I’m currently taking a UX design course and thought I’d also read a book on UX design. I picked up, Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience, from Audible. The ideas in the book are helpful not just for UX design, but for anyone who needs to communicate their workplace decisions with others.
The author, Tom Greever maintains that communication is even more important than your design. You can be the best designer, but if you can’t articulate your decisions to those who are paying you to do the work, you will fail. He offers basic tips on how to communicate and get along with others. A key component to this is listening and asking questions. People love to hear themselves talk. Let them. Ask open-ended follow-up questions.
As a designer, Greever says you need to find out who is the final decision-maker. Who pays you? In the UX design world, the term “stakeholders” is constantly thrown around. But Greever says you need to find out who you are trying to impress, who is paying you to do the work? Who has the final say? Focus on those people instead of the amorphous blob of “stakeholders”. This is true in any role, not just design.
The problem with the book is that it was way too long. It should’ve been shortened by about 80%. He uses the same examples over and over again. He makes the same points over and over. Fortunately, there are YouTube interviews with authors! In the above video with the author, you will learn the gist of Greever’s ideas.
The book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, is a much better read if you want to learn how to get along better with people. Check it out below.
Or check out the summary of Carnegie’s book below.
Aaron Olson 