Strong communication is important for conveying ideas and providing feedback, but it's also integral in getting other teams and disciplines on board when you need to collaborate.
Nalika Kala, Creative Director of UX&D at the 大象传媒 in London, discusses the challenges that can arise around communication in design and how her team tackles these issues.
Being misunderstood
One of the challenges I've found is that not everyone we work with understands how good design brings value. We know that it's more than making things look 'pretty', but someone less familiar with UX might not be familiar with an end-to-end design process: the problem definition, research insights, divergent thinking and necessary iterations that go into a final product.
As designers, we need to be able to communicate our process well, and demystify it, so that there's a collective understanding of how design fits into a delivery process. Within any team, I think it's important for people to be advocates for their own discipline and help others understand what their culture, roles and procedures are about. Thiswill always be more successful if it becomes part of the day-to-day communication that designers have with non-design stakeholders.
Inevitably, there'll always be times where you'll put forward an idea or solution that not everyone in the team agrees with. When this happens, it's best to go back to the objectives and reconfirm your shared goal and the bigger vision you're all working towards. Rather than dismissing others' opinions too hastily, we should aim to understand their point of view and motives through listening. That's part of good communication.
Not being heard
As the 大象传媒 is such a large organisation, there are lots of things that can make communication difficult: you can't always speak to people face-to-face, things may be misheard through word-of-mouth and lots of people may need convincing to come to a final decision. It can certainly be hard to make your voice heard, but there are lots of other things that arewithin our control.
The first thing that I tell my team when they're about to pitch an idea or explain something to someone is to always give plenty of context and direction. Too often, we assume that our audience has pre-existing knowledge of our subject matter; it's better to ask or assume zero knowledge. If people are confused by jargon, acronyms, or technical complexity, then they're not going to hear or understand the important parts of our message.
As part of this, it's important that your audience or stakeholders are able to contribute and feel listened to. They should feel comfortable asking you questions and providing honest feedback. As designers sharing our work, we need to provide a forum for this and anticipate the reaction. When this happens naturally, then you know that you're on the right path.
Getting the methods wrong
Sometimes, people will settle into certain communication formats because they're the most comfortable, familiar and convenient. I try to adapt my style with my team, as there are certain methods that will always suit particular contexts. Similarly, everyone is individual and you need to get to know them a bit to understand which communication style works best for them. It's best to try and have empathy and think about how you might react and feel in their position. When delivering a message that's potentially contentious or difficult, I think face-to-face communication is always better. Nuances like body language and facial expressions help make these conversations more human and easier to understand, allowing for more dialogue.
If this can't happen face-to-face and needs to be communicated via email, for instance, then I think it's really important to carefully prepare what the message is going to be and anticipate how the recipient may respond. The tone of the message, and how it's framed or introduced, can make all the difference. Besides proofreading yourself, it's always a good idea to ask someone you trust to check it for you; they may be able to provide a different perspective.
However, I also recognise that every designer is their own person and some communication formats are better suited to some people than others. For example, I like things written down with a lot of detail and context, whereas others may prefer a summary of the headlines, or being guided through something. We receive a lot of emails, so it can be tricky trying to figure out what needs the most attention.
The design leader's role
I think being approachable is one of the most important things you can be as a design leader. Your team will always expect you to provide support, clear direction and share the information that they need to know. However, they also need to feel like they can question things, without being judged or afraid of your reaction.
You can tell that communication in a team is good when people engage with each other effortlessly. They're comfortable bouncing ideas back and forth off each other, but there's an ease to it, and they're relaxed. There's usually an element of humour also and you start to see more of people's personalities. Getting to know and understand one another as people is just as important as understanding roles and disciplines.
Ultimately, good communication builds stronger relationships and that's one of the reasons why it matters the most. As design leaders, our role is to create the environment for this to happen.
This article is part of our Studio Culture series, which explores the important factors that help design teams excel and collaborate effectively.
