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Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience
Talking to people about your designs might seem like a basic skill, but it can be difficult to do well. In many cases, how you communicate with stakeholders, clients, and other nondesigners may be more important than the designs themselves. Because if you can't get their support, your work will never see the light of day--no matter how good it is.
This practical guide focuses on principles, tactics, and actionable methods for presenting your designs. Whether you design apps, websites, or products, you'll learn how to get support from people who have influence over the project with the goal of creating the best user experience.
Walk through the process of preparing and presenting your designs
Understand stakeholder perspectives and learn how to empathize with them
Cultivate both implicit and explicit listening skills
Learn tactics and strategies for expressing the most effective response to feedback
Create the right documentation for your decisions to avoid repeated conversations
Learn why following through is just as important as the meeting itself
This practical guide focuses on principles, tactics, and actionable methods for presenting your designs. Whether you design apps, websites, or products, you'll learn how to get support from people who have influence over the project with the goal of creating the best user experience.
Walk through the process of preparing and presenting your designs
Understand stakeholder perspectives and learn how to empathize with them
Cultivate both implicit and explicit listening skills
Learn tactics and strategies for expressing the most effective response to feedback
Create the right documentation for your decisions to avoid repeated conversations
Learn why following through is just as important as the meeting itself
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2015
914 people are currently reading
5680 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
August 9, 2022
I have really mixed feelings about this book, probably the most out of any UX book I've read. I do recommend it people in design interested in improving their communication skills. However, I think it could have been edited down quite a bit and still gotten the same messages across. I ended up skimming a lot. I also felt a few times like the techniques were manipulative, although I could see their merits. I've never read How to Win Friends and Influence People, but this book is what I imagine it looking like from a design perspective. Good stuff to practice in here that was new, but also a lot that fell flat or obvious to me.
March 2, 2016
I skimmed very quickly through chapters 1-4 (and later ch. 6), being disappointed by the triviality of content. Here I'd note that the content probably wouldn't be trivial for a person who is not professionally involved in design. The book is aimed at professional designers, though, and in my view, these chapters sound commonplace after just 1-2 years of experience in the field.
Then at ch. 5 it got interesting. That's when it gets more specific.
What I like about the book, firstly, is that it underlays out patchy general knowledge about good communication and meetings with a clear structure. You've heard about some of the topics here and there; likely you've been practicing certain ways without putting much thought into it. It just seems natural, and a lot of it boils down to common sense and to just being attentive to people and the environment. Getting a well-structured overview is very helpful, though.
Secondly, I see value in applying the knowledge of good communication practices specifically to design meetings and really going into details of what might happen and how to deal with it.
Finally, I really appreciate attention to language, to wording. That's where a subtle difference can have significant impact. It was great to have longish examples/scripts of conversations.
This book is the next one to be discussed in our local UX book club, and it certainly deserves it.
Then at ch. 5 it got interesting. That's when it gets more specific.
What I like about the book, firstly, is that it underlays out patchy general knowledge about good communication and meetings with a clear structure. You've heard about some of the topics here and there; likely you've been practicing certain ways without putting much thought into it. It just seems natural, and a lot of it boils down to common sense and to just being attentive to people and the environment. Getting a well-structured overview is very helpful, though.
Secondly, I see value in applying the knowledge of good communication practices specifically to design meetings and really going into details of what might happen and how to deal with it.
Finally, I really appreciate attention to language, to wording. That's where a subtle difference can have significant impact. It was great to have longish examples/scripts of conversations.
This book is the next one to be discussed in our local UX book club, and it certainly deserves it.
January 28, 2021
Did not finish. I gave up after the author alleged that single people without children are pathetic.
May 4, 2016
A must read for designers!
My favorite thing about this book was that it had a lot of real life examples. I also loved the way that the articulation process was broken down in detailed stages. Tom clearly has a natural gift for articulating design decisions that he has honed through years of experience. The chapter for non-designers was an added bonus.
I think this book could go a long way toward improving the sometimes rocky relations between designers and stakeholders.
My favorite thing about this book was that it had a lot of real life examples. I also loved the way that the articulation process was broken down in detailed stages. Tom clearly has a natural gift for articulating design decisions that he has honed through years of experience. The chapter for non-designers was an added bonus.
I think this book could go a long way toward improving the sometimes rocky relations between designers and stakeholders.
December 14, 2015
Articulating Design Decisions is a thorough, articulate and fun read about the subject of design meetings. The thoughtful way that Tom has approached this topic proves that he's an expert at communicating ideas in a way that others can understand! He's an obvious choice for writing an O'Reilly standard on this topic and the
Design meetings can be a sloppy, opinionated, difficult event. Articulating Design Decisions helps designers remove bias, speak eloquently about their choices, and actually listen to stakeholders during the feedback process. I love the last chapters in the book, too: they give stakeholders a common language and tips on how to provide feedback in a helpful manner during design meetings.
This book is a required read for anyone who works on a design team or has to communicate their ideas up the food chain. UX and interface design have become germane topics in coffeeshops and board rooms alike. We need to be able to speak competently, confidently, and humbly in all contexts. This book helps give us the visual and spoken language to ensure everyone sees a design solution from the right perspective.
A little full disclosure… I met Tom at a UX Meetup where he spoke on this topic, and he ended up getting me a copy of this book to review.
Design meetings can be a sloppy, opinionated, difficult event. Articulating Design Decisions helps designers remove bias, speak eloquently about their choices, and actually listen to stakeholders during the feedback process. I love the last chapters in the book, too: they give stakeholders a common language and tips on how to provide feedback in a helpful manner during design meetings.
This book is a required read for anyone who works on a design team or has to communicate their ideas up the food chain. UX and interface design have become germane topics in coffeeshops and board rooms alike. We need to be able to speak competently, confidently, and humbly in all contexts. This book helps give us the visual and spoken language to ensure everyone sees a design solution from the right perspective.
A little full disclosure… I met Tom at a UX Meetup where he spoke on this topic, and he ended up getting me a copy of this book to review.
March 3, 2019
В дизайнерів на другому місці після малювання, часто страждає комунікаційний навик, адже крім того, щоб щось намалювати, треба це захистити і довести, що саме це рішення потрібно бізнесу і користувачам. Саме цю проблему розглядає книжка і систематичним піходходом шукає до неї вирішення.
Спілкування з клієном розкладаєтся на 4 фази: підготовка, слухвання, відповідь, і підсумок, кожен процес детально розбитий, даються стратегії поведінки і практичні навики.
Єдине, мабуть, що погане в цій книжці, так це те, що я її не прочитав її раніше. Всі знання що тут даються, я здобував стресом і потом на протязі 10 років.
Вишнею в торті є остання глава, де автор хоча надихнути дизайнерів на звершення, а не залишатися гвинтиком і формошльопом, як це часто буває зараз. Хоч і книзі 4 роки, зараз вона актуальна як ніколи.
Рекомендується всім дизайнерам хто не вміє в комунікацію, а також тим хто з дизайнерами працює (там є глава і для них)
Спілкування з клієном розкладаєтся на 4 фази: підготовка, слухвання, відповідь, і підсумок, кожен процес детально розбитий, даються стратегії поведінки і практичні навики.
Єдине, мабуть, що погане в цій книжці, так це те, що я її не прочитав її раніше. Всі знання що тут даються, я здобував стресом і потом на протязі 10 років.
Вишнею в торті є остання глава, де автор хоча надихнути дизайнерів на звершення, а не залишатися гвинтиком і формошльопом, як це часто буває зараз. Хоч і книзі 4 роки, зараз вона актуальна як ніколи.
Рекомендується всім дизайнерам хто не вміє в комунікацію, а також тим хто з дизайнерами працює (там є глава і для них)
January 28, 2016
I've got a small handful of foundational books about design that I love to recommend to people getting started in the field, but what's been missing (until now) is a book that covers the massively important topic of communicating about design with others.
One of Tom Greever's main points in Articulating Design Decisions is that great design solves a problem, is easy for users, and is supported by everyone on the team (and that we often forget that last part). The skills Tom describes are aimed at learning from our stakeholders so that we can better understand their goals, and present design work that gets buy-in from everyone involved. As you'd expect from someone writing about this topic, Tom provides clear direction on how to develop these skills for yourself, and approachable examples that drive home how to put them into practice day-to-day.
I learned a ton from this book, and it covers a topic that, unfortunately, isn't talked about enough in our industry. Being able to communicate the "why" behind your decisions in a way that resonates with stakeholders is a skill that separates the great designers from the good ones. This book is an informative and accessible guide to improving those communication skills, and it's a must-read for any designer.
One of Tom Greever's main points in Articulating Design Decisions is that great design solves a problem, is easy for users, and is supported by everyone on the team (and that we often forget that last part). The skills Tom describes are aimed at learning from our stakeholders so that we can better understand their goals, and present design work that gets buy-in from everyone involved. As you'd expect from someone writing about this topic, Tom provides clear direction on how to develop these skills for yourself, and approachable examples that drive home how to put them into practice day-to-day.
I learned a ton from this book, and it covers a topic that, unfortunately, isn't talked about enough in our industry. Being able to communicate the "why" behind your decisions in a way that resonates with stakeholders is a skill that separates the great designers from the good ones. This book is an informative and accessible guide to improving those communication skills, and it's a must-read for any designer.
June 21, 2016
I highly recommend this book for any designers out there who are sometimes baffled by how their conversations with stakeholders go off the rails.
I often find professional development books somewhat unhelpful because they give you the goal you should strive for but very little practical advice for implementing it. I found this book much better in that area. The number of things the author says you need to do for good communication can be overwhelming. But, when I stopped worrying about the big picture for a minute and focused in on one or two pieces at a time, it's very helpful. I felt I could immediately apply it to my work.
I often find professional development books somewhat unhelpful because they give you the goal you should strive for but very little practical advice for implementing it. I found this book much better in that area. The number of things the author says you need to do for good communication can be overwhelming. But, when I stopped worrying about the big picture for a minute and focused in on one or two pieces at a time, it's very helpful. I felt I could immediately apply it to my work.
March 14, 2016
This well may be a four or five star book for someone else. I knew going in this was a UX (User eXperience) book, but I thought it might be applicable to what I do -- developers have to communicate design decisions as well. However, this book takes a very specific view of what is design, and a rather specific set of business models. There were some good and interesting bits in there, but an awful lot just didn't apply to what I do. In other word, if you're not a UX person, this book may not be all that useful for you.
August 19, 2020
I want to give it 3.5. It seemed repetitive and at times felt more like it boiled down to "be nice to people". But there were some nuggets of wisdom scattered throughout like "Your ability to properly set, adjust, and communicate expectations is more important than your ability to crank out killer designs on a daily basis". So if you could work on your "soft" skills, this might be a good guide.
September 3, 2021
Cada que tengo un momento de indecisión, de sindrome del impostor de como hablar de diseño con cualquier área de negocio, el periquito verde es mi safe spot para recordarme todo lo que debo (y no debo) hacer.
Es mi biblia de comunicación de diseño.
Es mi biblia de comunicación de diseño.
August 31, 2022
Really good and useful. Designers - get this one.
June 5, 2024
Ever since the start of my UX journey, I’ve constantly heard people tell me the importance of storytelling. (I’m no better, telling people I’ve mentored the same thing lol) But storytelling as a concept has always felt incredibly abstract to me, even if I apply all the tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the years into my day to day. This book dives deep into what it means to create, communicate, and in such a way that you can effectively convey your ideas and navigate corporate politics. I already learned a lot of the advice through practice, so this book is more suited for someone starting out or looking for concrete ways to conceptualize what they may have already been doing. Big piece of feedback is to be more concise and less redundant.
March 2, 2023
This book might feel 'too soft' for someone, however, after some years in Product Design and coming across various communication problems myself, I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked its concise advices which I could put into my daily work and see the result immediately while collaborating with teams from different departments. In the design world, communication is sometimes discounted skill over hard skills, however, I now know it is key to a successful career.
August 11, 2025
Loved this one. Very interesting approach to something that the universities don't teach. How to collaborate with non-designers.
I would recommend this read for designers of any level, especially entry-level but also seniors. As a senior designer, you might find a thing or two that you already know but have never set your finger on, so you can finally give it a name and maybe incorporate new things into your strategy!
Loved it. A must read for designers
I would recommend this read for designers of any level, especially entry-level but also seniors. As a senior designer, you might find a thing or two that you already know but have never set your finger on, so you can finally give it a name and maybe incorporate new things into your strategy!
Loved it. A must read for designers
October 6, 2024
Although I’m not a UX designer, I found this book to be incredibly transferable to my experiences as an instructional designer. Many people, including those we work with and for, don’t understand what we do or value the decisions that we make. While it feels like disrespect, usually, this is simply an issue of communication and this book offers solutions.
This is a quick read that provides actionable steps to help you get others on-board with your design and let you do your job! 🤠
This is a quick read that provides actionable steps to help you get others on-board with your design and let you do your job! 🤠
August 11, 2020
There are really good guidelines for communicating about design in this book but ultimately it could have been condensed into a series of 5-10 articles. Too often the book wanders down tangential roads. It is strongest when it focuses on design communication. Some chapters are stronger than others. Thankfully the book is very skim-able and makes great use of headings, subheadings, and lists.
January 13, 2020
Required reading for all Ux folks
Easy to read. If teams read this not only would we work together better, but we’d be better people to each other.
Easy to read. If teams read this not only would we work together better, but we’d be better people to each other.
February 16, 2022
Супер чудова книжка з великою купою корисних порад та прикладів.
October 11, 2022
Blown away by this! It might not be as helpful for seasoned designers, but it’s perfect for juniors and those just entering UX. Being an effective designer seems to be more about fostering good relationships and demonstrating high EQ as opposed to just being creative and technically skilled. As someone who still struggles with that in the workplace this was incredibly handy. I’d recommend ADD not just to designers but to anyone working in product in general. Excellent book.
September 8, 2023
Excellent for senior designers looking to get more structure in their planning, communication with stakeholders and building a UX strategy.
November 24, 2023
Easy to read, great examples that make all the designers resonate. Highly recommend!
April 30, 2024
Mixed feelings about the book overall. Most of the examples quoted were shallow and limited to UI. After couple of chapters, started to feel that content is repetitive which led to just quick skimming of the book. However, might be a decent read for a beginner in design.
July 21, 2021
Every designer should read this. The author shows a framework to stand your ground, make others feel listened and move the work forward.
The only con I found is that most of the author experiences are from a consultancy point of view, where big meetings with the client are the norm.
On startups, work moves faster, but still those tips are valuable.
The only con I found is that most of the author experiences are from a consultancy point of view, where big meetings with the client are the norm.
On startups, work moves faster, but still those tips are valuable.
June 10, 2022
A friend of mine who is actually in the UX field recommended this book to me. I have an interest in UX, but am in the accounting field myself.
So, did this book have any useful insights for me in my field? Can you read this if you aren’t a UX designer yourself?
Yes!
I believe this book’s alternative, more general title could be:
“How to articulate decisions and ideas within your office work environment.
*With specific examples from the UX field!”
Not as catchy, perhaps…
But there are a lot of great ideas and recommendations for staying professional, being articulate, and achieving the best possible results while building and maintaining great relationships with your coworkers/clients.
There may be some confusing examples if you aren’t familiar with UX or software development, but the principles could certainly be carried over to many other fields.
Also, as someone who’s digested a fair few parenting books/podcasts, I was actually surprised and amused at how similar various techniques where when discussing with your child vs discussing with clients/coworkers 😄
For example, avoid saying “no” and instead frame your response more positive. Or being more specific in your responses—like saying “This idea is a great way to solve X problem” instead of saying “I really like X.”
I guess, in the end, it’s simply best to treat everyone with respect and have more transparency in your relationships, whatever that relationship might be. Who knew?
So, did this book have any useful insights for me in my field? Can you read this if you aren’t a UX designer yourself?
Yes!
I believe this book’s alternative, more general title could be:
“How to articulate decisions and ideas within your office work environment.
*With specific examples from the UX field!”
Not as catchy, perhaps…
But there are a lot of great ideas and recommendations for staying professional, being articulate, and achieving the best possible results while building and maintaining great relationships with your coworkers/clients.
There may be some confusing examples if you aren’t familiar with UX or software development, but the principles could certainly be carried over to many other fields.
Also, as someone who’s digested a fair few parenting books/podcasts, I was actually surprised and amused at how similar various techniques where when discussing with your child vs discussing with clients/coworkers 😄
For example, avoid saying “no” and instead frame your response more positive. Or being more specific in your responses—like saying “This idea is a great way to solve X problem” instead of saying “I really like X.”
I guess, in the end, it’s simply best to treat everyone with respect and have more transparency in your relationships, whatever that relationship might be. Who knew?
May 25, 2023
"If we’re going to be successful at communicating with people about our designs, we must be able to answer these three questions about our work:
1.What problem does it solve?
2.How does it affect the user?
3. Why is it better than the alternative?"
"What seems like a fuzzy, soft skill might actually be more of a recipe: personality + role / values + observed reactions = predictable behavior!
Now match up those needs with the people in the room. For each person, ask yourself:
• What do they care about the most?
• What are their personal goals for this design?
• What do I already know they want or don’t want?"
“Practicing for a meeting is the usability test of being articulate.”
"Often, the only thing keeping us from developing good relationships is ourselves."
The more people are able to say what they need to get a point across, the more confidence they’ll have that they did just that. You want your stakeholders to know that they communicated effectively so that they can’t blame a misunderstanding on their inability"
"• What’s your opinion on this project?
• How does this project affect your job?
• What is your priority for this project?"
"I don’t always take good notes, but when I do, they’re Accessible (Google Docs), Organized, Specific, Definitive, Actionable, Referenced, and Forward-Looking!
• What problem are you trying to solve?
• What are the advantages of doing it this way?
• What do you suggest?
• How will this affect our goals?
• Where have you seen this before?"
"As you develop your yes reflex, remember:
• It reinforces that you’re all on the same team and facilitates collaboration.
• It allows you to be open to new ideas, even if you’re not sure how it will work.
• It keeps the conversation open-ended, giving you time to find the appropriate response.
• It gives you the opportunity to consider ideas in light of limitations and resources.
• It shifts responsibility for new ideas onto others, making them participants in the solution.
• It builds trust and confidence with stakeholders that you value their input."
"A grumpy and defensive remark isn’t going to woo them into agreement. Instead we can smile with confidence, be authentic, not take ourselves too seriously, and orient ourselves toward them.
To build your confidence, consider this: you got this job for a reason.
The best way to communicate that confidence is to smile. Most people think of smiling as expressing happiness, but smiling expresses a lot of other emotions, as well: agreement, enjoyment, appreciation, connection, and yes, confidence.
One of the biggest killers of any conversation is someone who is so serious about their work, their project, or their task that they’re unable to relax and respond with a posture that makes them seem human.
When we get in this “getting things done” mode, it can be really easy to have tunnel vision and become too focused on what we’re trying to accomplish.
“Focus instead on making yourself laugh. Be self-amusing and have fun first; then look to share that enjoyment.... By focusing on having a good time yourself, you’ll generate a fun, positive attitude that will infect those around you and make you more charming.”
"At a high level, crafting a good response requires that we:
• Define our strategy for responding. What will we say to make a compelling case?
• Employ tactics that will help us get there. How will we deliver the strategy?
• Identify common, relevant responses. What key messages are important in our context?
• Apply a common framework and ask for agreement. What do we want our stakeholders to do next?"
"When using other external research to support your decisions, remember to:
• Make a habit of saving research to a separate document as you find it
• Note the title, author, URL/source, and date
• Write a short summary of the post or a sentence about how it relates to your project
• Provide the list of references to your stakeholders when they ask
• Try to find research to support other viewpoints for a balanced understanding
• Give your stakeholders the chance to consider it or respond with their own"
"MANAGEMENT VISION AND GOALS
What is the purpose of the website or app? Define the primary use or need. Why does this website or app exist?
What is the overall vision for the website or app? A clearly defined vision helps us understand how this project affects the future roadmap.
What are the short-term goals for the business overall? What does the business want to accomplish, and how does this project fit with those goals?
What metric can we track? How will we know we’ve succeeded? We need a way to measure our success.
What is the strategy for accomplishing the goal? This is what needs to be done to accomplish the goal: the tasks, tactics, or deliverables for the project.
What are the business requirements for this project? Having documented requirements at the beginning is important, but we can also work together to create them.
USERS OR CUSTOMERS
Who are the users? What do we know about them? This could be a starting point for writing personas and user stories.
What is the primary problem we want to solve for them? What are the biggest pain points for users right now? This might not be the goal of the project right now.
How do users interact with the site or app? What is their context/location, device type and size, entry and exit points, or frequency of engagement?
What is the plan or budget for usability testing and/or user interviews? We need to work with real users in order to design for them."
"The goal is to make it a habit of thinking differently about our projects and forcing our brains to learn (and relearn) how to design.
Ideation and iteration are both important to ensure that we’re practicing creativity.
Take ownership of your skills, create something from nothing, and give people a reason to get excited.
Our ability to create incredible user experiences is influenced by the constantly changing world around us: other people are involved, external factors are beyond our control, and our life and relationships make us who we are."
1.What problem does it solve?
2.How does it affect the user?
3. Why is it better than the alternative?"
"What seems like a fuzzy, soft skill might actually be more of a recipe: personality + role / values + observed reactions = predictable behavior!
Now match up those needs with the people in the room. For each person, ask yourself:
• What do they care about the most?
• What are their personal goals for this design?
• What do I already know they want or don’t want?"
“Practicing for a meeting is the usability test of being articulate.”
"Often, the only thing keeping us from developing good relationships is ourselves."
The more people are able to say what they need to get a point across, the more confidence they’ll have that they did just that. You want your stakeholders to know that they communicated effectively so that they can’t blame a misunderstanding on their inability"
"• What’s your opinion on this project?
• How does this project affect your job?
• What is your priority for this project?"
"I don’t always take good notes, but when I do, they’re Accessible (Google Docs), Organized, Specific, Definitive, Actionable, Referenced, and Forward-Looking!
• What problem are you trying to solve?
• What are the advantages of doing it this way?
• What do you suggest?
• How will this affect our goals?
• Where have you seen this before?"
"As you develop your yes reflex, remember:
• It reinforces that you’re all on the same team and facilitates collaboration.
• It allows you to be open to new ideas, even if you’re not sure how it will work.
• It keeps the conversation open-ended, giving you time to find the appropriate response.
• It gives you the opportunity to consider ideas in light of limitations and resources.
• It shifts responsibility for new ideas onto others, making them participants in the solution.
• It builds trust and confidence with stakeholders that you value their input."
"A grumpy and defensive remark isn’t going to woo them into agreement. Instead we can smile with confidence, be authentic, not take ourselves too seriously, and orient ourselves toward them.
To build your confidence, consider this: you got this job for a reason.
The best way to communicate that confidence is to smile. Most people think of smiling as expressing happiness, but smiling expresses a lot of other emotions, as well: agreement, enjoyment, appreciation, connection, and yes, confidence.
One of the biggest killers of any conversation is someone who is so serious about their work, their project, or their task that they’re unable to relax and respond with a posture that makes them seem human.
When we get in this “getting things done” mode, it can be really easy to have tunnel vision and become too focused on what we’re trying to accomplish.
“Focus instead on making yourself laugh. Be self-amusing and have fun first; then look to share that enjoyment.... By focusing on having a good time yourself, you’ll generate a fun, positive attitude that will infect those around you and make you more charming.”
"At a high level, crafting a good response requires that we:
• Define our strategy for responding. What will we say to make a compelling case?
• Employ tactics that will help us get there. How will we deliver the strategy?
• Identify common, relevant responses. What key messages are important in our context?
• Apply a common framework and ask for agreement. What do we want our stakeholders to do next?"
"When using other external research to support your decisions, remember to:
• Make a habit of saving research to a separate document as you find it
• Note the title, author, URL/source, and date
• Write a short summary of the post or a sentence about how it relates to your project
• Provide the list of references to your stakeholders when they ask
• Try to find research to support other viewpoints for a balanced understanding
• Give your stakeholders the chance to consider it or respond with their own"
"MANAGEMENT VISION AND GOALS
What is the purpose of the website or app? Define the primary use or need. Why does this website or app exist?
What is the overall vision for the website or app? A clearly defined vision helps us understand how this project affects the future roadmap.
What are the short-term goals for the business overall? What does the business want to accomplish, and how does this project fit with those goals?
What metric can we track? How will we know we’ve succeeded? We need a way to measure our success.
What is the strategy for accomplishing the goal? This is what needs to be done to accomplish the goal: the tasks, tactics, or deliverables for the project.
What are the business requirements for this project? Having documented requirements at the beginning is important, but we can also work together to create them.
USERS OR CUSTOMERS
Who are the users? What do we know about them? This could be a starting point for writing personas and user stories.
What is the primary problem we want to solve for them? What are the biggest pain points for users right now? This might not be the goal of the project right now.
How do users interact with the site or app? What is their context/location, device type and size, entry and exit points, or frequency of engagement?
What is the plan or budget for usability testing and/or user interviews? We need to work with real users in order to design for them."
"The goal is to make it a habit of thinking differently about our projects and forcing our brains to learn (and relearn) how to design.
Ideation and iteration are both important to ensure that we’re practicing creativity.
Take ownership of your skills, create something from nothing, and give people a reason to get excited.
Our ability to create incredible user experiences is influenced by the constantly changing world around us: other people are involved, external factors are beyond our control, and our life and relationships make us who we are."
November 6, 2025
I'm reading this book based on a colleague’s recommendation. Interestingly, the author gave three separate talks that led to this book. Among them, the author and editors chose "Articulating Design Decisions" as a more important topic over general design processes.
The author stresses that good design starts with knowing what message you want to communicate. That message becomes your anchor for every design decision you make after that.
One important anecdote in the book is about designers preparing for several days before meeting their CEO. They created detailed FAQs to confidently explain and defend their decisions.
I’d rate this book’s impact on me as 3 out of 5. It’s well-written, with solid examples. But it didn’t offer groundbreaking insights. Still, it's useful, especially in how it organizes ideas I already apply.
What makes a design good?
According to the author, three things define a good design:
It solves a problem
It makes things easier for users or for the business
It earns buy-in from your team
You can measure whether a design solves a problem by comparing metrics before and after the change.
The author shares helpful examples of how to explain design choices clearly. One case involved changing the visibility of login and signup buttons:
Design change:
The homepage featured a clear, prominent signup button. The login button became a smaller link saying “Already a member? Login.”
How to explain this to stakeholders:
Most new visitors need to sign up
Logged-in users usually skip the homepage
User research showed people were confused by two similar-looking buttons
This change reduces confusion while keeping both options available
Principles of influence
The author talks about different types of influence: team influence, executive influence, and external influence. I found these useful for all kinds of roles, including my current one.
Some advice, like how to prepare for meetings, felt standard. But I appreciated the push to go beyond basics, skip placeholder images, lorem ipsum, and overly polished wireframes if they get in the way. Show real content to make your work easier to discuss.
Meeting habits
The author recommends:
Take notes during meetings to show you're listening
Jot down side conversations to avoid derailment
Write down both what was decided and why, so you don’t revisit the same points again
If you face pushback, treat it like an improv sketch. Start with yes, then:
Either agree and make the change
Or acknowledge their view, while keeping your direction
Example:
If someone nitpicks your design, say: “Yes, I agree some parts need revisiting,” which validates their input and keeps things productive.
Humor tip:
Dad jokes work, mocking colleagues doesn’t
Sometimes, you’ll need to make changes you don’t agree with. Do it. Then show both versions side by side, not in separate tabs, so you can highlight which one meets the goals better.
What I liked most was how the book applies persuasion and influence to the daily work of a product designer in tech. These weren’t entirely new ideas, but rather a clearer structure for things I already knew.
Applying ideas beyond design
The last section spoke to people who work with designers. That felt like a shift in perspective that helped connect ideas across roles. I can use the same principles when doing industry research, competitive analysis, or writing a product requirements document (PRD). It also helps me support my designer colleague better, reducing friction and focusing on outcomes.
I also liked the author’s take on collaboration. People say they value it, but real collaboration includes disagreement. Those polished brainstorming sessions we imagine rarely happen in practice. So, we need to plan for how we get feedback, who we ask, and when.
Avoid saying “I like this” or “I don’t like this.” It’s too subjective. Instead, use tactics like:
Understanding stakeholder needs
Knowing what experiences they’re bringing (for example, they loved a competitor’s tool)
Asking better questions:
What problem are you solving?
Where have you seen this before?
Why do you think your idea will work?
Practices for effective collaboration
Teamwork ends in work, it’s not just about alignment
Avoid “home page syndrome” (designing by committee to cover everything)
Save your research links, people will ask
Save intermediate versions of your work and write down your design reasoning
Don’t copy a competitor, you assume your users are the same as theirs
Good UX means nothing if you can’t communicate and get buy-in
Let stakeholders speak fully. Especially executives. Don’t interrupt. Run through your designs with supportive colleagues before the big meetings.
Some disagreements will be subtle, read between the lines.
Take notes to build trust and stay focused. You can pause off-topic discussions and return later.
Make it easy for your executive to present your work. Give them clear reasons to defend it to others.
When reviewing feedback:
Let stakeholders talk
Thank them
Then say:
“I’ll walk through all your feedback after I explain how we reached this design and why we believe it meets user needs.”
Frameworks for explaining design decisions
Business: Supports goals, aligns with branding
Design: Matches known design patterns
Research: Shows data before and after, explains UX choices
Process: Helps stakeholders understand the "why" behind the "what"
If you’re asking for feedback, ask directed questions to move things forward. Eventually, you need to switch from seeking feedback to seeking approval for the design.
The author stresses that good design starts with knowing what message you want to communicate. That message becomes your anchor for every design decision you make after that.
One important anecdote in the book is about designers preparing for several days before meeting their CEO. They created detailed FAQs to confidently explain and defend their decisions.
I’d rate this book’s impact on me as 3 out of 5. It’s well-written, with solid examples. But it didn’t offer groundbreaking insights. Still, it's useful, especially in how it organizes ideas I already apply.
What makes a design good?
According to the author, three things define a good design:
It solves a problem
It makes things easier for users or for the business
It earns buy-in from your team
You can measure whether a design solves a problem by comparing metrics before and after the change.
The author shares helpful examples of how to explain design choices clearly. One case involved changing the visibility of login and signup buttons:
Design change:
The homepage featured a clear, prominent signup button. The login button became a smaller link saying “Already a member? Login.”
How to explain this to stakeholders:
Most new visitors need to sign up
Logged-in users usually skip the homepage
User research showed people were confused by two similar-looking buttons
This change reduces confusion while keeping both options available
Principles of influence
The author talks about different types of influence: team influence, executive influence, and external influence. I found these useful for all kinds of roles, including my current one.
Some advice, like how to prepare for meetings, felt standard. But I appreciated the push to go beyond basics, skip placeholder images, lorem ipsum, and overly polished wireframes if they get in the way. Show real content to make your work easier to discuss.
Meeting habits
The author recommends:
Take notes during meetings to show you're listening
Jot down side conversations to avoid derailment
Write down both what was decided and why, so you don’t revisit the same points again
If you face pushback, treat it like an improv sketch. Start with yes, then:
Either agree and make the change
Or acknowledge their view, while keeping your direction
Example:
If someone nitpicks your design, say: “Yes, I agree some parts need revisiting,” which validates their input and keeps things productive.
Humor tip:
Dad jokes work, mocking colleagues doesn’t
Sometimes, you’ll need to make changes you don’t agree with. Do it. Then show both versions side by side, not in separate tabs, so you can highlight which one meets the goals better.
What I liked most was how the book applies persuasion and influence to the daily work of a product designer in tech. These weren’t entirely new ideas, but rather a clearer structure for things I already knew.
Applying ideas beyond design
The last section spoke to people who work with designers. That felt like a shift in perspective that helped connect ideas across roles. I can use the same principles when doing industry research, competitive analysis, or writing a product requirements document (PRD). It also helps me support my designer colleague better, reducing friction and focusing on outcomes.
I also liked the author’s take on collaboration. People say they value it, but real collaboration includes disagreement. Those polished brainstorming sessions we imagine rarely happen in practice. So, we need to plan for how we get feedback, who we ask, and when.
Avoid saying “I like this” or “I don’t like this.” It’s too subjective. Instead, use tactics like:
Understanding stakeholder needs
Knowing what experiences they’re bringing (for example, they loved a competitor’s tool)
Asking better questions:
What problem are you solving?
Where have you seen this before?
Why do you think your idea will work?
Practices for effective collaboration
Teamwork ends in work, it’s not just about alignment
Avoid “home page syndrome” (designing by committee to cover everything)
Save your research links, people will ask
Save intermediate versions of your work and write down your design reasoning
Don’t copy a competitor, you assume your users are the same as theirs
Good UX means nothing if you can’t communicate and get buy-in
Let stakeholders speak fully. Especially executives. Don’t interrupt. Run through your designs with supportive colleagues before the big meetings.
Some disagreements will be subtle, read between the lines.
Take notes to build trust and stay focused. You can pause off-topic discussions and return later.
Make it easy for your executive to present your work. Give them clear reasons to defend it to others.
When reviewing feedback:
Let stakeholders talk
Thank them
Then say:
“I’ll walk through all your feedback after I explain how we reached this design and why we believe it meets user needs.”
Frameworks for explaining design decisions
Business: Supports goals, aligns with branding
Design: Matches known design patterns
Research: Shows data before and after, explains UX choices
Process: Helps stakeholders understand the "why" behind the "what"
If you’re asking for feedback, ask directed questions to move things forward. Eventually, you need to switch from seeking feedback to seeking approval for the design.
August 19, 2016
I started reading Articulating Design Decisions due to some serious problems we were having in our product design team. Despite our best efforts to move forward on decisions, make the most of meetings, and design the best possible product, our team was floundering in a sea of miscommunication.
I'm still working on implementing a lot from this book, but have already seen many of the benefits from Tom Greever's suggestions. The advice in this book is practical and doable.
This book is truly one of the most relevant and essential books on designing within organizations I have read. It should be on every designer's shelf and should be referred to often.
I'm still working on implementing a lot from this book, but have already seen many of the benefits from Tom Greever's suggestions. The advice in this book is practical and doable.
This book is truly one of the most relevant and essential books on designing within organizations I have read. It should be on every designer's shelf and should be referred to often.
June 17, 2019
This is an outline of common sense strategies and an ok read for someone just starting out.
The roles are all too black and white (designer/client). The author did switch things up and addressed how clients need to work with designers but never addresses designers working with other designers and navigating creative conflicts. Better yet-- How to mediate and manage the best design outcome when rival forces refuse to let go of ego? How about $$ constraints? Impact on revenue?? Office politics threatening design outcomes??
Be prepared to skim bits -- the author takes a while to get to his main point.
The roles are all too black and white (designer/client). The author did switch things up and addressed how clients need to work with designers but never addresses designers working with other designers and navigating creative conflicts. Better yet-- How to mediate and manage the best design outcome when rival forces refuse to let go of ego? How about $$ constraints? Impact on revenue?? Office politics threatening design outcomes??
Be prepared to skim bits -- the author takes a while to get to his main point.
June 7, 2016
Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience by Tom Greever is well written, It explains how to communicate with non design people like stackholders. Delivering the best user experience also depends on being able to communicate and still make a profit for stockholders. I am not into design and found this to be an interesting read. It is well written.If you are not to design and marketing this is probably a good basic book to start with.
I received a copy thru Goodreads Giveaways.
I received a copy thru Goodreads Giveaways.
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