How learning to negotiate can help designers
Designs that live on your computer, or phones are like a ball of clay. They can be molded into whatever shape we want. However, that means they are never written in stone and whatever is on the screen can always change.
In these moments, design can feel like one negotiation after another. Examples:
- “Should we move this step earlier?”
- “Why don’t we use [insert design pattern here]?”
- “How does that idea help our [insert business goal here]?”
- “How will this appeal to our users?”
Anyone of these questions (and others like it) can lead to a negotiation. Designs get challenged, constraints are discovered, tradeoffs are made, and a plan is set in motion to meet the goals / timeline. It’s during these times that if we’re not negotiating with ourselves, then anytime we present a design means we’re negotiating with other designers, or people outside of it.
So whoever said “good design sells itself” was probably not the best at working with others.
There are never times when design sells itself, let alone speak for themselves. So if good design does not sell itself, and we instead have to sell our designs, then how can we start being better at that?
Negotiation 101
Whatever image comes to mind when you hear the word “sales”, don’t let it distract from what you can learn from it. At its core, sales is about developing relationships, knowing your stuff, being a good communicator, and learning when to shut up and listen.
All that comes together when negotiating…and again, designers are always negotiating. This skill takes practice, but it can be learned. This is where you can start:
Come prepared
Practice: Detaching and identify what you want to accomplish
- Do: Write down the 1–2 goals (or key points) you want to make clear. The clearer you make your position, the better the other side will understand where you’re coming from.
- Don’t: Become so attached to your ideas that you’re unwilling to budge. If the idea is truly worth fighting for, best come prepared with clear and solid reasons to back it up (aka user research/data analysis).
Practice: Playing out the conversation in your head to anticipate objections
- Do: Ask what others want to accomplish before the meeting begins, or even right when it starts. If you know what you want, and you know what they want, the better prepared you’ll be.
- Don’t: Assume (period).
Listen, Ask, Repeat
Practice: Conducting yourself as if you were doing a user interview
- Do: If you’ve ever conducted a user interview, then the techniques you use there are really no different here. Keep questions open-ended, practice active listening, and ask why.
- Don’t: Dominate the conversation. There’s a fine line between driving the conversation and dominating it. “Driving” = keeping the overall goals in mind to align opinions whereas “dominating” = your goal is the only one that matters and you’re talking way too much about it.
Practice: Learning how to handle objections
- Do: Read Hubspot’s “The Ultimate Guide to Objection Handling” and apply what you find relevant. This is a highly-effective technique because it trains you how to find common ground.
- Don’t: Disregard objections. You do so at your own risk because while you’re talking, the other side is not listening. They are likely thinking about their objection and are waiting to bring it up again.
Remember:
A healthy negotiation feels like a two-way street. It’s about recognizing the other side while they try to do the same with you. As a result, healthy relationships form and this can help keep the product moving forward.
But as a designer, remember this:
- The user is not in the room, but you are…so try to represent their goals as best you can.
- If you don’t know the answer to a question, it’s okay to ask for time to look into it before making a concession, or a decision.
- If it helps calm your nerves, think of a negotiation as just another discussion. You’re just talking with your coworkers about addressing a problem.
Thanks for reading!
