ux topics for managers by chris beaman

UX Topics Managers Need to Understand

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It is quite easy to underestimate the degree of difficulty that comes with UX design.

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Managers or executives will have an expectation and plan to hold you to that expectation.

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This is why it so important to have an open discussion and to set these guidelines early in the process.

Often times there are misconceptions that will require acknowledgement and adjustment from you.

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You are the expert and must act as so. Educate the decision makers on how the process works and how they can expect the best possible product.

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Everyone must understand their individual goals and realize the overall

target.

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Expecting designs as soon as possible is often the case. Establish your timeline from the beginning.

Explain that the process is iterative, and will require adjustments to the designs. Again, the ultimate goal is to produce the highest level of quality possible.

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Everyone wins in this scenario. Let the results do the talking. The process of iteration will consistently produce positive results.

At the heart of UX design is the user. No matter how much work you put into a design, the user dictates what works. Proper UX design requires insight and understanding of what people think and feel about domains.

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Access to customer research is invaluable, and we should expect to take that information to the next level.

Conversations with target clients allows us to keep our designs on target and realign our trajectory if needed. Knowing the user simply yields a better product.

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In addition to customer research, one cannot underestimate the value of usability testing. Designers

can have 100% confidence in their creation, but they are not the users.

Following best practices and strict guidelines can only take you so far. Testing is the only way to know how

users will react to designs.

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Allowing them to engage with the product, without instruction or demonstration, is the best indication of

whether you got the design right.

Each project may stray from the standard path, as each project is unique. Managers will often operate on a strict

schedule, but the UX process is flexible and does not follow a set guideline.

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While some design teams have formalized their processes, this is often not a “one size fits all”

operation. Flexibility can help identify and solve specific business or user problems.

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Overall, there are several points to be made when communicating with managers. Establishing these expectations and guidelines will benefit everyone.

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The less surprises, the better. Keep the focus on the best possible product and ideally everything

else falls into place.