Usually when I’m confronted with a code not well written or a concept not well explained it’s very easy to explain it and say why it is not good and how it should be, there is many logics that we used to work with and accordingly you can convince your coworkers. When it’s about design and usability the process become a little more complicated. What is bad for designers is to receive recommandation for a “bad design” to do, and I remember this happening with my very first customers : the result was so horrible, the customer is satisfied, but I’m ashamed to add that work in my portfolio.
After it I started to follow different strategies to deal with such customers, and I learned how to say “No” for some recommandation. Anyway this is for the benefit of both of us, so why not ? With my new customers I’m happy that this don’t happen anymore, they always ask me if it’s possible to do something in this way ? depending if this idea will add a positive value to their product or no, I suggest them the proper solution. But what to say if your customer say “I want menus in this way, colors in that way, make the fonts that way … etc. ” ?
You have the choice of course, you can say “No, this will be not good for your website”. I can imagine the customer with this answer feeling embarrassed or even stupid for asking such question. Something better you would do is trying to understand what he really wants by this change, and I think the proper answer would be “why do you want it this way ?”. This will guide you a little to understand what he find bad according to him, and certainly helps you to find the best solution for him.
I’m not a designer, but I used always to talk directly with my customers about designs and maybe this was the best point. Because usually when designer talk with a customer he try to use technical terms, and of course since he is the most experienced to do his work he know very well his job. But this communication can in many cases turn the project into failure, or to success.
Communication your design
So does the “bad design” is the result of a bad communication ? Most of the cases yes, and communication is the key to find the most suitable solution for every concept. The same happen when you are communicating whith your boss, even if this will be a little more difficult.
For example if your boss communicate the necessary things to do, but you notice that he is asking something which will alter your work or the result will be certainly bad. It’s necessary to take an action since the beginning and say that this will be not good for the final product in a way or another. If you don’t you do what you have been asked to, your boss accept your work. Another day he asks someone else about it and he give him bad feedback about your work. Now who didn’t make his job ? Of course it’s not his boss ! So it’s better to communicate such issues since the beginning.
How to communicate
Communication is an art, and I don’t think it’s difficult to learn especially in technical jobs.
1 – First you should be sure about your are doing.
2- Use an easy jargon to explain.
3- Ask questions to understand the full situation.
4- Organize your ideas.
5- Propose a solution.
Your goal is first to understand the problem, communicate what you have understood to the other, then give a solution and convince him to take it.
Conclusion
I remember a friend and collegue was working with me to design some products, he was an artist but he become very nervous when I told him that this design is bad or I won’t show it to the customer. I know his feeling, about the time he spend working on it, but there is many things if you don’t listen and try to understand it you’ll certainly miss. And that’s what differ a professional designer from an artist designer for the web, the professional can communicate more easily while the artist consider his work as an artwork and not subject of change. Merging both will be certainly the best ! But I think that the professional designer will be more successful and much more easy to work with.
