Design is not just for users.

For a long time, it’s been repeated that design must be “user-centered.” It sounds good almost no one argues with i but that doesn’t make it completely true.

Design isn’t only for users. It’s also for the business, for the team, and for the product’s long-term survival. If a design makes users happy but the business can’t sustain it, it fails. If the team doesn’t understand it or can’t update it, it fails too.

In meetings, everything often gets reduced to one phrase: “let’s think about the user.” But rarely does anyone ask whether that design is feasible, scalable, or makes sense for the product in the long run. Design isn’t about pleasing, it’s about finding balance.

User-centered design was crucial when companies didn’t listen to people. But today the opposite happens: we listen so much to the user that we forget everything else. Designing only for the user is like cooking for one person’s taste without checking if there are enough ingredients or if someone else will be able to cook it tomorrow.

Good design seeks balance between what people want, what the business needs, and what the team can deliver. When one side dominates, the result falls apart.

Users can say what they like or what bothers them, but they can’t decide everything. They don’t know how much it costs to maintain a feature or how a small change affects the whole system. Their opinions help, but they can’t guide every decision.

When we design only for users, we create pleasant but fragile products. When we design only for the business, we create cold, soulless ones. Good design understands that both sides matter.

Design isn’t about choosing side, it’s about maintaining balance. It’s not just about users; it’s about making everything work well for everyone who depends on the product.