Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience

by Tom Greever

Overview

Talking to people about your designs might seem like a basic skill, but it can be difficult to do well. In many cases, how you communicate with stakeholders, clients, and other nondesigners may be more important than the designs themselves. Because if you can't get their support, your work will never see the light of day—no matter how good it is.

This practical guide focuses on principles, tactics, and actionable methods for presenting your designs. Whether you design apps, websites, or products, you'll learn how to get support from people who have influence over the project with the goal of creating the best user experience.

• Walk through the process of preparing and presenting your designs
• Understand stakeholder perspectives and learn how to empathize with them
• Cultivate both implicit and explicit listening skills
• Learn tactics and strategies for expressing the most effective response to feedback
• Create the right documentation for your decisions to avoid repeated conversations
• Learn why following through is just as important as the meeting itself

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492079224
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	238
Sales rank:	399,344
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tom Greever has been designing interfaces and leading design teams for 20 years. His experience as a UX designer, executive design leader, and consultant has given him a broad perspective on how better communication yields great design. He has coached and mentored teams on design practices and communication at both large enterprises and small start-ups all over the world.



He is available for in-person workshops, online training, or motivational keynotes for your team or conference. He lives in Illinois with his wife and five kids. He is probably cleaning up the house right now.



Add him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomgreever



Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomgreever



Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomgreever



You can also find articles, podcasts, and videos about this topic on his website: https://tomgreever.com

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Chapter 1 A Maturing Industry 1

Talking My Way Into Design 1

UX Is Still Young 4

Design Is Subjective…Sort of 9

Businesses Don't Critique 10

Ego and Intuition 11

A Shift Toward Products 12

Digital Experiences Are Real Life 14

Chapter 2 Great Designers Are Great Communicators 19

Too Many Coots 19

Everyone Is a Designer! 20

The Interface Is Your Interface 21

There Is No U or X in Team 23

Communication Matters 24

Being Articulate Means Success 26

Becoming a Great Designer 28

Chapter 3 Understanding Relationships 39

See Their Perspective 40

Identifying Influencers 49

Stakeholder Values 52

Stakeholder Stories 55

Build Good Relationships 57

Chapter 4 Reducing Cognitive Load 61

Remove Distractions 62

Anticipate Reactions 66

Create a Support Network 70

The Dress Rehearsal 74

Chapter 5 Listening Is Understanding 79

Implicit Activities 80

Explicit Activities 89

Chapter 6 The Right Frame of Mind 101

Give Up Control 101

Check Your Ego at the Door 103

Lead with a YES 106

Be Charming 111

Change Your Vocabulary 117

Make a Transition 119

Further Reading 123

Chapter 7 The Response: Strategy and Tactics 125

A UX Strategy for Responding 126

Tactics Are Actions 133

Chapter 8 The Response: Common Messages 145

Business 146

Design 149

Research 151

Limitations 159

Chapter 9 The Ideal Response: Getting Agreement 165

Getting Agreement 166

Putting It All Together 168

Chapter 10 Meeting Adjourned: The After-Party 181

The Meeting After the Meeting 182

Follow Up Fast 183

Apply Filters 184

Seek Out Individuals 187

Do Something, Even If It's Wrong 188

Chapter 11 Recovering from Disaster 191

How Is This Possible? 192

Making Changes You Disagree With 194

Making Lemonade 197

The Bank Account of Trust 199

When You're Wrong 201

Painting a Duck 204

Managing Expectations 207

Over, but Never Done 210

Chapter 12 For Nondesigners 213

The King and the Blind Man 214

Ten Tips for Working with Designers 222

Design Project Checklist 223

A Seat at the Table 226

Chapter 13 Designing for Vision 229

Recognizing Our Power 230

Practicing Creativity 232

Making It Happen 236

Making Stuff Up 241

Taking Your Ideas to the Right People 244

More Than Pixels 246

Index 249

About the Author 259