Excursus: Communication and Collaboration
Before moving on, let’s address a few principles on collaboration and communication. This excursus is based on 8 criteria laid out in Cooper U’s Design Leadership course.
- Set intentions
- Invite participation
- Work out loud
- Practice participation
- Tell the user’s story
- Tailor to your audience
- Be explicit
- Explain why it’s good
This is an opportunity to exhibit the strength of Design as a strategic partner. Incorporating these principles into your practice will promote visibility of your work and is a solid basis to operate as a designer within an organization.
Collaboration Principles
Set intentions
Whether a meeting, email, or Slack message, it is important to first set the stage for your audience to hear you. Remind them of the product vision or problem statement. These are the what and why of the product. Why should it exist and what does it do (and for whom?) It is a synthesis of everything you have learned to this point and a lingua franca for communicating between the design team, and various stakeholders. If you are planning a collaboration event with disruptive potential, be sure to discuss this with individuals rather than springing it on everyone at the meeting.
Invite Participation
“Participation equals buy-in” (Shimmell et al., 2014). Letting others in to the design process builds trust. In their literature review, Tzafrir et al. (2004) identified three contributors to expanding openness in communication:
- Share information to reduce fear
- Encourage open communication
- Seek the good of the group over personal gain
When the team feels like “we” own it, they are much more likely to support it.
Participation equals buy-in
Kendra Shimmell
Work out loud
Andy Matuschak calls this “working with the garage door up.”
“It’s giving a lecture about the problems you’re pondering in the shower; it’s thinking out loud about the ways in which your project doesn’t work at all” (Matuschak, 2023).
You work out loud, not worrying so much about perfection and more about generating feedback. Look for ways to share your designs to a wider audience. If you regularly work with other designers, crit is a great way to garner expert thinking to improve your work. Yet don’t overlook having stakeholders critique your work. The wisdom of crowds can point out what experts don’t, and it encourages buy-in and trust.
Practice Participation
The way to help your stakeholders and team members to comment on your work is to set out clear guidance. For example if you were soliciting feedback in some kind of public channel, the following are ways to practice participation.
- Say why you’re reaching out. Start with a clear title. Then state that you would like their input on your work.
- Tell what you want them to do. Those who do not typically work with a designer may not understand how to evaluate your work. Help them by telling them the type of feedback you’re looking for.
- Give them appropriate context. Remind them of the problem statement to orient them towards your product’s goals. Refresh their memory of the persona(s) your work is in service of. Highlight an area of the scenario your work solves.
- Give them a deadline. Everyone is busy, help them prioritize giving feedback.
When you collaborate, set appropriate expectations—you won’t be producing finished prototypes right out of the gate. Share what you are learning as it unfolds and practice participation by bringing in the stakeholders throughout the experience.
Communication Principles
Tell the user’s story
The perspective you bring as a designer is the users’. In your interactions with the team, it is your responsibility to represent them. A set of personas grounded in research describes who the product is for and why they need it. Scenarios tell their stories of how they move from their current state to their desired future state through the product or service. Ask “how will this benefit [Primary Persona]?” Storytelling helps people empathize, adds context to decision-making, and gets you buy-in.
Tailor to your audience
Turning the UX mirror on ourselves should give you insight into your own team and what motivates them. The same way you design a product for users is the same way you design your communication for stakeholders. To the extent possible, personalize your message to address the things they care about.
Be explicit
Leaving the interpretation of your communication up to the whims of the audience will add to the confusion. Say what you mean instead of leaving them guessing. Tangible artifacts help a lot here, so include an images, wireframes, or prototypes to give everyone a common point to discuss.
Explain why it’s good
“Answer why first, not what” (Shimmell et al., 2014). What is the central point you need to make? Use these opportunities to drive that point home from different angles. Remind them of why this is the best path forward, why it makes sense for the personas and the business.
Closing Thoughts
Clear communication and a commitment to collaboration ensure that your message is heard in the way you intend. Make use of these principles to develop as a design leader.
References
Shimmell, K., Hayes, J., & Curkowicz, K. (2014, March 27). Design Leadership.
Tzafrir, S. S., Baruch, Y., & Dolan, S. L. (2004). The consequences of emerging HRM practices for employees’ trust in their managers. Personnel Review, 33(6), 628–647. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480410561529
