Avoidance is a common behavior of individuals with anxiety disorders, and It is OK to think about what you want to say and prepare answers to common questions, but preparing for every single detail is unnecessary. This is especially true at a junior level. Based on this article from Psychology Today, avoidance coping is the most important factor in anxiety and can cause issues to snowball. The article also has strategies to help you overcome avoidance.

Instead of avoiding, face your fears and test your ability as a designer by going into meetings and interviews adequately prepared to think on your feet!

A meeting room you and I can be presenting in (credit: Unsplash)

5. Confront your demons.

Following up to the previous point, I was fully aware that becoming a UX designer would challenge my anxiety. I would have to speak and present a lot, but that’s exactly what I want. I want to speak up to articulate my thoughts so people can hear me.

Confront my demons, so to speak.

Pursuing UX design as a career was the single best thing for me in terms of helping me become a more confident speaker and human being.

6. It’s OK to mess up.

If you have a big upcoming interview, understand that everyone is human. Just be yourself and be prepared to answer questions relevant to the interview subject (or company, or field) and you will do great! And guess what, if you don’t, you don’t. Don’t dwell on your mistakes too much. Instead, analyze your mistakes, move on, and do better next time.

7. Relax.

Remember to relax, find a hobby to distract you and become passionate about. For me it has been music and strength training. The better I get or more invested I am into a hobby, the less tense and nervous I feel.

Read a book :) (Credit: Unsplash)

Conclusion

James Earl Jones, famously known for the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars, the voice of Mufasa in The Lion King. and an alum of my alma mater, the University of Michigan, was a severe stutterer who faced anxiety issues.

He once said:

“One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can’t utter.”

Because of his work ethic and an unfaltering attitude, he persevered and gave us unrivaled performances in film.