Getting buy-in from everyone: Required steps ahead of engaging in Figma

Pretending that diving into Figma will work well, without understanding what everyone else thinks, is very wrong. You might say you manage to save time but believe me, the time you save can be wasted more creatively. Before even opening Figma, One thing to do is to ensure that everybody is on the same page. This article will guide you on how to achieve that critical buy-in, identify the real issues in the existing system, and create a foundation for something that can't fail in the long run.

What is the purpose of buy-in?

I know why you want to hit the ground running with Figma and create your designs, but I would urge you to stop for a moment. Without taking the time to involve stakeholders at the early stage, you will suffer in the future. Imagine endless edits, missing deadlines, and complaining team members - nice, isn't it? Of course not. Time spent in getting everybody on board will be more than the time wasted fixing problems in the future.

The result of omitting stakeholder input

Can you imagine? You are going to waste your precious time creating an awesome design only to be silenced by your superiors who would say it has a different look than the one they have in mind. Or even worse, you can create something that looks good but does not address the main issues. Receiving a candidate's early acceptance, the chance of you designing a thing that will be improved and make a difference increases many times more.

Analyzing stakeholders

Before moving into the design phase, it is important that you understand who your stakeholders are. Identifying the most appropriate people to involve in this process is crucial for developing robust communication and teamwork in the future. This section will cover identifying stakeholders, understanding their influence, and ways of engaging with them to ensure clear expectations are set early in the process.

Identifying key stakeholders

The first step is to recognize who the stakeholders are. They might be team members, product managers, department heads, developers, marketing teams, or even the end users. You need to group them into primary stakeholders, who would be directly affected by their design, and secondary stakeholders, who are only indirectly involved. This method will help you plan your interaction with each group more efficiently.

Mapping stakeholder influence

Next, you will have to understand and document the stakeholder influence levels on the project. It's a good idea to create a stakeholder matrix to classify their involvement and assess how often you should engage with them. Manage their expectations and ensure everyone's concerns will be addressed when required, so the consensus is met.

Engaging stakeholders early

Start communicating with the stakeholders as early as possible. Establishing a good relationship with your stakeholders is necessary to make your project successful. Align your expectations based on what they face with their jobs. Keep them in the loop as you work towards completing the project. Early interaction with the stakeholders creates a trust-based rapport and ensures you comprehend their problems. It also brings transparency on how you can execute your work.

Workshop system problems

Workshops are important for everyone involved to diagnose and solve system problems. It's a good space to bring people together and help agree on the problems rather than the design process being blocked before anything is agreed upon. This part will discuss how to plan workshops that are valuable to everyone to ensure that you solve the right problems rather than making the process of designing a better system even harder.

Diagnosing system problems with stakeholders

Don't forget to do the stakeholder workshop when diagnosing system problems - or designing the system. The solution needs to solve the problems. This is where everyone diagnoses the current problems, agrees on which problems are causing the most pain, and generally agrees on various issues that need to be resolved before the team does any design work at all. If the problem is wrong, no intervention at the design stage would solve the problem.

Structuring effective workshops

An effective workshop needs a clear aim, to be strategic, to have an element of allowing ideas to be generated as well as providing a sense of direction. Make sure you surf this space and allow everyone to talk about their reservations. The pain is treated. This makes everyone understand where everyone is before moving on.

Prioritising system problems

You won't be able to fix all the problems: some need to be resolved with a different plan. Those that affect the user experience the most and have the highest impact are the key to this business. The more critical problems are fast, with a strategy for how they will fit into the larger plan. That creates it. Because once you agree, everyone will agree with you.

Creating a seed system

The term ‘seed system’ describes a foundational system for your design, a robust framework of essential components and principles that will help focus your design work. The objective is to make your work more consistent and user-centered. This section provides tips for creating and testing a seed system, giving you the flexibility and scalability needed to solidify your design thinking before transitioning into Figma.

What is a seed system?

I recommend establishing a seed system before delving into Figma. A seed system is a foundational system for your design. It encompasses the essential components of your design in a flexible and scalable framework that can flex as you progress through the design process. It encompasses principles and ensures consistency in all aspects of design regardless of how the combined design looks like.

Designing the core elements of the seed system

The seed system contextually will rest on the two underlying principles of UI components, design patterns, and style. By establishing the seed system's core principles early on, everyone involved in the design project will be on the same page about the visual aspects and functionality of the design. The core components in the seed system should be user-centered components that are distinct and flexible so that they scale readily and can be incorporated into the design in the future.

Prototyping and testing the seed system

After the first draft of the seed system has been created, it is important to prototype and test it before adoption consultation. Prototyping helps to validate a seed system's components and allows you to gather feedback from users. Using the insights from user tests, you can either confirm the project components you want to improve on or confirm the feedback's working scope in your constraints to validate system improvements that need to be resolved before your full engagement with a design in Figma.

Connecting stakeholder agreement to Figma

Moving beyond your current seed system to Figma requires careful management and team-relatedness. Trusting your stakeholders to agree to your final designed components is important, as it will help you smoothly deliver on your project. In this section, we will discuss engaging stakeholders by presenting the seed system, transitioning to Figma, and avoiding design process refinements.

Presenting the seed system to stakeholders

Now that you have completed your seed system, it is time to share it with your stakeholders for an agreement. Use compelling presentation techniques that remind stakeholders how the system is designed for the issues you identified and allow for relating to your stakeholders. Address stakeholder feedback and revise accordingly, so that stakeholders are comfortable agreeing.

Transitioning from the seed system to Figma

Once you have a stakeholder agreement, it is time to transition from the seed to Figma. Create the Figma workspace to match the seed system, with all the design elements and patterns. While stakeholder agreement is important, team alignment is just as important; you want the team to have the full context of the original seed system and how it will be reflected in the final product.

Avoiding pitfalls in Figma

Even with a strong platform to create designs for the app or website, there are pitfalls and preventions to put in place when transitioning to Figma. Be careful of scope creep, requests from stakeholders, and team-relatedness that can cause dissonance. It is important to stay on course as a design team and towards the principles of the initial seed system; the model provides an essential anchor point to keep your design within context. Be sure that each time you think of changing or enhancing part of the design, that the change is discussed with your stakeholder before adjusting.

Summary

Be sure to seek approval from stakeholders before jumping into Figma work. This step is essential for respecting time and resources. Identify what key stakeholders are in the project: get them included in the problem-solving phase(s) and create an initial system that is flexible for a strong foundation as the project moves to resolution. Engaged communication and continuing collaboration E&D feedback will keep everyone moving in the same direction, allowing you to focus on creativity and ingenuity through Figma.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the impact of stakeholders not being on the same page when starting in Figma?

When stakeholders are not aligned, it results in design modifications and disagreements along the way, resulting in wasted time and possible redesigns because priorities and objectives were not clearly outlined.

How much time should the buy-in process take?

The time needed depends on the complexity of the project and the number of stakeholders involved. However, the time spent on buy-in will result in saving tremendous time as redesigns are minimized.

What are some of the best tools for stakeholder workshops?

For virtual workshops, FigJam, Google Jamboard, and Zoom whiteboard collaborative features are wonderful tools. For in-person workshops, sticky notes and big whiteboards are excellent tools for collaborative brainstorming sessions.

Can the seed system change over time?

Yes, the seed system can be modified as the project advances and new ideas come about. The seed system can be modified to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of users and the business.

How do I make sure stakeholders remain engaged during the design process?

Constant check-ins, transparent communications, and stakeholder involvement in key decision-making moments are crucial for keeping everyone engaged. Provide constant updates and be receptive to feedback to fully engage stakeholder involvement in the process.