Articulating Design Decisions, 2nd Edition

Chapter 11. How Executives Can Help Designers

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How Executives Can Help Designers

There are other people in the organization besides designers who are interested in learning to talk about design. Stakeholders from every level see a gap in communication with their own team and seek out resources to help them work with us and make better products together.

I’ve had teams ask me, “How can we work together more effectively?” Executives ask me, “Can you teach me to work with our designers?” These people understand the value of having good working relationships, and the key to maintaining it in a technology-driven sector is to focus on clear communication. Most often, people become upset and projects become difficult when two or more people fail to communicate. Miscommunication results in missed expectations. Missed expectations lead to disappointment and distrust. We want to prevent this from happening!

Even when communication doesn’t appear to be constrained, the way you approach and talk with designers has an impact on their productivity, attitude, and creativity. More than just clear communication, you need to be sure that you’re getting the very best from designers.

This chapter is devoted to helping the other people in the designer’s path to better understand, communicate with, and thrive on teams with designers. Whether you’re a developer, executive stakeholder, product owner, project manager, marketing type, or customer advocate, this chapter is for you. If you’re a ...