Dealing with Impostor Syndrome as a Web Designer or Dev

Ever get the feeling that you’re not good enough to be a designer or developer? This is something called impostor syndrome and it happens to most creative professionals at some point (and, sometimes, many points) over their career. In this post, we’ll talk about some ways to beat it.

Whether you just landed your first job as a designer/developer or you’ve been working for years, impostor syndrome can hit at any time. All it takes is for just one seed of doubt to be planted before you start wondering, “Am I even capable of doing this job? No one thinks I’m any good anyway. Maybe I should quit, save them the trouble.”

The problem with impostor syndrome is that it’s more than just negative self-talk. If it goes on for long enough, it can cause significant damage to your mental health, relationships and career.

So, rather than feed into this vicious cycle of tearing yourself down, let’s discuss some strategies that can help you get past impostor syndrome.

What Is Impostor Syndrome?

According to McLean Hospital:

“When someone has impostor syndrome, they experience repeated feelings or thoughts that they are incompetent or not good enough, despite evidence to the contrary. These beliefs often have roots in someone’s personal history and tend to play out in work, academic, and other high-pressure settings. Unaddressed, they can keep people from enjoying their successes and living life to its full potential.”

What do these feelings of insecurity and self-doubt sound like? Here are some examples:

• “I’m not good enough.”
• “I don’t belong here. Everyone is smarter than me.”
• “Everything I build is awful.”
• “I guess I charge … $12 an hour?” (Because you can’t imagine anyone paying you a fair wage for your work.)
• “I’m a complete disaster.” (After making a small mistake that no one noticed.)
• “I can’t ask for help because then they’ll realize I don’t know anything.”
• “Any day now they’ll figure out I’m a fraud.”
• “[Coworker] always does a better job. They should just give them all the important jobs.”
• “It didn’t have anything to do with me. It was all because of …” (When someone gives you a compliment.)
• “Here’s the onboarding mockup I created. It’s not very good. I’m sure you won’t like it.” (When presenting your work to a client.)

Impostor syndrome doesn’t just manifest itself in the words you speak about yourself or work. It can also create anxiety and depression, lead to insomnia and negatively impact your work performance. In addition, it can burn you out.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), it can also make people not want to work with you. Not because you’re not good at what you do. But because your attitude is draining and they feel like it’s impossible to connect with you.

It’s almost as if impostor syndrome becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. While managers, coworkers and clients may not have had a problem with the quality of your work before, they will once it and your attitude degrade over time.

How to Keep Impostor Syndrome from Getting in Your Way

Starting to feel the side effects of impostor syndrome at work? Here are some things you can do to get it out of your way (and out of your head):

1. Focus on What’s True, Not on What You Feel

Let’s take one of the example sentiments from above:

“Everything I build is awful.”

Let’s say this thought keeps crossing your mind every time you turn something into your supervisor or client.

The first thing to do is to recognize that this is a thought and nothing more. Unless you have a client shouting at you that you are indeed awful every time they see your work, this is your own criticism you’re dealing with.

Next, focus on what’s factual:

• What are the five last projects or tasks you completed?
• What was the feedback you received on them from others?
• In the end, was your employer or client satisfied with the end result?

You can’t argue with facts. So, the next time you start with the negative self-talk, call to mind what you’ve been working on and how it was received. Actually look at the paper trail from the project to work with facts and don’t just recall memories that may be tainted by your feelings.

Also make note of major wins and write them down somewhere. Positive client testimonials. Referrals from a client you worked closely with. Management congratulating you in front of the team. A bonus at the end of the year. As they stack up, it’ll be hard to call yourself an impostor.

2. Talk to Someone You Respect

If you’re seriously doubting the quality of your work, bring it to someone you admire and respect in your field. And avoid sharing it with someone whose opinion you could easily discard, like a loved one. (“Oh, they just said that so I wouldn’t feel bad.”)

There’s no need to share your opinions or criticisms about the work with your peer. Instead, just bring it to them with the hope of getting unbiased feedback, and see what they say.

To start, if they pay you any compliments, graciously accept them. Remind yourself that they have no reason to lie to you or sugarcoat the truth. They are someone you respect and whose opinion you trust. They get nothing out of lying to you.

If they give you feedback, remember that feedback does not equal failure. We all get feedback, even when we’re experts at the top of our careers. Thank them for their feedback, make note of the input you received and then spend time reviewing it.

Put aside your negative self-talk and evaluate the feedback against reality. Is it fair? If so, what can you do to address it and improve?

This is what feedback is for. It helps us better understand our strengths and weaknesses, and to put a plan in place so we can move forward better than before. Not to wallow in perceived criticism.

This is the difference between an impostor and an expert. The impostor won’t know what to do with the feedback or how to grow from it. The expert will. They’ll also have the motivation to do so, too.

3. Ask Your Manager or Peers for Support

Let’s say your feelings of impostor syndrome have come from something that your manager, clients or peers have said to you. This again comes down to whether you’ll allow that feedback to fester or to put it to good use.

For example, let’s say that your manager hasn’t been pleased with your creation of color palettes. If they haven’t given you feedback on how to create them, reach out for support and guidance. Or you can turn to your coworkers for assistance.

Find out what exactly their expectations or preferences are. Ask about their personal process for crafting color palettes. See if there are specific tools they recommend you use.

If you’re feeling inadequate, don’t give up. See if you can get someone to guide you toward a new process or practice.

On the other hand, let’s say your feelings of impostor syndrome have come from something that your manager has said or done, but it wasn’t a direct criticism.

For example, they reassigned one of your tasks to a peer. Do you know for sure why they did it? If you don’t, follow up with them and see if they’ll give you a reason and some feedback. By actively seeking feedback, you may just discover it was a matter of them better allocating resources versus it being a reflection of the quality of your work.

Seeking out the truth can always help when impostor syndrome is getting in the way. It’ll either let you know that your feelings of self-doubt are unfounded or that you do have some areas where you can improve. You lose nothing by asking for guidance and help, and everything to gain.

4. Let Go of Perfectionism

It’s not realistic to seek perfection. Or to wait to turn something in until it’s perfect.

I’m not saying that your work should be full of errors or half done. However, if you’re waiting to reach that so-called perfect version of a website, app, logo or whatever it is you’re building, and then freak out after hitting “Send” because you realized the font size was slightly off, that’s a problem.

We all make mistakes and there are flaws in a lot of the work we produce for the web. We’re human. It’s what happens. So long as you’re paying attention to your clients’ needs and preferences, adhering to best practices and web standards, and doing your level best each time, that’s all that matters.

Once you accept this, you’ll realize it’s not right to put yourself down or abuse yourself for every perceived mistake.

To reiterate what I mentioned before: If it really bothers you to discover a mistake after turning in your work, make note of it. Is there something you can do next time to avoid it?

For instance, let’s say the font in your contact form doesn’t match the font used throughout the Contact page. There’s an easy way to address this particular problem in the future: Revise your process. Instead of manually applying font settings as you add new components, employ a global standard and design system that controls the fonts used throughout.

Let go of this idea of perfection and embrace a mindset of growth and improvement. Find something you don’t like about your process or approach to design or development? Fix it. Don’t let it become something that contributes to the harmful impostor syndrome growing within you.

5. Fake It Until You Make It

For this point, I’m not encouraging you to sell yourself with lies about your background or what you’re capable of. Impostor syndrome relates to feelings of inadequacy when you are already more than adequate, not when you set yourself up for a job you were never a good fit for.

What I mean by “fake it until you make it” is faking confidence and satisfaction with your work.

For example, let’s say it’s time to present the fintech mobile app you created to the client. Don’t present it to them with doubts and negative talk. Instead, take the lead, get excited about the app and show them how amazing it is.

I used to work in customer service and one of the things they used to teach us was to smile every time we picked up the phone. I know, it sounds silly. It’s not like the customer can even see you smile. But there’s research that suggests that forcing a smile on your face can actually impact the way you feel and how you carry yourself.

The same thing can happen when you fake confidence and happiness with your work. By forcing yourself to push the impostor thoughts and statements aside, you get into the habit of reflecting positively on what you do. And once you see that supported by how others react to your work, eventually you’ll realize you were never an impostor.

Another thing to do is catch yourself whenever you use negative words to describe yourself or your work, like “I can’t,” “I hate” or “I won’t.” Rephrase them using positive words. Even just reframing the situation and your thoughts can have a positive effect on your mindset.

This can have long-reaching effects on your career, too.

For instance, once you gain confidence in the everyday tasks you do, you can take things to the next level. With this confidence, you’ll be able to take more risks and accept more challenges. And if you’re hit with another wave of impostor syndrome, don’t sweat it. Even if it doesn’t feel right, your mind will eventually catch up with what everyone else already knows and believes about your capabilities.

Wrapping Up

You are not an impostor. Those feelings and thoughts you’re having? Most creatives get them at some point in their career.

In the beginning, those doubts may come from being a newbie when everyone else around you seems to have it all figured out. It’s natural to wonder if you’re good enough and how long it’ll last as it seems too good to be true.

What’s more, working as a creative is a lot different from, say, an accountant who works with hard facts and numbers. You’re coming up with something completely new. While you’re building something for a client or employer to use, it all comes from within you. And it can be hard to separate yourself from the outcomes or feedback associated with your work.

Impostor syndrome is going to happen. What matters is what you do with it.

I really enjoyed this quote that Dr. Ami Rokach of York University gave to the APA as it shows how impostor syndrome can be turned into a positive:

“Impostor phenomenon is a spectrum, not binary. Just as high achievement can fuel impostor phenomenon in self-doubting people, impostor feelings can fuel high achievement, which would enhance one’s beliefs in his or her abilities and achievement.”