How to communicate with clients who don’t understand the value of design?
135: Tips for working with clients when you feel like you're speaking in different languages.
Dealing with clients may be challenging; knowing their initial wants and feedback and communicating effectively with them can differentiate between a favorable and a problematic working relationship. So, what is the best approach to communicate with clients that do not understand design?
Here are some tips for working with clients when you feel like you're speaking in different languages.
What's the most significant communication issue between designers and their non-design clients?
Clients are intelligent, hardworking individuals who are specialists in their fields. So are designers, but there's a significant difference in the terms we use when discussing design. This may be their first time actively participating in design talks for many clients.
In my experience, the most severe breakdowns occur when clients use language they believe is crystal clear, such as "I'd love this to be more corporate." Designers rely on their interpretation of those words to move forward without delving deeper into what those words mean to the people providing that feedback.
If you removed a few terms commonly used to describe the design, such as clean, fun, quirky, sleek, or minimal, the pictures we see in our brains would drastically differ. For example, our frames of reference for design do not often derive from a universally accepted definition of what 'clean' is. More often than not, our idea of 'clean' design is impacted by our exposure to images throughout time and how we've filed those specific treatments in our minds.
When clients say they want something minimal, they may be referring to their experience with Scandinavian interiors, Japanese architecture, or simply a straightforward interpretation that minimal implies 'fewer things.' Designers also have visual frames of reference, and it's critical that you understand where those references intersect.
What's the best strategy for solving these communication barriers early on?
All smart designers understand that asking the right questions is the best place to start.
In terms of UX requirements, clients will always have business KPIs to strive for, but actual UX comes from knowing what clients want.
Begin there, then go deeply into what value current or potential consumers expect from contact with that client's brand.
Spend time analyzing where a consumer would need to use the product or service you're creating, and then remove the friction points preventing them from attaining that objective.
Instead of design jargon, use language that business executives who aren't designers will comprehend
Using business language with clients and executives who aren't designers, rather than design jargon, indicates that you recognize them and value their job. It implies that you attempted to grasp their point of view.
To express the importance of design and your job as a designer, evaluate how your work relates to attaining company goals, including producing income, developing client bases, creating consumer trust, and more.
Many business people appreciate data and graphs, so use them to demonstrate to non-designers how your work affects the bottom line. Track and discuss the impact of a redesign you produced, for example, on customer conversion rates.
If you work as an in-house designer, take advantage of opportunities to show off your skills
Why is it critical that non-designers at the company understand what you do and the value it offers to the company?
It contributes to your job security. When company executives see the value you bring to the table as a designer, they will be less likely to lay you off.
It positions you for promotion. The simplest way to drag out your career is to work for a company where no one knows what you do or the importance of design. By teaching non-designers the importance of design, you are demonstrating your value as a designer and opening up new possibilities for career growth.
Use case studies to demonstrate to executives how other successful organizations have used design to reach where they are
If you know of companies your clients like, utilize such companies as case studies to show how success was attained by valuing design.
Look no further than Airbnb for a case study on how a company transformed from a struggling startup to a billion-dollar enterprise. According to First Round Review, "Airbnb was on the verge of going bankrupt" in 2009. When the founders aimed to explain the company's stagnation, they observed a pattern in the Airbnb listings: the images were terrible. Many were taken on mobile phones and were not representative of what customers would receive if they rented property or room through Airbnb.
What is the solution to this problem? Someone from Airbnb traveled to New York, got a camera, and shot higher-resolution images of the rental spaces to replace the horrible low-resolution photos that were previously in the listings.
A week later, it was clear that improving the image quality had had a significant impact — the company's weekly income had nearly doubled.
What's the biggest benefit of mastering client communication techniques as a designer?
Without being overly dramatic, literally everything. A great designer is a strong communicator, whether selling ideas to your team or collaborating with your client on creative direction.
Everyone, whether you believe it or not, speaks design. We may not use the same terms or comprehend design similarly. Still, everyone can determine whether or not a design works for them. Occasionally, the terminology is confusing and depends on subjective judgment, which is OK.
It is our responsibility to expand our client's grasp of the function of design, widen our understanding of our client's design language, and educate them on providing constructive feedback focused on outcomes, business strategy, and user objectives.