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The Business Side of UI/UX Design: How to Speak Your Stakeholders’ Language
As a UI/UX designer, you know that creating beautiful designs and solving complex problems is just half the battle. The other half is communicating your ideas effectively to stakeholders and getting buy-in for your design direction.
In this post, we’ll dive deeper into the importance of understanding stakeholder jargon, business goals, and financial estimation of your design work – and how these strategies can help you build stronger relationships with stakeholders and achieve your goals as a UI/UX designer.
Understanding Stakeholder Jargon: Speaking Their Language
When communicating with stakeholders, it’s essential to use language that resonates with them. Avoid using technical design terms or jargon unless you’re sure they understand the context. Instead, focus on highlighting the benefits of your design solutions in a way that speaks directly to their needs and concerns.
For example, if you’re designing an website for a finance company, don’t talk about “responsive design” – instead, explain how your design will increase user engagement by 20% or reduce bounce rates by 30% by making sure customers visiting from mobile devices get the experience that works for them. This shows that you’ve taken the time to understand their business goals and priorities.
Here are some additional tips for speaking your stakeholders’ language:
* Use analogies: Compare complex design concepts to everyday experiences that your stakeholders can relate to.
* Avoid technical terms: Unless your stakeholders are experts in the field, avoid using technical design terms or jargon that might confuse them.
* Focus on benefits: Instead of explaining how a feature works, focus on the benefits it will bring to the business.
Understanding Business Goals: Aligning Your Design
Stakeholders often care more about the business side of things than the design itself. To get their attention, use data- driven insights to demonstrate how your design decisions will impact key metrics like conversion rates, user engagement, or revenue growth.
For instance, if you’re designing a new feature for an e-commerce platform, don’t just present it as “a cool new way to filter products.” Instead, explain how this feature will increase average order value by 15% or reduce cart abandonment rates by 25%. This shows that you’ve taken the time to understand their business goals and priorities.
Here are some additional tips for understanding business goals:
* Review company reports: Study your stakeholders’ company reports and financial statements to get a sense of what they care about.
* Ask questions: Don’t be afraid to ask questions like “What are the top priorities for this project?” or “How will this feature impact revenue?”
* Focus on metrics: Instead of focusing on vague goals, focus on specific metrics that your stakeholders care about.
Financial Estimation of Your Design: Putting a Price Tag on Your Ideas
Finally, let’s talk about how to make financial estimates for your designs. When presenting your design ideas, it’s essential to provide an estimate of the value they will bring to the business. This can be in terms of dollars earned or saved – whatever metric makes sense for the project.
For example, if you’re designing a new checkout process for an SAAS platform, don’t just say “it’ll be faster and easier.” Instead, explain how this feature will increase conversions by 10% or reduce bounce rates by 20%. This shows that you’ve taken the time to understand the business value of your design decisions.
Here are some additional tips for estimating feature value:
* Review historical data: Study your stakeholders’ past performance data to get a sense of what they can achieve with their current processes.
* Use industry benchmarks: Compare your design ideas to industry benchmarks or best practices to estimate potential impact.
* Focus on ROI: Instead of focusing on vague benefits, focus on the return on investment (ROI) that your design ideas will bring.
Putting it All Together: A Recipe for Success
So, what’s the secret sauce to success as a UI/UX designer? It’s simple:
1. Understand stakeholder jargon: Speak their language and avoid using technical terms unless they understand the context.
2. Understand business goals: Align your design ideas with the company’s priorities and explain how they will impact key metrics.
3. Estimate feature value: Put a price tag on your ideas and show that you’ve taken the time to understand the business value of your design decisions.
By following these strategies, you’ll be well on your way to building strong relationships with stakeholders and achieving your goals as a UI/UX designer. Remember to:
* Review company reports
* Ask questions
* Focus on metrics
* Use analogies
* Avoid technical terms
* Focus on benefits
And if you’re new to the world of UI/UX design, don’t worry – we’ve all been there. The most important thing is to keep learning, growing, and improving.