UX Who You Work With

In UX, our role extends beyond crafting smooth interactions or designing beautiful screens.

A significant part of our success hinges on our ability to work with others. After all, it’s not just about delivering a great design but ensuring that our ideas resonate with stakeholders, developers, product managers, and beyond. It’s about bringing everyone along on the journey. But how do we do that without veering into manipulation?

Know Who You’re Working With

Every professional environment is filled with individuals who have different perspectives, priorities, and styles of communication. Understanding these differences is key to fostering meaningful collaboration. For example:

• Engineers?are often focused on feasibility and implementation. They appreciate clarity and concrete problem-solving, so communicating the “why” and technical impact of your designs can go a long way.
• Product Managers?are concerned with the bigger picture—how your designs tie into business goals and user needs. When speaking with them, aligning your ideas with business outcomes will help establish credibility.
• Marketing Teams?think in terms of brand consistency and messaging. They want to ensure that your designs not only function well but also tell a cohesive story that aligns with the company’s voice.

By understanding these viewpoints, you can tailor your communication style to address each group’s unique needs without sacrificing your UX principles.

Be Genuine in Your Intentions

The goal is to foster understanding, not manipulation.

Here’s the distinction: manipulation involves pushing people toward an outcome that benefits you, regardless of their perspective. True collaboration, on the other hand, is about aligning on a shared vision where everyone’s input is valued.

When presenting ideas or seeking feedback, consider the following approach:

• Start by Listening.?Ask questions and show genuine interest in their concerns. What excites them? What keeps them up at night? Understanding their pain points and goals will naturally lead to more productive discussions.
• Communicate with Empathy.?Put yourself in their shoes. Are you addressing what’s important to them, or just focusing on what you want to get across? Acknowledge their contributions and build on them.
• Be Transparent.?Share your thought process, even if it’s not fully refined. People are more receptive to collaboration when they can see the work-in-progress instead of feeling presented to.

The Art of Compromise

Sometimes, you won’t get your way—and that’s okay. Recognize when compromise is necessary. If a product manager’s pushback on a feature or an engineer’s hesitance on implementation seems to block your design, consider why that resistance is there. Find a middle ground that balances design integrity, feasibility, and business value.

It’s not about winning; it’s about building something better together. By considering the perspectives of your coworkers, you increase the likelihood of achieving a consensus that everyone feels good about.

Your coworkers aren’t obstacles; they’re allies. By understanding who you’re working with and how to communicate effectively, you can ensure that your ideas have the best chance of being understood, appreciated, and implemented.

Stay genuine, transparent, and empathetic—and you’ll find that buy-in becomes a natural outcome of your collaboration rather than a battle to be won.