Articulating Design Decisions

4

Reducing Cognitive Load

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL

WHEN IT COMES TO USABILITY, getting users to successfully complete a task is all about their available brain space: their cognitive load. The more clutter, options, or roadblocks we put in front of them, the more we fill their head and make it difficult for them to complete a task. The same is true when it comes to the task of meeting with stakeholders. Our goal should be to remove as much of the clutter, options, and roadblocks as possible so that our stakeholders’ brains are freed to focus on the primary task of the meeting: getting approval for our designs. If they are distracted by an incoherent outline, grumpy coworkers, or a derailed conversation that has nothing to do with the project, it will be much more difficult for us to complete that task. Our goal is not to just have a meeting, but to make the meeting productive, valuable, and successful.

To that end, understanding our stakeholders would be of little use if we didn’t use that knowledge to break down these barriers and make our meetings more “usable.” This chapter looks at how to remove any distractions from the conversation, how to anticipate what the stakeholders might say, and ways to bring in other people who can help us move things forward. In addition, you can never be fully prepared for these meetings without ...