How the hell do UX designers stand out in 2026

23 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this advisory monologue, UX designer Samuel Fabayo argues that merely copying popular advice and trends only elevates designers from "okay" to "good enough," which is now the norm. He explains that once a piece of advice becomes widespread—like maintaining a polished portfolio website—it ceases to provide a competitive edge and becomes a baseline requirement. While a polished portfolio once set designers apart, today it merely gets you shortlisted. Fabayo stresses that to truly stand out in 2026, designers must move beyond common advice and discover higher‑level, less‑adopted strategies that create genuine differentiation.

Chapters

Simply following popular advice and doing exactly the same thing that popular videos and reels are asking you to do will only take you from okay to good enough at best. And there's too many designers that are just good enough. To stand out, you need to unlock the next level. Most of the advice that you see and interact with takes you from just okay to good enough, and it stops there. Because once good advice becomes popular and enough people adopt it, it stops creating an advantage that can help you stand out. 10 years ago, having a polished portfolio website could separate you from other designers immediately. Today, a polished portfolio website is the floor. It may get you shortlisted, but it doesn't significantly increase your chances or guarantee that you will be invited for an interview because it's so easy to have a polished portfolio now if you know what you're doing.