Design is all “BS”
The first lesson of being a designer is the art of Believing and Selling (BS)
Designers are frequently advised to articulate their problem-solving process and solution development strategy. Like any craft, designers possess a toolkit comprising various tools — user interviews, wireframes, prototypes, and workshops, to name a few. However, not every tool is suited for every challenge. Part of being a good designer is knowing which tool is the most appropriate for the specific problem at hand.
The Double Diamond method focuses on divergent and convergent activities during two key phases: discovery, where opportunities are identified and validated, and delivery, where solutions are refined for consumer use. Ideally, this involves continuous collaboration, minimising handovers.
However, team-wide learning isn’t always feasible. So as a product designer, I find myself riding solo through the diamonds, or sometimes being pulled into particular parts of the process to get my nod of approval. Given my non-dev or manager status I understand my role as fostering and advocating two areas within the two diamonds.
Visualising and validating the vision
- Visualising or rendering the direction of the product in line with real human needs
- breaking up that vision into deliverable chunks that are usable, and lovable.
Continuously cultivating consistency
- Ensuring what we build aligns with users’ mental models, drawing from either our past projects or their experiences outside our technology
- the customer and end user experience has been consciously curated, in a way that can be implemented at scale.
Ideally, design has been embedded from the very beginning of every project, so that we can do the above effectively. using design thinking to spot opportunities for delivering customer value in ways that also align with business strategy.
However, often, in reality:
- The decision has already been made without design input
- The “vision” (a predefined set of functional requirements) has already been established
- The expectation of design’s input is to make wireframes.
So, in the words of Forrest Gump’s mother,
“You have to do the best with what God gave you.”
In a product delivery lifecycle that lacks validation, visualisations, consistency, or design collaboration, a “Believe and Sell” or “BS” design process emerges. This method focuses on the designer’s sanity by piecing together a narrative of a design process that slightly aligns with the designer’s professional standards.
It acknowledges that the only reason a design process exists is due to the presence of the design function. Yet, outside the designers’ circle, the value and impact of their work on achieving measurable success seem to be a non-issue, until there is a need to tighten the belt.
Believe it
Belief is interesting because it doesn’t need evidence, yet some people will give their lives for their beliefs. On the flip side, without belief, efforts seem lacklustre. It’s critical to develop a working process that builds a belief in the value of what you’re doing but is grounded in empirical evidence.
- Understand why your work matters to your users, customers and the business.
- Identify where the value lies for users and how that value aligns with business objectives; so you can concentrate your efforts effectively.
- Validate Solutions to ensure they’re worth pursuing. if anything elicits apathy, it needs a solid reason to remain.
You first need to convince yourself before you can convince others. The hope is you have cultivated a degree of business acumen which means it takes more than consistent white spacing and proper accessibility standards to convince you of a solution you have spent time on.
Sell it
This involves convincing those who weren’t part of the journey of belief. You’ll need to effectively convey your insights, and design rationale with supporting evidence to ensure others grasp the design’s purpose and potential impact, even if they weren’t part of the key insights that shaped its direction (there is a lesson here to come back to).
The challenge is in navigating pushback, which generally arises for two reasons:
- They fail to understand the ROI
- They prefer a different idea
The latter scenario — not incorporating a specific idea from a person of influence — is particularly tricky. It requires a careful balance of empathy, strategic communication, and evidence-based persuasion.
When faced with questions like “Where is the return on investment?” or “What about my idea I told you about?”, it’s essential to:
Demonstrate Value:
Clearly articulate how the design aligns with business goals and user needs, emphasising the value and impact relative to the effort required.
Rationalise Design Decisions:
If certain ideas were not included, explain why, using research, user feedback, or strategic considerations to justify your approach and how it serves the overall objectives.
Hot tip: Bring a design problem to the pitch as a talking point for internal stakeholders to solve in the meeting. Like designers, everyone wants to feel included, heard, and recognised for their genius.
Warning signs and thoughtful sighs
Selling your design can be challenging. Addressing the need for evidence of its value with clear data might meet some demand, but convincing others to let go of their ideas for a data-backed design is tough.
Also, remember you are grappling with your own biases. Your pitch needs to demonstrate openness to being wrong and readiness to pivot. Convincing others to relinquish their “solution baby” is nearly impossible if you are not prepared to do the same with yours.
Continuous engagement and discussion about your design with team members, including those in leadership positions, enhance the chances of gaining support. Refining your approach to address these nuanced concerns and objections is key to navigating the complexities of selling your design effectively.
It’s important to recognise that group dynamics can significantly affect interactions. Conversations held in a group setting often unfold differently compared to those with individuals in private. This discrepancy is rooted in various social and psychological factors, including the desire for conformity, peer influence, and the public versus private self.
When navigating feedback and discussions about your designs, both settings — individual and group interactions — should be strategically managed to ensure that genuine insights and opinions are accurately gauged and addressed.
The Double Diamond and design thinking are valuable frameworks for those unsure of where to begin with implementing design into their product development lifecycle.
If the people around you don’t share the values of empathy and validation, it can be difficult to communicate with them. It can feel like speaking a foreign language in a small town in Dorset — few will understand you, and many will ask if you can just speak English.
Hence, it’s useful to develop a design process that incorporates a bit of “Believe and Sell” or, “BS”.
One could probably argue that all product development and business involves some “BS”.
