Here's how you can assertively advocate for your design ideas in a product design meeting.

To assertively advocate for your design ideas in a product design meeting: Prepare Thoroughly: Gather data, research, and examples to support your ideas. Be Clear and Concise: Present your ideas clearly and succinctly. Highlight Benefits: Emphasize how your design solves problems and meets user needs. Anticipate Questions: Be ready to address potential concerns or objections. Show Flexibility: Be open to feedback and willing to iterate on your design. Stay Confident: Maintain a confident and professional demeanor throughout the discussion.

It is very important to know your stuff above everything else when you plan to present/share your designs to people for many good reasons. Once you are solid on the 'know how' of the product you are designing for, the business goals, understand user centred design approaches and how you can incorporate them into the product experience. It becomes easier for you to make informed design decisions such that you know why you designed a certain element a certain way, hence, you will be able to explain your design rationales better when doing demos, presenting to clients/stakeholders. The next thing that will help is to have/build confidence in yourself enough to get you through explaining everything that has informed your design decisions.

To assertively advocate for your design ideas in a product design meeting: Be Prepared: Understand your design thoroughly and anticipate questions. Present Data: Use user research and metrics to support your ideas. Clear Communication: Explain your concepts clearly and concisely. Show Benefits: Highlight how your design solves problems or improves the product. Stay Open: Be receptive to feedback and willing to iterate. Confidence, clarity, and evidence will strengthen your advocacy.

To assertively advocate for your design ideas in a product design meeting, thoroughly prepare with research and user data to substantiate your concepts. Clearly communicate how your designs address user needs and align with project goals, using visual aids like prototypes or wireframes to illustrate effectively. Listen actively to others' feedback, acknowledging different perspectives while maintaining a positive and collaborative attitude. Support your proposals with data-driven arguments such as user testing results or analytics. Build alliances with stakeholders who align with your design approach and remain adaptable to iterate on ideas based on constructive criticism. These approaches will strengthen your advocacy.

Building your case also means you are ready for any questions thrown at you and there's no better way to ace that than to know your stuff and have confidence in yourself and in your designs. Prioritise using storytelling approach to communicate/interact with your audience and put the user at the centre of all your communications/stories and design decisions. Your case should revolve around the user and how it impacts the business, invariably putting the user at the centre of the product experience i.e merging exceptional user experiences with business results which contributes to driving product growth.

When you prioritise putting the user and business at the centre of your design decisions and your story telling approach, it takes you step ahead in speaking any stakeholder language, it means you are on the same team as them, you are speaking their language and every contribution from them in any form, be it criticism or feedback is an opportunity for you advocate for the user. Advocating for the user & business equals advocating for yourself which equals advocating for the stakeholders/team. Remember you share a common goal for the product & business and there's no better way achieve it than to speak about your designs in a way that it will resonate with the stakeholders/team.

Know the roles of your audience members so you can effectively tell the story of your designs in a way that each audience member will care about. For example, engineers likely don't care why you chose one color over another, but someone in branding probably will. Whether the audience be product managers, other designers, or other business partners, speaking their language will prove to them that you have considered their perspective in your design process. This will help create better relationships, trust, and collaboration, resulting in a better chance that your designs are adopted. Just always be sure to always explain user benefits, how the designs will impact the business, and technical considerations for a clear, impactful message.

Advocating for your design ideas assertively in a product design meeting involves clear communication, confidence, and understanding your audience. Every profession has its own jargon. If you’re presenting to developers, use technical terms they’re familiar with. If you’re speaking to business stakeholders, talk about ROI, user engagement, and other metrics they care about. This shows respect for their expertise and helps them understand your ideas better. It is important to note to articulate your ideas clearly and concisely. The easier it is to understand your idea, the more likely it is to be accepted. Encourage others to give feedback on your ideas, demonstrating that you value their opinion and are open to collaboration.

Be open to feedback as much as possible, it helps to negate or verify some decisions you are not sure of. Not all feedback will be useful to you always, make sure you know your stuff, you know your users and you understand the product and business, every conversation and feedback is an opportunity to improve or validate your knowledge and its all happening for the one common goal you all share. Talk to users/customers often to get working feedback on the experiences you've designed, this enables you to become a better advocate for your design and users whenever you engage in constructive dialogues with other people you are working with.

There are always going to be objections, you can't control that, however, you can manage how you respond to the objections depending on the area its stems from. If its product design related, you know you are the expert and you know your stuff and you have evidences to support your point of views. Always remember you are on the same team and you share a common goal, no one in the team will intentionally want to sabotage you or your designs so listen well, acknowledge valid points and provide clear-informed responses, clarify misconceptions objectively and repeat.

Staying adaptable allows me to view challenges as opportunities for growth and development. By remaining open to new ideas and approaches, I can expand my design repertoire and push the boundaries of what's possible. Maintaining this strategy shows that I'm dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome for the project, even if it means modifying or letting go of certain design elements. This prioritization of the collective goal over personal attachment fosters a strong team dynamic and leads to better results.

One effective way to assertively advocate for your design ideas in a product design meeting is to demonstrate the potential impact of your ideas. Provide concrete examples or case studies where similar design solutions have led to positive outcomes, such as improved user experience metrics, increased customer satisfaction, or higher engagement rates. Use data and analytics to support your arguments, showing that your proposed design not only meets user needs but also aligns with business goals. By clearly illustrating the potential benefits and impact of your ideas, you can build credibility and garner support from stakeholders in the meeting.