Thriving in Ambiguity

Change is inevitable and how we embrace it greatly impacts our work. As designers, we are aware of the importance of empathy, research, and design thinking techniques. However, when the problems are unclear, how do we equip ourselves to navigate the murky waters of uncertainty? Read further to explore techniques, tools, and mindset that enables one to harness the power of ambiguity to innovate, influence and create a lasting impact on the product.

Ambiguity is when there are several drivers for a problem. It is often accompanied by chaos and confusion. For product designers, ambiguity is no stranger. Instances of ambiguity within UX include the following examples...

User needs: How do you design an interface for customers with varying infrastructure sizes?

Personas: How do you design for changes in the market trends? Traditionally, VI admins were not involved in tracking costs but with the introduction of cloud computing there were made accountable for costs.

Timelines: How do you design an MVP that satisfies the user's needs when the timelines keep changing? When do you stand firm, and when do you make concessions?

When I had to deal with ambiguous projects, listed below are some challenges that I had to face.

1. Changing priorities and scope

2. Unclear priorities: it’s hard to know what the design should aim to achieve. This can lead to a lack of direction in the design process and result in a less effective product.

3. Burning out and feeling frustrated about lack of progress or being able to complete the work.

4. Decision-making deadlocks.

5. Not having enough time to do research.

However, with ambiguity comes a great opportunity to find innovative solutions. Ambiguity challenges you to think and execute out of the box. The key is to manage the chaos and confusion efficiently so you can create the space to innovate and craft solutions.

Here are 5 things you can do in less than 10 minutes to manage ambiguity effectively.

Communicate and be transparent: To manage chaos, over-communicate about the status of your work and where you are blocked. To increase transparency, my team and I send a bi-weekly update newsletter with 3 sections (Customer insights, Accomplishments, and Blockers) to the cross-functional team.

Newsletter template showing sprint summary and status of the project

Seek user input: Set up a user survey to answer basic questions and keep a pool of customers ready for research!

Keep the focus on the user: Level the set team’s focus with 15 mins activity like user workflow mapping or storyboard to show how we impact the user’s life.

Ecosystem map to quickly map the use cases and align the team

Record a 5-minute video walkthrough: For ambiguous, complex, and contentious projects that are not easy to understand and follow, record a video walkthrough and send it out for offline review before meeting in person or virtually. This would allow everyone to reflect on the designs and get back with thoughtful questions instead of having negative reactions.

Now for more long-term strategies:

1. Adopt an iterative mindset: In ambiguous projects, as designers we need to embrace low-fidelity prototypes until we reach alignment. Spending too much time on high-fidelity prototypes when the requirements could change will lead to delays. Instead, focus on tests often and fail fast.
2. Gather User Feedback: Everyone has an opinion and ambiguous projects make this even more challenging. It leads to deadlocks in decision-making and going around in circles. Relying on user research helps make informed choices. Though research takes time, even setting up short surveys or unmoderated tests will lead to better results and time to value. Miro offers a wide variety of engaging templates that can effectively highlight research findings. Here are some useful Miro links for Competitive Analysis, Research templates, and Reports.
3. Emphasize collaboration and enhance cohesion: In an ambiguous situation, collaboration is key. Working closely with other designers, developers, and stakeholders can help you develop better solutions and get everyone on the same page while finding gaps in the experience.
4. Design Thinking: Employ design thinking techniques and activities at various states to help one deal with ambiguity by adopting an iterative and open mindset. Design thinking also helps align the team on the goals and scope.

2-day brainstorming workshop to identify areas to invest into

Apart from the strategies mentioned earlier, continuous self-reflection, learning, and personal growth are also crucial for effectively handling ambiguity in the long run.

In conclusion, managing ambiguity is crucial for designers in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing industry. While several strategies can be employed, such as prototyping and conducting user research, it’s important to find the approach that works best for you and your team. As such, I am eager to learn about other tips and techniques that you have found helpful in managing ambiguity throughout your design process. Please feel free to share your experiences and insights. I believe that open dialogue and knowledge-sharing are essential for continued growth and success in the design field.