""I've told my teams about issues, but I haven't been able to convince them of why it matters." A freelance designer, who was trying to start his own agency, told me this. And this disconnect is where many designers struggle. Designers are taught to stick to the facts. Present what users did, document what you've observed, and "report the observations." This is what we've learned in school or boot camps, but that approach is increasingly becoming outdated."
"Why? In this age, when teams are asked to do more, facts alone don't drive action. Three Ways to Describe an Issue, and Why It Matters In Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip and Dan Heath describe how there are really only three ways to describe a problem, and how you describe these problems matters. News describes a problem without context or emotion. "2/5 of users don't complete activation." Tale describes actions and their arc. "Users sign up, hit our configuration screen, get..."
Designers often present raw user data and documented observations without connecting those facts to impact or emotion. Facts and observation reports alone frequently fail to persuade teams or motivate action when teams are asked to do more. There are three distinct ways to describe a problem, and the chosen framing influences response and prioritization. News frames problems as isolated facts without context or feeling. Tale frames problems through actions and narrative arc. Adopting context-rich, emotionally resonant, and outcome-focused descriptions increases the chance of team buy-in and meaningful change.
Read at Medium
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]