Building uixperiment: Cultivating Product Thinking in UX Designers
Motivated UI/UX Designer with 3 years in user-centric design at s.p Digital, passionate about art and technology, and active in the Indonesian design community.
The world of UX design is always changing, and many new designers start by focusing on visuals, like looks and perfect interfaces. While having a good eye for visuals is important, I've seen a big gap, especially among beginner to intermediate UX designers, that worries me. Many are good at arranging pixels in Figma but struggle to build strong product thinking. This isn't just a theory; in a competitive market like Indonesia, where there are many UI/UX designers but often lower quality, this lack of product thinking can really limit their long-term growth and impact.
This problem inspired me to create uixperiment. It took about a month, and I did everything from research and analysis to design and coding the website. My goal was simple: to make a place where UX designers can practice product thinking in real-world, company-like settings, using common industry standards.
The Problem: More Than Just Pixels
I noticed a clear pattern: designers were getting stuck. They were good at creating designs, but they didn't fully understand the 'why' behind a product—the strategic thinking needed for successful user experiences. This wasn't completely their fault; resources and chances to practice this important skill were limited or often too abstract.
Who I Wanted to Help
The main users for uixperiment were beginner and intermediate UI/UX designers. But the platform was also open to those who recently switched careers to UI/UX, as well as experienced UI/UX designers looking for a new way to practice their skills.
The Core Challenges Designers Faced
Through my observations and early discussions, I found several common challenges that designers often faced:
"I don't know where to start." Feeling overwhelmed by a blank canvas and not having a clear path to follow.
"What should I work on?" Struggling to find meaningful projects that are more than just hypothetical and disconnected scenarios.
"I'm afraid my ideas are too far-fetched and unrealistic." Worrying about failure or creating something impractical, which impacts their confidence..
My Research & Insights: Discovering the Gap
To really understand these challenges, I did detailed research. I looked at discussions in different UI/UX designer groups, did several online interviews using Google Meet, and reviewed existing UX design challenge platforms. I also used Google Forms (and sometimes Tally) for surveys to get broader views.
"My research showed a strong need for challenges that felt 'real'—not just abstract prompts, but situations based on real product issues and industry practices."
The findings confirmed what I initially noticed. Designers faced the exact problems I mentioned. Plus, when I looked at similar platforms, I found a big gap: many challenges were too broad or focused too much on visual design. They often didn't provide the depth and context needed to truly develop product thinking, leaving designers unsure about the strategic impact of their work.
This insight made me more certain that there is a real need for a platform to fill this gap. It should provide challenges that are both interesting and closely connected to product strategy and real-world use.
The Solution: Introducing uixperiment
With a clear understanding of the problem and confirmed insights, I created uixperiment. This platform is a UX design challenge site focused on promoting product thinking. Here's how uixperiment approaches challenge briefs:
Real-World Application: Challenges are based on real-world apps like YouTube, Netflix, and GoPay. This makes the problems relatable and helps designers think of practical solutions.
Industry-Standard Briefs: Each challenge uses a structured format with a clear Background, Context, Target User, and Constraints. This reflects how projects are presented in the industry, helping designers meet professional standards.
I developed uixperiment to help UI/UX designers, especially beginners and intermediates, practice product thinking and experience working with real-world and industry-standard briefs.
My Process and Tools
My journey through this project followed a clear path:
Research: I used Google Meet for interviews and Google Forms (and sometimes Tally) for questionnaires to gather both numbers and opinions.
Design: I used Figma for all design tasks, from basic sketches to detailed prototypes.
Coding: I built the website using TRAE. When I encountered problems or bugs, I used AI helpers like GPT and Claude to debug and find solutions.
The goal was simple but ambitious: to create a place where UX designers can practice product thinking in settings similar to real company environments, following common industry standards.
Impact & Results: A Growing Community
It's really satisfying to see uixperiment making a real difference. As of now, the platform has published about 15+ unique challenges, each designed to help designers think beyond just visuals and focus on strategic product thinking. The feedback has been positive, with over 50 designers subscribing to the newsletter, and I believe this number will grow as more people discover the platform.
This early success shows that the main idea of uixperiment is right: designers really want practice that focuses on meaningful products. Seeing designers work through the challenges and begin to present their solutions with a better understanding of user needs and business goals is the most rewarding outcome.
Reflections: Lessons Learned and Future Paths
Building uixperiment has been a challenging, month-long journey of learning and growth. I've gained valuable experience in understanding complex problems, not just spotting them, but really digging into their root causes. This project taught me how to turn those problems into practical, useful solutions—creating something that isn't just nice to look at, but actually serves a purpose.
On the technical side, coding had its own challenges. Handling and fixing bugs was a constant learning experience, which improved my problem-solving skills and taught me the persistence needed in development.
What I Would Do Differently
Looking back, one important lesson stands out. I spent too much time planning the features in advance, which unintentionally delayed the project. When I first started building uixperiment, I thought many ideas were worth adding—feature A, feature B, and so on. While ambition is important, this approach ended up slowing down the project significantly. In the future, if I have the chance to do this project again, I will start with the basic features first.
This experience showed me how important it is to develop in steps and to "ship early and often." It's better to give users a working product and improve it with their feedback than to try for perfection before launching. uixperiment proves this, and I'm excited to keep working on it, always aiming to help UX designers think like product creators.
Visit uixperiment to find fun and challenging UX tasks you can practice for free at https://uixperiment.com.
