How do you handle conflicting UX design opinions or preferences among users or clients?

Asking 5 "why's" can be one of the most effective tools in the tool-belt of a designer. Curiosity is in our nature and is one of our best assets. Keep digging to understand the root cause of your conflict until everyone's voices have been heard. Building a strong rapport and relationship with your client and aligning on common goals up front helps pave the way to make these conversations easier down the road and get everyone on the same page.

When UX Design is a matter of opinions and preferences, something has gone very wrong in the early stages of the process. Design creates solutions that perform a function. A function can and should be measured. Defining upfront the function (eg. complete a task under N seconds), how it will be measured (eg. analytics, survey) and the target number (eg. complete >50 task/hour) will spare everyone on the team from painful and unproductive conversations. Even when the adequate analytical tools are not available, defining function and metric will help shift the conversations from "I don't like the blue on that button" to "Is the visual hierarchy appropriate to draw users' attention to the primary CTA?".

Start with always being clear on the design challenge. What are we trying to solve here Give context. "We can't build a full crypto wallet because we only have 2 weeks to deliver and 1 front end engineer who doesn't have the skills"

Stakeholders and designers may have cognitive biases that influence their preferences and opinions. For example, confirmation bias can lead people to favour information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs, overlooking data that conflicts with those beliefs. Another example is the bandwagon effect, where we might lean towards a design choice simply because it's popular or currently trending. Understanding these biases can illuminate the root causes of diverging opinions and preferences. Techniques like the "Five Whys" method can be useful. By asking 'why' repeatedly, you delve deeper into the reasoning behind a preference or opinion, often uncovering the underlying bias or assumption that is the true root of the conflict.

One thing I’ve found helpful is creating a collaborative environment that assumes good intent - all your stakeholders and colleagues want to do a great job, so if intelligent people are in conflict, lean in to understand why. Are we in conflict about: 1. Why we’re doing this? 2. What we’re doing? 3. How we’re doing it? With the root cause of conflict understood, then you can unpack why we’re in conflict: • Do we have different data to share? • Do we arrive at different insights from the same data? • Do we arrive at different design decisions based on the same insights? Guide this conversation well and more often than not you can get to a design decision that makes the user experience better with everyones buy in.

Drawing from my tenure in UX research, I've found that the compelling narratives of customers themselves often resonate most profoundly with stakeholders. There’s an unmatched clarity that comes from seeing and hearing your target audience articulate their needs firsthand. I advocate for incorporating video testimonials or interview highlights into presentations to refocus stakeholders. This method not only humanizes the data but also cuts through the noise, grounding discussions in real user experiences. It's a strategy that transforms abstract user needs into tangible stories that can steer the design process effectively.

UX designers champion themselves on solving user needs, but these needs have to be met while also serving the business as best as possible. It's common that these 2 objectives aren't the same, so be clear on each objective to find the best compromise or be able to rationalise the preference for one side and be specific about explaining why. "Users love using our product but they all expect using this feature without paying. The business says we need to raise our revenue this year so we can break even and this feature is our most used feature. SO How might we deliver an improved experience of this feature that would convince users to start paying for it?"

It is often said that designers are representatives of the users. Business prospers when the customers are happy. But it is also the role of designers to be visionary in terms of helping users and expanding the business meeting those long or short-term objectives. It is often the long-term business goals aligning with user needs that motivate all stakeholders to work together and fulfill both goals.

Frequently, there is a breakdown in effectively communicating the business objectives/user needs to the design team. This can lead to solutions that are susceptible to unnecessary opinions and criticism. Consequently, this may require extra time for resolution or, at worst, result in a solution that fails to serve both the user and the business. It is crucial to empower design teams to proactively engage with product teams at an early stage. This engagement allows them to question, enhance, and gain a deeper grasp of the underlying motivation behind the objective. This proactive approach enables them to generate stronger, testable concepts earlier in the process, underpinned by a solid understanding of the user and business requirements.

1. Utilize tools like the Lean UX canvas and Design Thinking workshops. 2. Lean UX canvas aids in framing problems, outcomes, user needs, and hypotheses. 3. Design Thinking workshops encourage empathy and collaborative problem-solving. 4. These activities harmonize user insights and business objectives, ensuring effective product or service delivery.

The effectiveness of the team in making good decision depends on their ability of generating alternatives. “Design is about exploring and comparing merits of alternatives. There is not just one path, at any given time or any given question, there may be numerous different alternatives being considered, only one of which will eventually find itself in the product.” (Buxton, B., Sketching user experiences, 2007). That said, good decision makers examine problems as a whole, taking note of the complexities that exist and — instead of picking the “best” alternative — they embrace the tension between opposing ideas to create new alternatives that take advantage of many possible solutions (Riel, J., & Martin, R. L., Creating great choices, 2017).

1. Before recieving feedback, you set yourself up for failure if you only show 1 design with: No problem context, no solution rationale, and no solution options. You must show all 3. 2. When asking for feedback, be very specific in what you want feedback on. People will have tons to say, there is finite time in a session and you don't want people walking away feeling like it was a waste of everyone's time 3. Guide people HOW to give feedback. People's opinions of likes and dislikes matter far less than 2 fundamental points. A: What works? How is the option working to it's goal B: What doesn't work? How is a design solution failing at achieving it's goal?

When exploring options, it's important to realize how little people know about what they want. I've been many a disagreement where the battle lines get drawn: the "button on the left" camp sternly opposing the "button on the right" camp. People's heels dig in. Everyone is arguing about what they think they know. But what actually works in practice is a different animal. The path to the best solution typically lies there. What works? Perhaps we don't know why it works. That's fine. Testing is surprising. And if it works, no need to argue, we can move on to the next thing.

Disagreements around design are common, what’s worked for me to gain alignment are the following: ❇️ Show key flows and design you’ve already explored ❇️ Organize the tradeoffs into a matrix so the team can weigh in ❇️ Invite the team into the discussion and potentially brainstorm different ideas Design is a team sport, and getting to alignment is much easier to do when you’re transparent with your design and thinking.

Explore various design options and evaluate the trade-offs associated with each one. Sometimes, compromises are necessary to bridge conflicting opinions. Present these alternatives to users or clients, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

When different people have different ideas about how something should look or work, I start by talking to everyone and making sure they all get a chance to share their thoughts. Then, I turn to data – user research, testing, and analytics – to objectively inform our design choices. Sometimes, we have to find a middle ground, change things a bit, and try them out to see if they work better. I also make sure everyone understands why we're making certain choices, and if they don't, I explain it to them. My main goal is to make things that work well for everyone and make everyone feel like they're part of the decision-making process.

Consider the role of a UX designer as a storyteller: creating a narrative that users engage with. In the face of conflicting opinions, I become a storyteller, working to weave disparate threads into a coherent and compelling narrative. I begin by understanding the various characters in this story: the users, each with their unique backgrounds and expectations, and the clients, who have their business objectives. It's my task to reconcile their differing perspectives and motivations to build a cohesive plotline. This might involve character development, plot twists, and a satisfying resolution. I bridge gaps allowing me to address conflicting opinions and create a compelling and coherent experience that resonates with all parties involved.

Everyone need to be heard. Provide context to the problem and find solution. Always see the discussion with positive mind to fill in.

Maintain open and respectful communication throughout the process. Actively listen to the concerns of all parties involved, validate their perspectives, and articulate your design decisions thoughtfully. Clear and respectful dialogue often leads to consensus.

Here's a framework for building consensus and making decisions efficiently: - write up the issue in a document - record a video to talk about the issue in the document and share more details - define who needs to be involved and who the decision-maker will be and send them the recording and the document - set a deadline when the participants need to share their opinion - the decision-maker should review the contributions 1 day before making the decision to ask follow-up questions if necessary - organize a meeting to make the final decision - the decision-maker communicates the final decision and discusses it, if necessary - the final decision is written in the same doc

It's essential to highlight that UX design is a dynamic and ongoing process, involving iterations and frequent testing. As perfect as it could be, the first designs rarely hit the mark, so keep it in mind that UX design is an iterative process, and solutions adapt and evolve over time.

I have never seen an idea hit the mark on the first design or creation. Building data points into a solution is key. Have data to iterate quickly and deliver that first viable or marketable version quickly to learn even quicker. Use the data as evidence to continue as you had planned or pivot somewhere else.

This is truly a game of balancing client expectations with user feedback. Often, the best way to do this, especially if you have the time with the project, is to conduct user surveys or tests and show what is actually the best solution for the user. No matter the opinions of the client, THEIR CLIENTS will make the decision whether or not to use their solution. So our goal must be to convey that to them as best as possible. Adaptation and iteration is only one part in that equation.

Essential step: Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for monitoring design success. 1. Track user behavior with session recordings, heatmaps, clicks, and time data. 2. Understand desired behavioral changes and impact measurement for continuous refinement. 3. Ensure relevance, effectiveness, and user satisfaction through solution revision.

A/B testing lets the users weigh in on conflicting preferences! Start by launching two versions with slight variations reflecting diverse opinions. Track engagement metrics to see which resonates. Be evidence-driven but also open to unexpected learnings that may emerge. Optimization never ends. Optimizing design is like perfecting a sports play - start with a strategy, test it on the field, analyze the results, and continuously refine based on hard data. Feedback and metrics help sharpen performance.

Balancing different opinions is an art and a science. In this balancing act, your ability to conduct research and present findings will significantly add credibility to your design decisions. Lean on your skills in UX writing to produce clear, persuasive narratives that explain your design choices and how they align with user needs and business goals. This way, you’re not just a designer but a problem solver who bridges the gap between different stakeholder perspectives.

UX design always needs to lead. We as designers must help organizations and users prove this practice's value. We change perceptions through data and rigorous processes. One step towards perception change is to show stakeholders the user behaviour in real life, not only data but a real test, a real observation. Our daily job is to coach users, clients and the team on this matter. This is a good path to modify opinions and gain UX enthusiasts.

There's little tolerance for subjectivity in Design. Subjectivity introduces ambiguity, politics and drag to product development programs. We've developed an actionable framework, called a traceability matrix, that makes design decisions traceable to stakeholders, a data driven rationale, KPIs, and customer research insights, so there's a logic and means to prioritize decisions vis a vis a product roadmap, without debating over stakeholder design "preferences."

If you're designing for a net-new feature, never underestimate the power of data through user research sessions. Always look for an opportunity to have design and research teams work together with the goal being to validate possible solutions or decision.

As a UX designer, you're more than just a creator - you're a mediator, a storyteller, and a advocate for the user, and the way you design influences the business. By embracing these roles, you can navigate conflicting opinions and guide your team towards a shared vision that delivers a meaningful and effective user experience.