For instance, clients may be nervous about investing a large sum of money, or feeling pressure from their boss to make the project a success. A few other possibilities might be that:<\/p>\n
- \n
- They don\u2019t want to look like they don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing<\/li>\n
- They don\u2019t want to be wrong<\/li>\n
- They don\u2019t want you to be wrong<\/li>\n
- They have a hard time submitting to other people\u2019s opinions or insights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Working around their struggles (or hangups) may sound like walking on eggshells, but how you establish yourself to the client is imperative at the beginning of the process. As a freelance UX designer at Slayter Design<\/a>, I\u2019ve found that the clients most likely to recommend me to others are those I\u2019ve spent extra time educating and reassuring.<\/p>\n
Uncover the Real Problems.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The only way to get the to the real problem is to ask the right questions and conduct the right research. How do you do that, or know if your questions are good?<\/p>\n
Often, those pre-determined solutions the client suggests are fundamentally \u201coff\u201d because the the wrong questions were asked from the start. For example asking \u201cWhy is our revenue dipping?\u201d instead of \u201cWhy are our users unhappy?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"image01\"](\"https:\/\/www.uxpin.com\/studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/image01-9-487x300.png\")
<\/p>\nPhoto credit: Chris Thelwell<\/a> for UXPin<\/a><\/p>\n
If you\u2019re lucky, the client will have raw analytics for you to analyze. If not, ask for any other company data you can collect, such as customer service complaints or feedback the company has received. This will at least give you enough to do a SWOT analysis<\/a>, empathy map<\/a>, and\/or potentially a few lightweight personas<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Data helps prove to your client that you have their goals at the forefront and will happily guide them during this new venture. It can be frustrating to feel like you have to continuously prove your points. While some clients will be less receptive than others, never lose your cool. Be just as empathic with clients as you are with your users.<\/p>\n
Just Test It.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Sometimes, the client likes a bad idea and needs convincing. \u00a0If they aren\u2019t open to your suggestions or proof, the solution might be to \u201cjust test it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Depending on the problem, you\u2019ll find countless methods for testing and research to choose from:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Focus user interviews<\/li>\n
- User testing<\/li>\n
- A\/B testing<\/li>\n
- Analytics<\/li>\n
- or a combination of testing methods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
On one of my projects, we decided to leave \u201cthe definitive answer\u201d up to the audience.<\/p>\n
We were unable to agree on subcategories and how they should be organized, so I suggested that we go straight to the users and ask what made sense to them. After we explained card sorting<\/a>, we had them take over and define how they thought the subcategories would fall.<\/p>\n
Here are a few end results:<\/p>\n
![\"image00\"](\"https:\/\/www.uxpin.com\/studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/image00-3-420x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThis answered some critical navigation questions, and helped us move forward. The real test was coming up: how would users respond to a prototype?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve encountered numerous clients that aren\u2019t open to suggestions and won\u2019t back down from a bad idea. In these cases, testing is pretty much the only way to go. Once the data comes in, good or bad, it\u2019s nearly impossible to refute. This is assuming that you\u2019ve selected the right testing method for the problem, tested with an appropriate number of users, and have allowed the proper data to be collected (more on that in The Guide to Usability Testing<\/a>).<\/p>\n
If you find your results have rendered only a direction, but not a concrete solution, you can still work with this. Follow that direction and assure your client this will be an area that is kept under close watch for further insight.<\/p>\n
I always tell clients that the product we\u2019re launching is an educated hypothesis\u2014but a hypothesis, nonetheless. One of the hardest things to do is educating your client to understand that the end application isn\u2019t really the end,<\/em> but more the first \u2018final\u2019 iteration, which will be improved upon with testing and analytics.<\/p>\n
Educate, Don\u2019t Patronize.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
When working with clients, the most important things that you can do are to:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Help your client see their project from the user\u2019s point of view.<\/li>\n
- Disconnect their personal biases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This helps you avoid the dreaded reasoning of \u201cI don\u2019t know why, but I just don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
When faced with a conversation like this, don\u2019t overwhelm them\u2014you only need to supply targeted evidence to get your point across. Establishing your knowledge and expertise at the beginning of the project ought to be enough\u2014after all, they did hire you for a reason\u2014but they might want proof to support your statements.<\/p>\n
![\"image02\"](\"https:\/\/www.uxpin.com\/studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/image02-1-449x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe first step is to always give your client credit for their suggestions. I often find myself saying \u201cThat\u2019s a really good point, but what about\u2026?\u201d or \u201cI think that\u2019s a great suggestion but what do you think about\u2026?\u201d or \u201cI see what you\u2019re saying but have you considered\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
Since there\u2019s really no such thing as a bad idea (even from your client), it\u2019s your job to let them know why there might be a better<\/em> solution.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t hurt to respond with \u201cI\u2019d love to send you some evidence on the topic.\u201d This buys you time to investigate quality data and\/or proof to support your stance. There are plenty of highly-respected resources to corroborate your recommendations, such as Nielsen Norman Group<\/a>, Smashing Magazine<\/a>, and UXPin\u2019s ebooks<\/a>, to name a few.<\/p>\n
A very fine line exists between educating and patronizing; you can help clients see past their fears while providing them with quality information, but it\u2019s also important not to push them on the subject.<\/p>\n
Pick Your Battles.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
It\u2019s important to know which battles are worth fighting. You don\u2019t want the client to feel like you\u2019re pushing too hard even for what they see as insignificant things. If you go overboard, it can come off like you\u2019re disputing just to dispute.<\/p>\n
For instance, the hierarchy of information on the page is usually more important than logo size. If you have to sacrifice a smaller battle to win another that’s more important for the users, do it.<\/p>\n
That being said, don\u2019t be afraid to question their suggestions. Once you\u2019ve identified more pressing issues, make your points known on the lesser important issue and move on. You can always revisit the smaller issues later.<\/p>\n
Everybody Wins or Nobody Wins.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What happens if you don\u2019t fight for your ideas? What if you just sit on the sidelines and wait for someone to tell you what to do?<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll end up with a project you aren\u2019t proud of that doesn\u2019t deliver desired results to your client. Regardless of how difficult they made it, it\u2019s rare that they know just<\/em> how difficult they were. The blame is likely to come back onto you, since as far as they are concerned, they sought out your expertise to help them.<\/p>\n
UX designers are only worth as much as their insights and knowledge, so nobody wins if you let that go to waste. True, you\u2019ll inevitably come across that one client that hates the color green, but you\u2019ll know when to pick your battles.<\/p>\n
Always put forth your reasoning, all the way through to the finish.<\/p>\n
If you found this post useful, check out the free 100+ page e-book UX Design Process Best Practices<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
![\"blog-book1\"](\"https:\/\/www.uxpin.com\/studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/blog-book1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"