Your team is divided on IA design preferences. How do you navigate conflicting opinions in agile sprints?

It is key to define correctly the Architecture involved in the use case before the sprint definition, so we can distribute correctly the tasks and objectives for the sprint and the team. If the sprint needs an Architecture discussion, the dialogue must be stablished online with the architecture team (and explain if necessary, the global view), otherwise future rules and dependencies can impact negatively in the global system and the product evolution can be a mess.

It's rare for a group of architects or technocrats to think alike on design. I recommend using a P.E.D. approach to achieve consensus. 1. Principles - Agree a common set of design principles jointly. Ensure everyone is heard and create a set of balanced principles that assimilates contrasting views. 2. Evaluate - Turn the principles into a robust set of evaluation criteria and compare options. 3. Decide - Discuss, listen to your team and make a balanced decision, articulate the recommendation, rationale and implications for the design. Record it formally as an agreement and move forward.

Every team is bound to have conflicting opinions, it's simply the nature of opinions. Agile sprints are a powerful methodology for a test and iterate workflow. I would document the preference that is creating the division. Determine the best two options, agreed on by the Creative lead and Product owner. Test these options with the audience and monitor for performance and preference. I would ensure the final direction isn't simply better based on the user's opinion, but by their actions. Then, I would cycle this insight with the team to continue a human centered approach that is optimized to improve the experience.

Listen to everyone. Let them all be heard. If no agreement can be reached, it's a sudden death decision with paper, scissors, rock.

Generally when conflict arises within an internal team, I seek direction and validation from the client's side with exercises such as mind-mapping and card sorting, both within individual departments, and collectively across departments. Have the team attend and observe these sessions or record them for posterity. Most often, internal agreements can be reached once everyone involved hears it from the horses' mouths.