how to be a blocker 🚩

giving hard feedback as a senior design IC.

Sep 23, 2025

there is a point in everyone’s career, maybe in a product review or a design critique when you see a piece of work that just doesn’t hit the mark.😅

so you look around for someone to raise a flag.

and it is then that it hits you — you are the senior most designer on the call (or the one who is accountable for quality!)

the feedback could range from “it needs small UI tweaks” to “we need to go back to drawing board”.

at this point, you have enough experience to know two things:

you have to act as a blocker.
it’s going to be a tough conversation — developers are ready to build, PM needs to hit the OKRs, the designer needs to move on to next project.

so how do you raise a 🚩 and be a blocker without burning bridges.

in this week’s edition, you’ll find

🙃 how to be a blocker during a meeting
🙂 how to set up your team to avoid being a blocker.
⚡️ weekly highs & lows (trying something new!)
📚 my autumn-y reading recs

before I dive in. hii to all the new folks in here 🫶 I (try to) write weekly-ish on what I’m loving, feeling, and figuring out — sometimes design/AI, but most of times just life stuff. happy to have you here, and if you are new, hope you stick around.
“I read your newsletter yesterday…felt like we had a conversation and I am near you” - DM from my college bestie.

how to be a blocker during a meeting..

📝 learn to give articulate, actionnable feedback

the easiest way to lose trust as a leader is to give feedback based on vibes.

”this doesn’t feel/look good” what do you mean??

I have been on the receiving end of this feedback countless times, and when tables flip — make it your mission to give feedback that helps team understand what is it they are missing to hit the mark and how can they get there (preferably really quickly).

🛠 offer to jam, not just block

if you are just out there raising chaos — no bueno.

being a great teammate (and leader) often means rolling up your sleeves. jump into figma yourself, share a few quick sketches to translate what’s in your brain, or brainstorm side by side.

💬 offer support for the tough convos with product/leadership

sometimes your team will also need you to step in and put your name on the line. to be the one who says, “this isn’t ready yet” or “we need more time.”

lead from the front, even when it’s uncomfortable.

🤝 normalize blockers as shared ownership

build a culture where raising blockers to raise design bar feels safe, expected, and even celebrated. the goal is to treat them as shared commitments to quality, not personal failures.

how to set up your team (aka make systematic changes) to avoid being a blocker.

🕸 have clear owners for quality for each product area

this one’s simple: if no one is clearly accountable for design quality in a product area, you don’t get to complain about it. accountability creates space for craft to actually thrive.

📅 don’t just rely on organic collaboration

quality doesn’t emerge by accident. it’s built through visibility and rigor — recurring reviews, structured 1:1s, formal critique cycles.

sure, organic jamming is fun, but systems make sure nothing slips through the cracks and you don’t have to act as a last-minute blocker.

📅 protect time for design reviews/feedback

if you’re a senior IC, your calendar is part of your leadership toolkit. block off daily time to review work, give feedback, or jam live.

design leadership isn’t just about what ships out the door — it’s also about having the conviction to say “not yet” until it’s truly ready.

happy (un)blocking!✨

inspired by

Sabrina Molu

’s substack (it is gorge, check it out!), i want to give this a shot — sharing my weekly highs and lows.

very aware this might turn into a personal diary, but my hypothesis is it’ll help me be more regular here.

🔝 this week’s high
i think, i think (🤞) i’m finding a balance with setting goals. too strict (okrs, weekly targets) don’t work for me. too free-flow (yearly intentions) also don’t work!!

the last few weeks i’ve landed on a sweet balance — i kinda know the big picture for 3–4 months, and i chip away weekly. still too early to share takeaways, but if you’re gearing up for the last 3 months of 2025, might i suggest googling 12 week year. what’s working for me is a very loose, syrupy version of that.

😬 this week’s low
this week kicks off festive season in india — my favorite time of year. since living abroad, i’ve tried to keep up the spirit, but i feel like I mellow down every year.

add on top the current news on visas et al (!!!), and i’ll admit i had a mini-spiral. but we march on.

favorite stumble of the week -