How to get the designer to trust your advice

Generally speaking, designers for their own work will be with a sense of self feeling good psychology, subconscious, they often have to modify the opinion is often inconsistent psychology. However, for the perfection of the works these works must be modified. At this point, being part of a team, communicating with an elegant designer is a particularly important thing. Here are some things you can recommend for you:

At the innovation Workshop, when we had a potluck dinner, we talked about the challenges that designers usually face, said: "The biggest problem is that the user experience is a job that everyone thinks they can do and do well, but it's not." "I think so."

Here I would like to say this from a designer's point of view, with four stories of personal experience, in IBM, the Innovation Workshop, and my current company, the designers VS engineers/bosses, the designer peers, the other members of the team, as well as managers and team designers.

Story 1: Designer VS Engineer/boss

A big Boss (American, intelligent Engineer, is now VP, high out of our level, and we have a meeting, originally just about the design of our new products, but the boss suddenly saw a very detailed design, just a few icons in the interface of the position problem, suddenly very interested, Very, very persistent insisted that we follow his idea to do. But according to our research, if we follow his ideas, it would greatly increase the likelihood that users will make mistakes when they operate, so we refused.

From that day on, every time we meet, the boss has to ask this question (I understand that this is his personal hobby as an engineer, he is very open-minded as a boss), and every time we refuse, it goes on and on. At IBM in fact, everyone usually and his level of the boss to communicate the opportunity is very limited, but he saw us at that time to come to ... We want to run away. One time the boss joked: "At least let your boss be happy ..."

In this process, I am also thinking about his ultimate goal is what? The boss's specific instructions are only a possibility to achieve this goal, return to the fundamental goal, better solve the problem, which will let everyone's position reunification, rather than simply compliance or opposition. I finally made it clear what his goal was, and then came up with a plan that was also able to achieve this, different from the previous design, but avoided the risk of doing what he thought was possible and, by the way, discussed our philosophy of design with the boss, "peace" resolved the dispute.

Through this incident, my idea is that as a designer, a professional in this field, your boss hires you not to help him share the work when he doesn't have the energy to do the design, but to really develop your professional competence and professional judgment. It is easy to find an obedient employee, and your value is reflected in your major, which is reflected in your ability to help his/her team achieve goals rather than answering.

First of all to ensure their professionalism, to determine their own design in the full thinking, and fully understand the opponents of the position, clear overall goal. Then if you're sure the design is right, stick to it!

Whatever the point of view in the discussion, our value stance should always be the same, we all want to do the right thing, and our effort is to ensure the right decision with our professional quality, not the performance of the obedient.

Story 2: Designer VS Peer

Once, we made a larger design, will affect the product line of other products, interactive design, but our entire product group of the U.S. design director after looking at a different opinion, he is inclined to another interactive design ideas. Actually also as a designer, I also understand his idea, there is some reason, but on the one hand, I did the fastest speed of usability testing, do two-control prototype extensive collection of views, and then I get the information is the user or will be relatively more accept my original plan; On the other hand, if you change the design at this time, we will have a lot of delays in China. So I insisted ...

At the beginning of the time like a war, an e-mail long, and this product has a relationship with the level of a high point of colleagues are looking at both sides of the game, not to be. Then our design director assigns the lead designer of the product line--a designer with 20 or 30 years of design experience and another senior designer, as his representative, and I and our China development manager (thank her for supporting me) as the other side, in a week time, we open one or two hours a day conference call, Each other to show their positions, clarify differences, after the meeting to do a plan, do a survey, every day in the bargain, both the opposite, and joking. Every day the foreigner colleague learns a Chinese to listen to us (her daughter learns Chinese at school, come home to teach her), then we start "fight" ^_^

We were all very satisfied with the result, because we all understood each other very well, and we worked together to get rid of some of the problems in the earliest design and to add new ideas. Even though my own views were denied, it was hard to see the excitement coming together to get a more wonderful idea. Until now, I have had a good personal relationship with these designers, and the differences in design have made us closer to each other rather than alienated.

A discussion/debate based on a professional position is often more likely to result in a happy ending, with jobs and qualifications being a cloud.

For designers, jobs and qualifications do not mean the right design. You can be the director, you can have decades of experience, but another designer on the system every day, constantly thinking about this aspect of the problem, the amount of information may be more than you, and you may just see a point, rather than the overall system. Being in a line often leads to a better understanding of the problem and sometimes lookers-on. Ultimately, positive, two-way communication will benefit everyone.

Story 3: Designer VS. Other members of the team

At the beginning of 2010, just decided to go to the innovation Workshop, not officially entered the office, ran to the offices, we happen to be discussing a more important design. To be honest, we didn't have a thorough understanding of the design background because we didn't participate in the discussion, but according to our experience, we felt that the current design might be problematic and expressed different views. Because the design of the discussion time has been longer, and then a new point of view mixed in, we will have some impatience.

I am particularly touched by the open reply immediately said: "Look, they have different opinions, we should give them the opportunity to express their views ...", "say your reasons, of course, because the timing of the decision is very tight, if you can not convince people, we have to make a decision now ...", Then we are involved in the discussion of this design. Finally, whatever the outcome, we agree with the style of doing things and the attitude towards the team.

No design can satisfy all of us, but the process of discussion and expression is satisfactory to all.

We ultimately have to make decisions within a limited amount of information and time, and no one can guarantee that their ideas must be 100% correct. On this basis, giving everyone the opportunity to express their views, understand each other, the process of the value of the team, many times may be no less than the value of the decision itself.

For the entrepreneurial team, there is often a huge amount of time pressure, so the process of discussion is also very useful, because the team members "sense of participation" itself is a very important experience. Fully discussed, but there is a cut-off point of time, after which the decision must be made. As for how to make decisions, each team has its own characteristics, such as working out a plan, or trusting an experienced person, or someone who is in charge of the job, to take a quick decision if they can't agree.

Now I need to lead a team composed of user researcher, Product manager, designer and engineer, and feel more deeply the importance of "sense of participation". Different roles, different knowledge backgrounds, people's views on the problem are often at different angles. It is my deepest experience to respect everyone, to trust each person's professional ability, and to focus on the problem itself, on the basis of consistent values.

Story 4: Working as a manager and a team of designers

In our company (a ⎡ design ⎦+⎡ technical ⎦ team), an interface visual designer partner spends a lot of effort to make a design, after several rounds of revision, everybody feels also can, the customer aspect also feels satisfied. But I personally think that there is a lack of the "front of the Light" feeling. My friends and I have a joke: "Either the front of the light, or the front of a black."

I will say to my partner: "My duty is to help from the perspective of the bystander, simulation of the user's perspective to find the problem, ' do not know the truth, only in this mountain ', if I really let me do your work, I draw the icon may be a lot worse than you ... Even if the customer is satisfied with no use, we have to meet the end of the user, to help customers achieve their goals, not just for the customer's momentary favor.

This previously everyone basically satisfied with the design, I picked out a variety of seemingly clear questions, we sat together repeatedly modified and discussed, all kinds of trial and error, the spiral of the rise, finally, reached a very ideal effect. At this time I bad said: "The previous version of the design and the new design put together to show, stay as a souvenir," Our designers joked: "Absolutely do not show you the former, can not see, I have deleted ..."

My point of view is to speak as specifically as possible, for example, "The interface is not prominent enough, the key elements are not stressed out", "no guide the user's view", "The effect of light and Shadow", of course, for junior designers often say "these two controls are not aligned, buckle 3 points ^_^ ..." At the same time, I will keep asking, "What do you think?" I would be very careful not to direct the design of my details to the designer, to limit their leeway to solve the problem, but to identify the problem together and solve the problem by the designer, and I would do the most to help provide some possibilities. "If you listen to me meticulously, you are wrong ..."

Opinions like "How I Like it," "I can't make sense of it, but just how it feels" are often less constructive and almost invariably lead to disagreements. Because everyone's subjective feelings are not the same, you do not like, does not mean that the designer does not like, not to represent the end users do not like. In fact, visual design can also be rational analysis, color contrast, information priority and visual priority of the corresponding, user's operating flow and visual track guidance, etc., these have a lot of rules to find. If you are a product manager or manager who is responsible for the entire product, you need to have a more professional understanding of it, not just your intuition. In particular, this does not require you to have the basis of art, everyone can learn. As long as the intention to learn and to summarize, very simple.

Accumulate their own visual design more rational and professional understanding of the designer to put forward more specific questions and opinions, and give designers enough space, often will come to better design. This also applies to collaboration with other members of the team.

In this process, the accumulation of their own character (credibility) is also very important. If you do not pick the problem every time, every time a bad idea, ultimately not a good design, so many times, after everyone will feel that you are not reliable, the effect of cooperation will be greatly reduced. If you have many successful cases, or a work-style aura, when you can't make a consistent judgment, the designer will rely on your judgment.