hot take: designers often feel like they have to defend every single choice they make, as if they're constantly on trial. that's because design is so visual—anyone can glance at it and throw out opinions, even if those opinions are vague or come from someone without much expertise. for instance, a non-designer might casually say, "this color feels off," without backing it up or offering a real alternative. the bar for giving feedback is incredibly low; you don't need deep knowledge to chime in. now, compare that to engineering: folks don't usually drop random technical suggestions unless they actually understand the code. instead, they'd point out a specific issue, like "clicking this button triggers an error." it's straightforward and functional, not just a gut reaction like "this code seems weird." but here's where things get imbalanced: when someone hits a designer with that low-effort feedback, the expectation for the designer's reply is surprisingly high. if someone asks, "why this layout here?" answering "after a few iterations this one felt right" rarely satisfies them—they want a full breakdown of ux laws and design thinking with as many jargons as you can blurt out. early in your career, or even later, articulating that intuition can be tough and sometimes there isn't any to articulate in the first place. it's built from experience, patterns you've absorbed, and subtle principles of what works visually. don't doubt it; it's likely spot on, even if the words aren't there yet. this setup can make design feel draining, turning teamwork into a constant justification session rather than pure creation. yet, here's the key: designers don't need a defense for every little element. design isn't something that requires endless justification—it's the bridge that gets a user from point a to point b, all while deeply prioritizing their experience and convenience. trust the process and never let shallow feedback shake your core confidence. ps: using above as a justification for poor design is definitely a skill issue but you get the gist of it.