Have you had the experience of interacting with an industrial designer that tested your patience and seemed to not care what you said? You can improve your relationship with your designer.
There are many reasons this can happen, I'll identify 4 of them:
Are They Prima-donnas or Do They Have Your User's Best Interest at Heart?
- Unfortunately some designers are prima-donnas. Although it is possible you've worked or are working with one, it's unlikely that you are. Listen to the reasons they give for their design decisions and if they reassure you about why it's different. We as designers are focused on the user and their experience with your product or service. If we believe a different idea will improve that experience, we will pursue that. Designers with great client relationship skills will still design the literal interpretation of what was asked in addition to what they believe is best.
Communication Breakdown:
- The designer might not understand something that you know about your users. They may lack the additional context and meaning of some of their design decisions. On a past project, I did not know that part of the product I was designing needed to be visible to the user at all times. This was not communicated to me previously. After some mutual frustration with the client, we went to the environment that it was used in and talk through different use cases. I realized what I didn't know. Ask yourself, Is there information that the designer doesn't know? It's ok to repeat things you think they've heard.
The Hierarchy of User Needs & Desires are Not the Same Between You and the Designer:
- If you two are placing different levels of importance on needs and outcomes, there will be frustration through the design process. What you think is important will not match what the designer thinks is important. This can cause a lot of problems. It's best to establish a hierarchy at the kickoff meeting on a whiteboard or a document over Zoom. This should be a living document that can change and that is discussed throughout the design process.
Alignment & Clarity on What is Expected?
- Have the designer reflect back to you what is needed and what they will deliver. You need to do the same. Request a low fidelity sketch or mock up within 24 hours to ensure you 2 are on the same page. In the past, I worked with a client who's English was their second language. This made communication a challenge. After every meeting, I repeated back to him what I heard and the next day I sent him a sketch to make sure we were on the same page. Sometimes we weren't, and I found out immediately and didn't waste any time going down the wrong path. I continue to do this.
To recap: After you realize the designer isn't doing what you expected don't ruminate on the thought. Acknowledge the thought and ask yourself, are they focused on the user or themselves? Are they missing information? Are we placing importance on different things? Do we have clarity on what's happening next?
These questions will improve your relationship with your designer and lead to better product designs.
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