Core Skills for a Successful Design Career From Team Sports
Looking to Sports for Performance Inspiration is a Cliche for a Reason
I can feel your eyes rolling. Of the dozens of designers I’ve worked with, I can’t think of many who play (or even watch) team sports. I played soccer when I was very young and enjoy college basketball and pro football now, but my real exposure to the benefits of playing on a team have come from watching my kids. In addition to making baskets and controlling the ball, they’re getting lessons in assertiveness, teamwork, trusting the process, and confidence building.
The conversation about what makes a great web or UX designer usually revolves around technical skills — mastering design software, keeping up with the latest trends, or learning to code. While these skills are essential, they aren’t what separate a good designer from a great one.
What really pushes a designer forward is the ability to collaborate, think strategically, handle pressure, and grow through experience — and interestingly, these are the same lessons that team sports teach.
Assertiveness: Go After the (Metaphorical) Ball
In sports, you’re either playing or you aren’t. If you don’t move decisively, the opportunity passes, and someone else takes control. The same principle applies in design.
A designer who sits back, waiting for instructions or permission to contribute — the often-longed-for “seat at the table” — will struggle to make an impact. Assertiveness in design isn’t about dominating conversations or pushing personal preferences, it’s about having the confidence to speak up, tie work to business and user needs, and push for better solutions when necessary.
A designer in a stakeholder meeting might see an opportunity to streamline a cumbersome interface but feel hesitant to propose a new direction. The best designers don’t hold back — they step in, offer their insights, and fight for solutions that improve the experience.
Reframing a complex user flow as revenue risk changes the conversation. You’re no longer pushing pixels, you’re watching the bottom line.
Good designers inherently struggle with putting forth their stance — holding space and hearing everyone’s perspectives are deeply held values that I believe lead us to this profession to begin with. And in a usability study or research interview — necessary skills to get it right.
Assertiveness doesn’t mean arrogance — it means having the confidence to contribute, challenge ideas constructively, and take ownership of your expertise. Just like in sports, if you don’t go after the ball, you’re letting someone else control the game.
Social Skills: Recognizing and Uplifting Others
Team sports aren’t won by a single player but by a team that works together, supports each other, and acknowledges each person’s contributions. The best athletes know that success isn’t just about scoring points; it’s also about setting up great plays and celebrating teammates who make an impact.
The same principle applies in web and UX design. A great designer doesn’t just focus on their own work — they foster a culture of collaboration, give credit where it’s due, and uplift the people around them.
Take, for example, a web designer collaborating with a front-end developer. The developer finds a creative way to optimize animations, improving performance without compromising aesthetics. Instead of simply moving on, the designer recognizes their effort, shares praise with the team, and ensures department leadership is aware of the contribution.
Small moments of recognition like this build trust, strengthen team dynamics, and encourage a culture where everyone feels valued. When designers and developers feel valued, they collaborate more effectively, share ideas more freely, and ultimately produce better work.
Trust the Process: Practice, Learn, and Improve
No athlete walks onto the field expecting perfection on day one. They train, make mistakes, refine their skills, and trust that each repetition makes them better.
Designers must adopt the same mindset. Successful design solutions don’t happen in a single draft — they evolve through feedback, iteration, and continuous learning. Having another designer review and offer suggestions almost always improves the outcome for the project at hand, and often has lasting impact on future work.
The same goes for learning new tools and technologies. Mastering Figma, Sketch, or a new prototyping tool takes practice. Understanding UX research methodologies or front-end coding basics won’t happen overnight. But designers who trust the process — who put in the effort, seek feedback, and refine their craft — build skills that compound over time.
The key takeaway? Progress isn’t about instant perfection — it’s about consistent improvement. The designers who embrace iteration and persistence are the ones who ultimately master their craft.
Confidence Building: Mastery Breeds Optimism
One of the best things about playing sports is that as your skills improve, your confidence grows. Moves that once felt impossible start to feel effortless, and with that mastery comes the courage to take on even bigger challenges.
The same principle applies to design careers. The more designers refine their skills, the more confident they become in their ability to tackle new challenges. Over time, that confidence translates into taking on leadership roles, mentoring junior designers, or diving into new disciplines like motion design or accessibility.
Confidence isn’t something that magically appears — it’s built through repetition, overcoming challenges, and proving to yourself that you can handle the next level.
For designers, this means saying “yes” to stretch projects, learning new skills, and continuously challenging themselves to go beyond their comfort zones. Confidence isn’t just about believing you’re good — it’s about knowing that you can become good at things you’ve never tried before.
Bringing it In
Design careers, like team sports, aren’t just about technical skill — they’re about mindset, teamwork, and resilience.
The most successful designers:
✅ Speak up and take action when they see opportunities.
✅ Recognize and celebrate the contributions of their teammates.
✅ Trust the iterative process, knowing that practice leads to mastery.
✅ Build confidence through experience and continuous learning.
Just like in sports, success in design isn’t about individual talent alone — it’s about how well you navigate challenges, collaborate with others, and push yourself to improve.
So the next time you reflect on what makes a great designer, remember — it’s not just about tools and techniques. It’s about how you think, how you work with others, and how you should never stop growing. And those are the skills that will carry you far, both in design and beyond.
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I write weekly articles for designers and design leaders who want to grow their impact, lead with clarity, and build careers that actually feel sustainable.