Solving Customer Problems with Situational Design Coaching

Coaching has been front and center in my mind recently, especially as I’ve just completed a four-day SVPG training led by Chris Jones alongside studying leadership theories in my Executive MBA with the wonderful DENISE DE MOURA . These two learning experiences have reshaped how I think about coaching my product design team. It’s not just about honing their skills as designers—it’s about helping them understand how their work solves real customer problems, which is at the core of everything we do.

In design, just like in product development, the ultimate goal is to build solutions that meet customer needs. But coaching designers, I’ve realized, is a dynamic and personalized process. Not everyone on the team is at the same level, and each person requires a different kind of support to reach their full potential. This is where Situational Leadership comes in—a model that’s helped me understand how to adapt my coaching style based on the needs of my designers.

In combination with Dan Ariely's Happiness Index, which emphasizes that happiness at work comes from meaningful progress, I’ve started thinking more deeply about how I can create an environment where designers feel empowered to not only build beautiful designs but also to create solutions that truly make a difference for our customers.

Leadership Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

At the core of my company’s decision to adopt the SVPG model is the belief that empowered teams deliver better results. For product design, this means giving designers the autonomy to make decisions that directly address customer pain points. I’m all in on this model because it’s how I believe great products are built—by focusing on solving real customer problems through thoughtful design.

But here’s where it gets tricky: different designers on the team need different types of support, depending on where they are in their development journey. This is where Situational Leadership shines.

Situational Leadership, developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard, emphasizes that leadership shouldn’t be rigid. Instead, you need to adapt your style to the readiness and skill level of the person you’re coaching. It’s about being flexible—knowing when to give more direction and when to let someone take the lead.

This has been a real lightbulb moment for me as I’ve thought about how to coach my designers at various stages in their careers—helping them not only improve their craft but also focus on solving real customer problems through their design work.

How I Apply Situational Leadership in Coaching Product Designers

Let’s break down the four coaching styles from the Situational Leadership model and how I use them when coaching designers, always with the goal of solving customer problems in mind.

1. Directing (S1): Strong Guidance for New Designers

When working with new designers or those facing unfamiliar challenges, I need to provide more direct guidance. This isn’t just about teaching them design skills—it’s about helping them understand the why behind their work. Why are we designing this feature? What customer problem are we trying to solve?

For example, when a junior designer joins the team, they might be full of enthusiasm but unsure about how their design decisions fit into the larger picture. In these cases, I take a very hands-on approach, giving clear instructions and helping them connect the dots between design and customer needs. It’s like providing them with a blueprint, but also helping them see how their work impacts the customer experience.

It’s important at this stage to build a strong foundation, not just in design execution but in the mindset that every design decision should serve the customer.

2. Coaching (S2): Building Confidence and Encouraging Autonomy

As designers grow in skill but may still lack confidence, my role shifts into more of a coaching mode. This is where I start to offer more freedom but still provide enough guidance to keep them on track—particularly when it comes to understanding customer problems.

For instance, I’ve worked with mid-level designers who are great at creating beautiful interfaces but aren’t always confident in their ability to validate whether those designs solve real problems. My coaching here is about asking the right questions and encouraging them to think critically. It’s less about me telling them what to do and more about helping them connect their designs to customer pain points.

This stage is all about helping designers develop the confidence to solve problems on their own, while still keeping the customer’s needs at the forefront of their decision-making process.

3. Supporting (S3): Encouraging Greater Autonomy

At this stage, designers have the skills but might need a little boost in confidence to fully take the reins. My role here is to step back while staying available to support when needed.

I recently worked with a senior designer on a major project where they had all the technical expertise to deliver but were unsure about finalizing certain decisions on their own. My coaching focused on helping them feel empowered to make those decisions by reinforcing the importance of user feedback and keeping the customer’s problem at the heart of the design.

4. Delegating (S4): Full Ownership

This is the stage where a designer is not only competent but fully confident in their ability to solve customer problems. My role now is to step back even further and let them own the process.

I’ve worked with several senior designers who are at this level, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see them take full ownership of their work, from ideation to implementation. They don’t need me to provide constant feedback anymore—they just need me to be there to remove obstacles if needed.

At this stage, my role is more of a resource provider than a coach. I trust that they will deliver designs that solve real customer problems, and my job is to ensure they have everything they need to succeed.

Why This Matters So Much to Me

The reason I’m so passionate about coaching is that I believe it’s the key to creating a team that not only delivers great designs but solves meaningful problems for our customers. Dan Ariely’s research on happiness speaks to this—people are happiest when they feel like their work is making progress and having an impact. For product designers, that means knowing their work is solving real customer problems.

This is why I’m such a big advocate of combining the SVPG model with Situational Leadership. SVPG gives us the framework to empower teams to own their work, and Situational Leadership helps me tailor my coaching approach to each designer’s needs. It’s a powerful combination that helps ensure designers feel both challenged and supported as they grow.

Wrapping It All Up

Coaching isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, especially when it comes to product design. Designers, like anyone, are at different stages of their development, and as leaders, it’s our job to meet them where they are and help them grow.

If you’re passionate about leadership or just getting started, I encourage you to think about how you can adjust your coaching style to meet the unique needs of your designers. It makes a huge difference for them, for your products, and for your customers.