Most designers go into designing too fast. I used to do the same.
Jump straight into concepts, explore directions, spiral for hours without even knowing what the project was about.
Now I do it differently:
- Research first, so I go through the onboarding answers, audit competitors, write a summary in my own words, not AI slop, since If I can't explain the business myself, I can't design for it.
- Then a moodboard for branding or web
- Next a simple Sitemap or brand structure specific to that niche, not a generic template
- And then copy alongside the wireframe or concept
Only once that's done I go deep into design