What do you do if your UX design solutions are met with skepticism from stakeholders?

In my experience, we need to understand that this is a normal phase that is happening when you are in a team that is trying to implement UX design. Be more human: The first thing to know is that your stakeholders are humans like us. They also have ideas and want to bring their expertise to the table. We first need then to be human oriented when facing this kind of situation. Be willing to listen and to take note: Be present when your team is talking to you. Document their needs and their ideas so you can look at them closely in order to give a solution that is really addressing the pain points of your users. All in all, understand that this is the best time to advocate for UX design.

This step applies to every kind of design in particular in advisory project but it is often treated as overly subjective topic. It is true that soft skills are necessary, and nowadays a good data backing of your proposal is too. It is also crucial to practice to practice, observe seniors and self reflects because the most common mistakes are easy fix, and in my experience they come lack of openness to the client perspective: junior designer being idealistic, developers trying to over engineer past the point of usefullness, managers pushing their business goals too hard. There is no catch all solution but a daily discipline of asking the hard questions about people motives and mediating for the best collective outcome.

Listen to their feedback and try to understand the specific points of skepticism they have raised. Take the time to empathize with their perspective and acknowledge their doubts. Engage in open and honest conversations to gain deeper insights into their concerns. Share the rationale behind your design decisions, emphasizing the user research and data that supports your solutions. Be receptive to alternative viewpoints and be willing to make adjustments if necessary. Building trust and rapport with stakeholders is key, so be patient, transparent, and collaborative throughout the process.

- When stakeholders are skeptical of UX design solutions, I try to explain the rationale behind my decisions clearly. - I use data, user research, and prototypes to demonstrate the effectiveness of my designs. - I engage stakeholders early and often in the design process to address concerns and gain their trust.

The first step is to actively listen to stakeholders' concerns without judgment. Understanding their perspective is key to addressing their skepticism effectively. Identify Specific Issues: Ask questions to pinpoint exactly what aspects of the design they are skeptical about. Is it the functionality, the user interface, or the overall user experience? Empathize with Their Position: Recognize that stakeholders are invested in the project's success, just like you. Their concerns likely stem from a desire to ensure the product meets business goals and user needs.

Share insights and data from your user research that support your design decisions. Real user feedback and usability test results can be powerful in demonstrating the value of your design. Case Studies: Reference relevant case studies where similar design solutions have led to positive outcomes. This can help stakeholders see the potential impact of your design. Competitive Analysis: Show how your design solutions stack up against competitors. Highlighting where your design improves or innovates can reassure stakeholders of its effectiveness.

Learn to research, or collaborate with experts, to understand trends and needs. Present those evidence but keep in mind that if a client is in front of you it is because they need a change. Being too focused on design details or the status quo is not going to cut it while a mix of a sensible framing of the problem and a structured roadmap to a result that aligns with their goals. In practice I follow this track: acknowledge needs and motives, show data that sustain the framing of the problem, present alternatives and explain the parameter of choice, discuss trends and openly discuss scenarios and how to adapt to eventual changes along the way. People are better convinced by a solution that is correct and inspiring.

Effective presentation of your design solutions hinges on effectively showcasing how they align with user needs. For this, weave user research findings from interviews, surveys, and usability tests into relatable stories. Solidify your case by demonstrating past successes. Include examples or case studies where similar design decisions led to positive results.

Use data and research to directly address any concerns presented by stakeholders. Guide stakeholders through the merits of your design direction, include examples, mood boards, and mock ups to show your direction and discuss user flow. Clearly compare those to the suggestions or concerns presented by stakeholders. Use targeted, but minimal, spec work when necessary.

Siempre es importante que el dise?o UX tenga un racional detrás, para que no decaiga la charla en opiniones y gustos personales. En mi trabajo, antes de presentar una solución, exponemos un benchmark realizado donde mostramos mejores prácticas o standards de mercado, y las investigaciones realizadas con usuarios. Es importante aunque sea haber hecho alguna prueba de guerrilla, porque eso ayuda a demostrar que las decisiones de dise?o no son a carácter subjetivo, sino que están basadas en el usuario y sus necesidades.

Organize workshops that involve stakeholders in the design process. Activities like design sprints or co-creation sessions can help them understand the rationale behind your decisions and feel a sense of ownership over the design. Iterative Feedback Loops: Establish a process for receiving and incorporating stakeholder feedback throughout the design phase. This ensures they feel heard and can see how their input shapes the final product. Prototype Testing: Invite stakeholders to participate in user testing sessions. Observing real users interacting with prototypes can provide firsthand evidence of a design's strengths and areas for improvement.

Involving stakeholders in the design process fosters collaboration and transparency. Invite them to participate in user research like interviews or workshops. By witnessing user needs and challenges firsthand, they can gain a deeper understanding of the problem your design solves. Regular communication is also key. Explain design concepts clearly, and focus on how they address user needs and business goals.

Just like Erika Hall emphasized in Just Enough Research, involving the stakeholders in the design process will help you understand the essential structure of the organization, how your work fits into the organization as a whole, and the approval process for various aspects of your project. By involving the stakeholders, you give them a firsthand experience of how the users interact with your design. This increases the chances of your design getting a buy-in from them.

Communication is always key. Involve your stakeholders as early in the process as possible and take them on the journey with you. If they still have questions and concerns, find out what they are and address them. Informal 1-1 meetings or chats over a cup of coffee is great. That way it they don't feel like they have to go on the defensive of their views.

Es importante tener una reunión o workshop con los stakeholders involucrados antes de dise?ar, ya que eso clarifica expectativas y unifica objetivos, lo que hace que el dise?o termine no siendo una novedad sino el paso final en un camino que se recorrió en conjunto.

Clear communication is key because it helps to bridge the gap between different perspectives and ensures that everyone is on the same page. When there is skepticism, it often arises from a lack of understanding or miscommunication. By clearly articulating your ideas, rationale, and supporting evidence, you can address any misunderstandings or doubts that stakeholders may have.

You need to be good at communicating with people when you are presenting your solutions to the team. For that, use your interpersonal skills and present it with the data you've gathered during your research. This is really the good way to do the UX job: bring data everywhere you go. When communicating with your stakeholders, show to them that you know the topic but most of all that you are someone who is ready to listen and to take actions from the given feedback. Keep in mind that when you bring your findings to the team, you need to align the users to the business. For that, you need to use the language that sounds good for the stakeholders when you are with the stakeholders. So, know the audience and act according to their needs.

When stakeholders doubt your UX solutions, clear communication is key. Start by understanding their concerns – are they focused on feasibility, budget, or user impact? Explain your design rationale using data and user research. Focus on the problem you're solving and the benefits your design offers. Visual aids like prototypes or mockups can enhance understanding. Actively listen to their concerns and address them directly. Be open to iteration and demonstrate your willingness to collaborate for the best possible outcome.

Communicate Clearly is crucial when addressing skepticism, especially when it comes to explaining UX concepts to stakeholders. By using simple language and avoiding jargon, you can ensure that your ideas are easily understood. Presenting your solutions in a structured manner, highlighting how they address specific user problems and contribute to business goals, can help stakeholders see the value of your UX solutions. A clear narrative is key in conveying the importance of your work.

One of the qualities that is really attracting people is being flexible in the decision we make. The stakeholders already like you when they hire you. They already see something positive and identify values that are really helping the team to succeed. But it's time to be open to collaborate with others. Indeed, some feedback, or some ways of giving feedback, are really, maybe more hurting than out of context, but you should always stay focused on the good side of the picture. Be understanding to people. During critique sessions, always ask your audience to give feedback and note them. So, later, you can add them to the list of modifications that you will give to your prototypes.

When stakeholders express skepticism about your UX solutions, it's an opportunity to demonstrate your flexibility and collaborative spirit. Acknowledge their concerns and seek to understand the root cause of their hesitation. Be open to the possibility that their feedback reveals a blind spot in your design. Offer to explore alternative solutions that address their concerns while staying true to user-centered principles. Your willingness to adapt and iterate shows a commitment to finding the best possible solution, ultimately strengthening trust and buy-in from stakeholders.

Showing flexibility and being open to feedback is crucial in the field of UX design. While your expertise is valuable, it's important to recognize that stakeholders bring a unique perspective that can enhance the overall user experience. Making adjustments to your designs based on their input, as long as it doesn't compromise the user experience, can lead to a more refined and accepted solution. Collaborating with others not only builds trust but also fosters a more inclusive and successful design process.

Most of the time, the stakeholders are individuals who have invested their time and money into the project and they expect the project to provide a return on their investment. Demonstrating the ROI through valid data and research will show the stakeholders that their investment has been put to good use and it will definitely yield returns.

When stakeholders are sceptical, it's key to align your design decisions with their priorities. Present your UX solutions in terms of measurable outcomes, like enhanced user engagement or increased conversion rates, which directly impact ROI. Show them real data, like A/B test results or user feedback, to substantiate your design's effectiveness. This approach turns abstract concepts into concrete business value, making it easier for them to see the benefits and get on board.

To be able to relate better with stakeholders and understand how they can contribute to the design process, I advise you read the book “Just Enough Research” by Erika Hall. In this book, she highlights the importance of carrying out research that is essential for the success of UX projects, and she doesn’t leave out the aspect of stakeholder research which is crucial to every UX project.

Before the presentations or contacting all the stakeholders, take time to do some preparations to your documents. For that, you can ask your managers or one of your stakeholders to read the presentations and give honest feedback on your findings that you are going to present to all the stakeholders. From there, you can have some kinds of the assurance that you created a presentation that is really good for the stakeholders.