How to Work With Designers as a Non-Designer?

A while ago, I posted 10 summarised tips from a design book I read on the topic of how non-designers should talk to designers more effectively.

Have you ever thought: How can I make this collaboration between designers and other team members work more effectively? How can we improve our communication?

Here are 10 tips you can benefit from as a non-designer:

1. When giving feedback, focus on what works. It’s best if you exclude the word “like” from your vocabulary and rather talk about what works and what doesn’t. User and business needs come first.
2. Tell us about your problem and describe the issue that needs to be addressed rather than telling us what to change first. Let us find the solution. That’s why you hire a designer, right?
3. Please ask lots of questions! To see eye to eye with us, ask lots of questions to understand your process, perspective and motivations. Questions eliminate doubts, unsertainties and the chance for miscommunication.
4. Remember, you are not the user. You and I are not the users and do not represent the target market. Claiming to be the user of your app or website does not add value to the conversation. Instead, invest time and resources in proper user research.
5. Let us explain our decisions. You can offer your perspective, but don’t just walk away. Make room for conversation by allowing us the time and space to form an adequate response.
6. Empower us to make decisions. Even if you disagree with our choice, learn to trust us in areas where we have more expertise than you. That’s why you want to collaborate with us, right?
7. Try using helpful language. It can be difficult to receive feedback without becoming a little defensive. Avoid harsh or extreme language and focus your feedback on the designs, not the designer who created them.
8. Ask if there is data! We should all use data to support our decisions, but just because the designer hasn’t presented you with the numbers yet, it doesn’t mean they are not there. A great question would be:

What data helped you form this decision?

         9. Please be prepared. Review our work in advance and have a list of questions or concerns ready. This makes us excited! 🥳 Don’t wait and provide knee-jerk reactions at the moment. And don’t forget that your feedback will be purposefully and thoughtfully considered.‍

         10. Provide us with what is necessary. Whether it’s login, access to analytics, or permission to do usability testing, we need things from you to work effectively. Make it a priority and ensure the smooth flow of work as much as possible on your end.

Thank you for reading until the end. Hope you found this helpful! 🥰 This was inspired by chapter 12 For Non-Designers from the book Articulating Design Decisions.

This list of advice also raised another question:

As an answer to this amazing question, I wrote a full article that you can read here 👇🏼

How Can I Encourage My Team to Be Solution-Oriented Rather Than Just Taking Direction?

If you need more than a designer, send me an email. I build websites and designs with a focus on business strategy.

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