My process for beginning any new design project (+ day in the life)

My process for beginning any new design project (+ day in the life)

Cecilia Kim 15.3K subscribers
1.9K views · 2025-08-28 UI DesignProduct Design
I spent hours designing this dashboard with multiple iterations and complete restarts. Aaaand I ended up absolutely hating it. Instead of hiding this, I wanted to show you everything. This isn't a tutorial on the "right" way to design. It's the actual, messy process where things don't work out as planned, and why I wouldn’t have it any other way. Don’t worry, we’ll be finishing up and finalizing the complete design in the next one.

❤️ Mobbin (my design tool, 20% off):
https://mobbin.com/cecilia

❤️ Anything.com (prototyping tool, 20% off):
https://anything.link/cecilia-kim

❤️ Framer (no-code website building tool, 30% off annual Framer Pro Plan): https://framer.link/cecilia1
code: CECILIA2

✨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceciliakimdesign/
✨TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ceciliakimdesign
✨Twitter/X: https://x.com/ceciliakdesign
✨Portfolio: https://www.ceciliakimdesign.com

📣 My husband and I are working on some projects. Check out our apps!
📱 https://www.amyfoodjournal.com/
📱 https://ellieplanner.com/
📱 https://lunabudgeting.com/

00:00 intro
00:43 context & setup
02:14 Mobbin, moodboards, & wireframes
05:43 the cowboy direction
09:15 breakdowns & breakthroughs
12:57 round 2 - darker designs
16:25 current state & feedback
18:25 reflections, advice, & lessons learned

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