Trust the Journey: Navigating User Security Design with Trust

So who is this:

Hey, I'm Trust—yes, that's my actual name, not a metaphor. I've been a UX designer for three years, and lately I've been thinking about security. A lot. Which feels weirdly on-brand given my name, but I promise this isn't some cosmic joke

Part 1: Wait, whose job is this anyway?

I used to think security was the developers' problem. Design the interface, hand it off, move on to the next project. But the more I worked with QA testers and front-end developers, the more I realized security concerns pop up everywhere—and we're all kind of winging it.

Here's an example: password fields. As designers, we add password guidelines because... that's what you do, right? But half the time, there's no real thought behind it. The wording is inconsistent, the complexity requirements don't make sense, and users are just confused. We're not intentionally ignoring security—we're just not trained to think about it systematically.

That's the problem. Security gets bolted on as an afterthought instead of being baked into the design from the start. And honestly? That needs to change. So I'm going to figure out how.

Part 2: The plan (sort of):

I don't have all the answers yet, but here's what I'm thinking:

• Learn actual cybersecurity fundamentals (not just designer-friendly summaries)

• Take some security courses to understand what security specialists actually do

• Dig into "security by design" and "safe by design" frameworks

• Figure out where designers fit into making products secure by default

It's going to be hard. I'm already working full-time, and this is a steep learning curve. But I think it's worth it.

Part 3: Why I'm writing this

Honestly? I'm putting this out there to see if anyone else cares about this. Do other designers think about security? Do security people wish designers understood their work better? Am I onto something, or is this just me overthinking?

I'll be writing more as I learn—the wins, the failures, the moments where I realize I've been doing something completely wrong. If you've got resources, opinions, or you just want to tell me I'm wrong, drop a comment or message me.

In Short:

I'm trying to bridge the gap between UX and security. It's messy, it's unclear, and I have no idea where this is going. But that's kind of the point.

In the upcoming installments of this series, I'll be sharing the highs, the lows, and the downright hilarious moments of my journey into Product Security Design.