Design Trends for 2025: What’s Hot and What’s Next?

Introduction:

Why do women who build global brands still remain underrepresented in business strategy case studies and leadership textbooks? It’s time to change that. Here are 10 women who created world-class empires — and the specific, actionable lessons every founder, product owner, and team lead can take from their journeys.

1. Oprah Winfrey – Building a Brand on Authenticity

• Summary: From poverty to a multi-billion-dollar media empire.
  
  
• Lesson: Trust and authenticity are the most valuable currencies in branding.
  

2. Sara Blakely (Spanx) – Innovating Without Investors

• Summary: Turned $5,000 into a billion-dollar company.
  
  
• Lesson: Sometimes the smartest move is to keep full ownership — and back yourself over the experts.
  

3. Whitney Wolfe Herd (Bumble) – Solving Real User Problems

• Summary: Created Bumble, the dating app where women make the first move.
  
  
• Lesson: Deep empathy for the user is a competitive strategy, not a nice-to-have.
  

4. Rihanna (Fenty Beauty) – Inclusion as a Growth Engine

• Summary: Redefined beauty standards through her cosmetics brand.
  
  
• Lesson: If you don’t design for everyone, you’re designing for the few — and losing sales.
  

5. Melanie Perkins (Canva) – Democratizing Design

• Summary: Made visual content creation accessible to everyone.
  
  
• Lesson: The market rewards products that simplify complexity for the masses.
  

6. Anne Wojcicki (23andMe) – Making Science Consumer-Friendly

• Summary: Brought genetic testing to households worldwide.
  
  
• Lesson: When selling innovation, education must come first.
  

7. Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo) – Leading for the Long Game

• Summary: Transformed PepsiCo with a focus on sustainability and future trends.
  
  
• Lesson: Great leaders shift direction before the market forces them to.
  

8. Sophia Amoruso (Nasty Gal, Girlboss) – The Power of Reinvention

• Summary: From e-commerce success to failure — and brand rebirth.
  
  
• Lesson: Failure isn’t final. It’s just a new chapter with a new story.
  

9. Gwynne Shotwell (SpaceX) – Execution Behind the Vision

• Summary: The operations mastermind behind SpaceX’s success.
  
  
• Lesson: Every bold vision needs flawless execution to reach orbit.
  

10. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (Biocon) – Scaling Science with Impact

• Summary: Founder of one of India’s largest biotech firms.
  
  
• Lesson: Local innovation can drive global impact — if you're bold enough to scale it.
  

Conclusion:

Each of these women started from a different point — some with nothing but grit, others with technical brilliance or cultural insight. What unites them is vision, courage, and relentless execution. If you’re a business owner, product leader, or project manager, ask yourself:
What part of their strategy can I bring into my business today?

‍

At UX GIRL, we believe that every innovative idea needs a strong foundation—built not only on assumptions, but on real user needs. That’s why we were thrilled to support the Oncostories project through the Garage Genius program by leading a tailored Product Discovery workshop for its founder.

Oncostories is an emerging platform designed to connect individuals with oncology experience—patients, survivors, and caregivers—with oncologists. Its mission is to bridge communication gaps, provide access to empathetic dialogue, and make room for voices often unheard in the traditional healthcare system. From our first conversation, we knew this project had tremendous social potential.

Why We Started with Product Discovery

Our collaboration with Małgorzata (Margaret) Lisowska, the project’s founder, began with a Product Discovery workshop—a strategic process we treat as a critical starting point at UX GIRL. It's the moment where we pause and ask:

• Who are we building this for?
• What real-life problems do they face?
• Which solutions will bring the most value—and which are just “nice to have”?

During these sessions, our team:

• explores deep user needs and context,
• maps out user journeys and pain points,
• generates solution ideas based on insights,
• prioritizes features and actions that truly matter.

The workshop was led by our UX strategists Magdalena Ostoja-Chyżyńska and Anna W., with fantastic support from Garage Genius mentors, including Zuzanna Kot, and Adam Dawidziuk, a medical industry expert who brought valuable clinical perspective. Strategic guidance was also provided by Mateusz Pawelec, who helped shape the broader development path of the project.

Inside the Workshop: Co-Creating with Purpose

Throughout the workshop, we defined key personas, mapped end-to-end experiences, and crafted feature concepts aligned with emotional and functional user needs. One major insight emerged around communication barriers—particularly the emotional disconnect that many patients feel when navigating medical systems.

This led to a crucial shift: reimagining one of the platform’s core features to focus not only on knowledge exchange, but on enabling meaningful two-way interaction. These kinds of pivots are only possible when we anchor design decisions in real user insights.

And it's worth it. According to Nielsen Norman Group, up to 50% of project budgets are wasted on features that don’t align with user needs. Discovery helps us avoid that path—and build products with real impact.

What We Gained—And What Comes Next

Thanks to Product Discovery, Oncostories gained strategic clarity and a prioritized development roadmap grounded in empathy, feasibility, and business relevance. For us at UX GIRL, this is the kind of transformation we love to see: a strong idea shaped by real-world context and driven by authentic user understanding.

This experience also reminds us of a key message for all changemakers: engage UX experts early. The earlier we understand your users, the better and faster we can move forward—with fewer missteps and more confident decisions.

Oncostories is growing quickly, and we’re proud to have helped it take shape. We’re rooting for its continued success and watching its next steps with excitement.

Have a Vision for Change? Start with UX.

If you’re building a socially impactful, technological, or educational solution—reach out. At UX GIRL, we know how to turn empathy into strategy and ideas into action. Let’s co-create something meaningful, together.

‍

The UX and UI industry is evolving at lightning speed—new tools, roles, and expectations emerge constantly. Yet despite progress toward inclusion, women working in this space still face clear challenges: underrepresentation, limited access to support networks, and lower visibility in high-impact projects.

That’s why women in UX/UI are increasingly turning to the power of networking—the intentional building of professional relationships that lead to real outcomes: mentorship, collaboration, access to clients, and greater confidence.

‍

Why Women’s Networking Matters in UX/UI

According to PwC’s Women in Tech report, women represent only around 26% of the workforce in the European tech industry (Source: PwC UK). While UX tends to have better gender balance than other tech sectors, women are still less likely to hold leadership roles, as shown by the Design Forward Fund report by InVision (Source: InVision).

Having access to a supportive, like-minded network can help women grow faster, share experiences, and make better-informed career decisions. It’s not just about visibility—it’s about confidence, connection, and community.

‍

Where to Find Mentorship and Support in UX/UI

Thankfully, there’s a growing ecosystem of initiatives built specifically for women in UX and UI. Here are some of the most valuable communities and mentorship platforms to explore:

• Ladies that UX – A global community of women in UX with local chapters in cities like Warsaw, Kraków, and Gdańsk. Offers meetups, workshops, and an open, inclusive space to share experiences
  
  
• Women in UX (UXPA) – Part of the UXPA network, offering events, resources, and a strong international network of women UX professionals
  
  
• Dare IT – A Polish initiative offering mentoring, development programs, and hands-on projects for women entering tech
  
  
• Tech Leaders Poland – A free mentoring program run by the Perspektywy Foundation, connecting women in IT with experienced mentors
  
  
• ADPList – A global mentoring platform that allows you to book free 1:1 sessions with experienced UX designers, researchers, and product strategists
  
  
• Slack & LinkedIn groups – Active communities like "Women in UX," "Design Mentorship," "UX Design Polska," and "SheDesigns" regularly share job leads, portfolio feedback, and professional advice.
  
  

And remember—mentorship goes both ways. If you’ve gained experience, consider becoming a mentor yourself. It’s not only rewarding, but also a great way to build leadership skills and give back to the community.

‍

Collaboration Among Women: Projects, Trust, and Shared Opportunities

Networking isn’t just about chatting or exchanging business cards. It’s about building real relationships that can lead to joint ventures, shared clients, and long-term partnerships.

Among women in UX, these types of collaboration are gaining popularity:

• Online coworking sessions, where freelancers and remote workers support each other while working on personal or client projects.
  
  
• Mastermind groups, where a small group of peers meets regularly to set goals, share insights, and offer accountability.
  
  
• Feedback workshops, where participants present their UX case studies and get constructive, real-time input.
  
  

If you’re just starting out and don’t have a large contact base—don’t worry. You can begin with one LinkedIn message, one industry event, or one short online chat with someone you admire. It’s all about taking the first step.

‍

How Companies and Agencies Can Empower Women in UX/UI

While grassroots communities are powerful, employers and agencies also play a vital role in creating supportive ecosystems. Organizations that build internal mentorship programs, fund conference participation, and create open knowledge-sharing spaces contribute directly to stronger, more confident teams.

At UX GIRL, we recognize how crucial representation and inclusion are in the design process. That’s why we actively support women at every stage of their UX careers—by sharing knowledge, promoting female experts, and collaborating across our partner network. We believe women in UX shouldn’t just have a seat at the table—they should help shape the entire strategy.

‍

What You Can Do This Week

Don’t wait for your network to build itself. Here are three simple steps you can take right now:

1. Join one of the communities mentioned above (e.g., Ladies that UX or Dare IT).
   
   
2. Sign up for a mentorship program—as a mentee or a mentor.
   
   
3. Reach out to one inspiring woman in your field and ask for a short coffee chat online.
   
   

Building a network of women in UX/UI is an investment that pays off—with better projects, more confidence, and a stronger, more inclusive design industry.

At UX GIRL, we actively support young women entering the field of UX.
We believe that real change happens when women are not just present in the industry, but truly empowered to lead, create, and grow. That’s why we regularly share knowledge, promote women experts, and collaborate within our community.

And right now—we have an open call for our mentorship program.
If you’re just starting out in UX and looking for guidance, encouragement, and practical experience, we invite you to join us.
Let’s build the future of UX together—one strong connection at a time.

‍

‍