Thriving in 2022: Five essential trends for designers & businesses | by Jan Takacs | Feb, 2022 | UX Collective — uxdesign.cc

Designers often aspire to change the world for the better and seek a deeper connection to their work. Unfortunately, last year delivered new harsh realities as rising pressure and hard capitalism lessons led to sobering reflections.Skyrocketing demand is sending designers into overdrive and fueling resignations53% of people were switching or thinking about changing their jobs in 2021. In general, the resignation rates were higher among employees who worked in fields that had experienced extreme increases in demand due to the pandemic, including digital designers. (Source: Forbes+HBR+WEF)A dramatic ‘purpose gap’ exists for the majorityA dramatic ‘purpose gap’ exists between upper management and the front line. 85% of frontline managers and employees are unsure or disagree that they can live their purpose in day-to-day work (compared to 15% of executives and upper management). (Source: McKinsey)The demand for digital design services skyrocketed during the year, driven by the pandemic’s impact, creating rough, never seen before pressure-cooker situations for designers, leading to increased workloads and, often, burnouts.The joy of designing evaporated for many as the pressure to deliver on core business goals mounted. A very few individuals and organizations appeared to care about pixels unless directly connected to revenue or cost savings, revealing hard capitalism lessons.In addition, the prolonged pandemic led to more isolation, decreased quality of social relationships and provided more space and time for self-reflections.Data implied a profound disconnect between many’s purpose and ambitions and their daily jobs. A fact that will have enormous implications for designers and businesses alike.Entering the new year comes with fresh perspectives. Learning from the previous year’s developments, to thrive in 2022, designers should:This year will provide tremendous opportunities for organizations that can steer the ship the right way and get the most out of their highly skilled employees. Understanding the new landscape, businesses should:

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