2024 accomplishments

Karine Sabatier
4 min readDec 28, 2024

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This is the time of the year when I ask myself “what are you able to do that you weren’t at the same time last year?”

Let’s celebrate 2024 small and big accomplishments.

I (almost) built a house

In 2023 I decided I would build a house. So I learned to draw blueprints for a wood frame house (and all sort of plans for the kitchen, bathroom, living room, etc.).

I carried out this project for one year, trying to get around a lot of obstacles and in a in a context of soaring interest rates. But most of all some of the people involved in the construction process were doing everything they could to sabotage the project. So in 2024, I decided to stop it.

I still learned a lot about architecture, construction, materials and their constraints, space planning, earthworks and construction contracts (and how to break them). But this was more than I could handle.

I recovered from failure

This house that I desperately wanted to build was my dream house. When the project collapsed, I took it hard. I had reached my limits. I was overwhelmed by the task.

After pulling the plug I dealt with all the paperwork and legalities, even got a lawyer to help. It was difficult to close this project without getting anything positive after a year of working on it but I’m convinced it was the right choice.

I was crushed and exhausted, it took me two months to get back on my feet. Now I’m over it but I will never forget how small and vulnerable I felt.

I raised my Figma expertise

Last year I designed my first UX kits and Design Systems. This year, I conducted several UX audits and got to work on a mobile app and a new Saas product.

I worked on nested librairies architecture, on finding ways to reduce UX debt, and on encapsulating components as well. I got to dive into Figma even more with variables, modes and lots of fairly advanced stuff (such as chasing ghost libs). And I also got to pick my brain to find the best handoffs organisation and rituals.

Today I’m lucky to be part of a 2-person UX design team with a teammate as demanding and freaky as I am when it comes to be rigorous and pay attention to details, conventions, naming and sorting things out. We are aligned in terms of requirements and standards and that makes my designer life a breeze.

I created assets to coach Product Managers

In 2024 I had the pleasure to coach 3 Product Managers and one PO. I also mentored a front-end developer and helped him take his first steps into UX research and UX design.

I felt it was a huge responsibility to mentor someone so in addition to learning how to do it in the field, I’ve read a few inspiring books on the subject. And while doing so, I created a coaching tool for Product Managers.

It’s called No Bullshit Product Management and it’s a deck of 54 cards to improve you product organization.

I’ve learned a foreign language

Duolingo is probably the best app I’ve come across in years. I’ve been using it for more than 800 days and here’s what I noticed

  • some days I just do the bare minimum to keep my streak going on. I go through the lesson without understanding or remembering much. It’s “the light mode”
  • but some days later when I have more time to commit, I do several lessons, speak more and it’s like my brain remembers that lesson I did in “light mode” and stored the info anyway.

Recently, I found myself understanding the dialogue of a film as well as two people talking in front of me in this language I’m learning. Absolute joy! The aim is to keep going until I find someone to really talk to (I’m using the free plan which doesn’t include this).

What I’ll be up to in 2025

Since I’m buying a house to renovate, I intend to learn how to build things with my own hands. So I’m hoping to learn how to saw, nail, screw, sand and assemble wood.

What about you? What achievements do you want to celebrate? What are you now capable of doing that you weren’t just a year ago? And more importantly: What are you going to learn from now on?

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Karine Sabatier
Karine Sabatier

Written by Karine Sabatier

I don't use AI to write about Product Management and Product Design expertise.

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