In the previous episode we discussed how UX designers can save an entire project. After getting great feedback from a friend in the industry, I wanted to write how to prepare everyone involved BEFORE the project starts.
When a UX designer has to save the project, things are already out of hand and we want to prevent that. So what can we do to get everyone aligned?
In order to not build a Death Star, a UX designer can:
- Have empathy for stakeholders and team members
- Confirm that simplicity is understood and guarded by everyone involved
- Bonus: Confirm that simplicity is LOVED by everyone involved
1. Empathy for stakeholders and team members
While watching Anakin slipping slowly to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith I can’t help but think: “If the Jedi only had empathy for Anakin’s fears”.
In Design Thinking we start with Empathy for the end user and I believe a focussed ‘Empathy for stakeholders and team members’ session can be very important. In this session the UX designer has the task to educate everyone involved about the importance of simplicity AND feel the reaction from the team.
Just as complex products can scare users away, overly simple products can scare stakeholders away. I believe that adding too many features comes from a fear that the product will not be good enough without them. Here are two ways I heard those fears expressed during projects:
- Our competitors have those features so our users will expect them at least
- It’s hard to sell when I don’t list many features
It is important to know that these fears are real and you can’t just bulldoze over them. (Because we all know what Yoda said fear can lead to.) Try to address these fears and explain why a greater amount of features isn’t always the answer to compete and sell. As UX designers we might not experience this fear or even take them seriously.
One way to empathise is by having a product of your own. I always have personal projects in which I test my ideas about simplicity. This way, I’m sure I will feel real fears just as other stakeholders do with their products: “will people use my product if it is too simple?”.
By experiencing these real fears I can better understand stakeholders and communicate in a way they can relate to. In this step, the focus isn’t to convince, but just empathise.
The deliverable in step 1 is simply to uncover all thoughts and fears from stakeholders and team members. As I wished the Jedi council had done for poor Anakin.
2. Confirm that simplicity is understood and guarded by everyone involved
In the previous post I wrote some ways you can communicate simplicity to stakeholders in an effective way. You can use these arguments to help stakeholders understand why it’s important. Try to use examples that are relatable for your current project team and show how an increase in features increases the need for project resources exponentially.
Once you have explained the importance, confirm that simplicity is understood and guarded by everyone involved. This way you can make sure that during the project we will not have unnecessary additions or delays. All projects have additions, pivots and delays but we want to make sure the additions are improvements.
One way to do this is to have a set of questions that everyone can ask themselves when adding features. A few questions I like to ask are:
- Will this feature make the product easier or harder to use?
- Will this feature delay the launch date?
The impact is already stated in the question. In example 1 — if a feature addition will make the product harder — we already know users will dislike or abandon the product. In example 2 — if a feature addition will delay the launch date — we all know this is going to cost extra resources we might not have.
I have a set of 9 questions that can be used to keep the product simple and effective. I will write more on them in another article so you can use them to guard the project scope and make sure the product launches.
The deliverable in step 2 is that everyone understands the impact of extra requirements and has awareness to guard the product.
If — as a UX designer — you have communicated well, the team can hold on to simplicity even in your absence.
3. Bonus: Confirm that simplicity is LOVED by everyone involved
If you love your job as a UX designer, you can’t stop talking about it. You love building and analysing products and are always on top of what’s happening in the industry.
To make sure everyone LOVES simplicity you can have bi-weekly or monthly sessions where you share your knowledge. Give presentations (with food and drinks) on the latest findings and success stories of other simple products. One of the things I found that team members love are psychological examples on cognitive overload.
For developers these presentations give a feeling on how their code is used in real life. For stakeholders these presentations show that simplicity is actually working FOR them instead of AGAINST them. For you as a UX designer it’s another chance to talk about what you love and have food.
Having people on board of your vision is not a one-time activity. It’s a long term relationship you have with your team. Make sure to regularly share your knowledge and check in with your team. Remember that Obi Wan’s absence allowed Palpatine to use Anakin’s fears for destruction and chaos. Just keep checking up on your project team.
Conclusion
Prepare your project by having everyone on the same page about simplicity. This way, you don’t HAVE to save the project because this gives everyone tools to show up in their best way to build a lovable product.
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