No. 10: New is Nice, Always

TL;DR: I landed the role I set out to find.

After 12 years building products in tech, I’ve learned the hard way that visibility matters more than anything.

In 2025, if you’re not consistently sharing your work or expanding your network, you will not find a job.

That’s the biggest shift I’ve seen for those of us who made a career as UX professionals. “Good UX process” is table stakes now. It’s not a differentiator anymore. Most companies are actively trying to get by without a dedicated UX function.

What stands out now? Presentation skills. Aesthetic execution. Clear impact with numbers to back it up. I’ve watched underqualified people fly from junior to director in two years simply because they were always presenting the work, whether it was theirs or not. They made themselves the face of the outcome. And people associated their voice with impact.

Put yourself out there. Stay visible.

I was raised to believe that showing off was such poor taste. I’m Venezuelan, with Scandinavian parents, but we’re in America, babe. Go big or go home.

Chill out and show off.

When someone told me my portfolio was “too technical,” I had a choice to either remain dignified in invisibility, or embrace what the market actually rewards. I chose the latter. Will I be even more cringe in 2026 and keep posting on LinkedIn? Absolutely.

If your background is in branding and your portfolio features editorial layouts and sexy imagery, that’s going to work in your favor.

For those of us who downplayed our visual skills for years as to avoid getting roped into marketing work on top of UX, those days are done.

I’m dusting off my old visual design skills and making my portfolio and design practice sexy again.

Before tech, I ran an independent studio designing bespoke, high-end stationery. I learned to code by building websites for luxury brands. That aesthetic wasn’t always useful in tech, especially working with engineers who prioritize functionality every single time.

But people seem thirsty for creativity again.

I’m what used to be called a full-stack product designer: research, strategy, systems, visuals, code. If I sharpen my React skills, I could call myself a Design Engineer. We’ll see.

Being a mom in tech? Whole book on that topic, but the main takeaway is that you learn to lean into being super cringe.

Once, during a hackathon, I had just given birth and a guy (engineer) literally gagged when I said I needed to pump. For those who don’t know: you can’t just hold breastmilk in. Now you know.

I don’t work with people like that anymore.

I work with women now and moms. And I get to laugh about how silly boys can be.

I’m embracing my Hot Mom Summer at the intersection of Design + AI, living in Miami, and building products that help people feel better.

I posted this app design that launched in the App Store last month and got 226 reactions, 26 comments, 2 reposts and 17,534 impressions.

Designers loved the concept of aesthetic calm over dopamine loops and they were incredibly supportive of the work.

Other designers are the reason I love design. We tend to be a generous and kind group of people.

Here’s my job manifestation evolution. Note that I got everything I imagined:

2010 —> I want to be a front-end developer
2013 —> I want to be a UI designer
2015 —> I want to be a UX designer
2017 —> I need to make $90k as a designer ($100k seemed delusional at that time)
2019 —> Senior product design role, $120k + bonus + equity, fully remote (rare then), no VC funding.
2022 —> Senior/Lead role on a design team with researchers, $200k+, fully remote.
2025 —> Product role that aligns with my values, female leadership, remote or Miami office with good vibes, HealthTech.

The Interview Process Is the Same.
It’s always been a bit of a circus for designers. You’ll still go through:

• Intro call

• Team interviews

• Portfolio review

• Whiteboard challenge

• Cross-functional rounds

• Offer stage

Eva Petersen is a product designer with 12 years of experience building tools that support how people live, work, and feel. She’s currently at eMed, co-founded Touch Grass (a wellness app for teens and parents), and runs Petersen & Juniper — her creative advisory studio. You’ll find her leading design conversations in Miami and sharing her journey as a single mom navigating tech leadership.