Deadlines in the UX Design

Deadline is one thing that UX Designers often don't like. There are numerous reasons, and the best ones that I have heard are the following

1. That is not how UX Designers work
2. It limits our creativity and constrains our thoughts
3. It creates stress in me, and I am not able to do the best?
4. The customer is not able to give the input on time.

While there could be numerous reasons for missing the deadline, one reason which they hate to mention is that they are not disciplined. They are not defining and sticking to the process. I am not saying that the process has to be watertight or rigid, but I firmly believe that when the tasks are not explicitly defined in smaller chunks and as per the well-defined process, then missing deadlines become the natural next steps.

Why is the deadline important?

The first reason is that the business wants to work with a timeline. Deadline term just brings in seriousness :-). Period!

Other reasons are

• Focus on processes and deliverables: instead of doing whatever you feel good about and whatever excites you, and it is essential that you do what is needed, explain to the customers what you will deliver, and how. When you commit a plan, execute the committed plan, and deliver on your promise. This leads to enhancement in the trust and confidence in your company and your capability.
• Sense of Achievement: when you commit something and deliver with the desired quality within the agreed timeline, it fulfills you with a sense of achievement. Achievement leads to an increase in confidence, and you do know what confidence can do.
• Stakeholder's Feedback: when you deliver UX Design on time, usually stakeholders will have a reasonable time to give you genuine feedback when they are happy. A happy collaboration results in better quality, and thus your design will become even better. In hindsight, you will look more accomplished designer :-)
• Subsequent Commitments: when you deliver your UX design and artifacts on time, the most thankful people are the developers. Imagine your delays forcing them to slog during the end to meet the overall timelines. It is super important, to be honest with your peers and save them from hardship during the subsequent commitment to the project.

What to do to meet deadlines?

The first step towards meeting a deadline is to be clear about the goals. While there are several things that you can do, the question is, do you need to do everything? Do you need to do all or some of the following:

• UX Strategy
• User Research
• UX Design
• UI Design
• Visual Design
• Usability Testing

Accordingly, explain the process for each of these expectations and commit the deliverables. Most importantly, break the tasks into 1-2 days of deliverables and make sure that the day-to-day commitments are met. While it is always great to provide multiple options and many things that look good and sounds good, the important thing is to respect the business constraints and within that deliver the best outcome.

Learn to differentite between User-Centered Design and Human-Centered Design. The human-centered design includes user, but it also includes business and other stakeholder that are important for the overall success of the product.

I recommend following the following steps during the UX related commitments:

In any delivery, be it agile, lean, or waterfall, small, medium, or big; the deal is that we need a way to learn to commit and then deliver as per the commitment. Break the work into manageable pieces, mention the known risks, and stay alert concerning the unknown risks.

Whenever risks get uncovered, ensure effective communication, and consider shifting the deadline as the last option.

Conclusion

While the executives may have commitments, they must allow a reasonable time to the design team to provide quality design. However, a timeline is one thing that businesses will eventually need. While you, as a designer, must have a good process and a concrete plan, the crucial aspect is to execute that plan precisely and communicate frequently. Do plan to show in-progress work (as per the plan & schedule) so that you get early feedback, and your rework will get minimized. And yes, your customer and manager may look for alternate options, but most of them will be just all right if you copy existing patterns and great design. So, do leverage what already exists. The actual quality of the design lies in engaged collaboration. So, always look for involving your stakeholders.