So I found this article whilst Googling.
Like many people who work on design projects in general, and not just UX practitioners, its so important to articulate concerns and simple advice so that people actually listen and act upon your recommendations. The challenge, as the article by Tema Frank outlines, there are three possible reasons why you may feel like you are talking to a brick wall, with usually all three reasons being the case
- They are impatient
- Developers and designers don’t want to admit they may have gotten it wrong
- The company doesn’t want to spend the money
Tema builds a very good case for how you should conduct yourself when you are feeling frustrated that you have the answer to both known and unknown questions that a project faces; be patient and empathic. The developers and the seniors are all human beings with complex emotions and needs. They all want to have a great product but at times have to make sacrifices otherwise there will be no product at all. So being completely against them won’t help. You need to be on their side and speak their language, but also remember that things won’t get sorted overnight. Genuinely care about everyone’s concerns and priorities and work as a team member rather than an employed outsider. Tema sums this up as “Aligning Objectives”, and she is spot on.
Happy reading!
http://uxpamagazine.org/giving-ux-advice/
Frank, T. (2015). Giving UX Advice: Getting Buy-In. User Experience Magazine, 15(4).