As a UX designer, what do you do when, midway through the process, the product owner or other business stakeholder requests that you incorporate an idea that will result in a sub-optimum experience for the intended users, changes the scope of the project, or both?
As common as this type of thing is in design process, it can be a difficult situation to navigate. The product owner knows the customer and has a strong understanding of what the business’s competitive edge is and how the company’s products will grow in the future. However, the UX designer must facilitate disparate viewpoints from numerous participants in areas such as engineering, customer service, and marketing.
To achieve project success, UX practitioners must establish good communication about the design process with business stakeholders and guide them toward a unified and elegant digital solution. It’s a delicate dance, with stakeholders as the leads and UX designers adding rhythm, grace, and finesse. There are many opportunities for missteps, but clear communication will keep all parties moving in the right direction.
Here are three common situations in the experience design process and how they can be handled better with strong communication strategies.
