‍In the world of product design, every curve, every color, and every pixel holds a piece of a puzzle that crafts a seamless user experience. As a product designer, my journey has been filled with challenges, but perhaps the most prominent of them all are encounters with stakeholders who seem impervious to design enhancements. Allow me to take you on a journey through my experiences, as I share how I’ve learned to better navigate this situation which many of us face.

1. The Art of Articulation: Crafting Design Narratives

‍In the arena of design, communication reigns supreme. Dealing with stakeholders who brush off design enhancements as trivial or unnecessary forces us, designers, to polish our communication skills. It’s not enough to create stunning visuals; we must also be adept at conveying the rationale behind our designs. I found myself becoming a design storyteller, weaving narratives that explained how each element contributed to a richer user experience.

I learned that presenting design proposals as more than just aesthetic changes could work wonders — as I started articulating how design enhancements directly impacted user engagement, retention, and even revenue. Prompting stakeholders to be more intrigued by the potential benefits they had previously dismissed.

‍2. Walking in Their Shoes: Unearthing the Reluctance

‍The surface-level reluctance to embrace design enhancements often masks deeper concerns. I discovered greater empathy in this regard. Stepping into the shoes of my stakeholders, I sought to understand their hesitations. Was it a fear of change? Did they have experiences with failed enhancements before? Were there technical or resource limitations that I was not aware of?

These inquiries often unraveled hidden nuggets of information. Some stakeholders had indeed encountered design initiatives that had gone awry in the past — it could be a limitation in how their processes were set up, or they received public feedback that their feature did not serve it’s intended purpose. Their concerns were not baseless; they were rooted in prior setbacks. With this insight, I could tailor my proposals to address their apprehensions and highlight how my approach differed.

‍3. Strength in Numbers: Rallying the Troops

‍Design is not a solo endeavor — it’s a team ‘sport’ that involves various players, each with a crucial role to play. To persuade stubborn stakeholders, I learned to garner support from the entire project team. Aligning everyone’s understanding and vision was key. Conversations with product owners, business analysts, and developers became pivotal in illustrating the holistic impact of design enhancements.

With a united front, we presented a formidable case. Multiple perspectives carried more weight, and the hesitant stakeholders began to see the design not as a standalone element but as an integral piece of the entire project’s puzzle.

4. Data: The Trump Card in the Deck

‍Numbers never lie, and that holds true in design as well. User testing could be the secret in your arsenal. While extensive user testing might not always be feasible due to time constraints, we adopted guerrilla testing — a nimble, scaled-down version. This involved a handful of colleagues participating in moderated tests. The insights gathered from these tests provided data-backed ammunition for our design proposals.

When stakeholders questioned the need for change, we could unveil the findings from these mini-tests to showcase the tangible impact of our enhancements. Suddenly, the design transitions from a subjective discussion to an objective conversation grounded in real-world data.


‍5. Choosing the Right Battles: Embracing Detachment

‍Amid the fervor to push for design enhancements, there’s a lesson in discernment. Not every battle is meant to be fought. Sometimes, stepping back and choosing our battles wisely is a testament to our growth as designers. There’s a balance to be struck between advocating passionately for our vision and recognizing when circumstances aren’t conducive to change.

Designers can’t afford to tether their identities to every design. Treating our solutions as enhancements for the future, rather than personal reflections, can shield us from the burnout that accompanies feeling perpetually defeated.

While it is easy for us to villanise stakeholders who constantly refute changes, it is important for us to take a step back and understand their perspective. They too, want the best outcome for their company, and are mostly acting based on what they believe is in the best interest of their company. Understanding this would help us empathize with their decisions, which would help us frame the discussion better.

In the end, the journey through the reluctance of stakeholders has been an eye opening one. It has, and will continue to mold me into a more adept communicator, an empathetic strategist, and a relentless advocate for design that elevates user experiences. Each challenge has been a stepping stone, leading me closer to mastering the art of not just designing interfaces, but designing change. So, the next time a stakeholder raises an eyebrow at a design enhancement, remember, it’s not just a bump in the road — it’s an opportunity to craft a design narrative that conquers all doubts.


Side note: The images were generated using AI. Did you notice? Try and spot the little discrepancies in the illustrations!