How to evade the final_final_final_final.psd trap
How is it that after the kickoff briefing, everything goes south?
Here you are, preparing for yet another round of revision, feeling anxious as you’re about to lock horns with your clients again.
Is there a better way to manage design reviews? The answer is “Yes”. It’s time for more constructive sessions. Stop complaining or getting frustrated from revision cycles — be on top of the game and control it at every stage. Here’s how:
1. Plan for your sessions.
Take ownership and prepare an agenda.
Set the boundaries of discussion and give everyone a clear focus on jobs to be done. Attach the schedule with your email invite. When the attendees arrive, they already know what’s up for discussion.
Make sure to set a time limit for your meeting on the agenda. Limiting the discussion time for each topic of your schedule is an effective way of keeping everyone focused.
2. Manage expectations.
Start the session by asking the question, “Why are we here?” I know this sounds crazy, but this is an effective way of reviewing the objectives. Begin with the end in mind.
After a recap of the objectives, go through a list of caveats to guide your reviewer’s judgment.
What parts of the proposal are still work in progress?
Did you make assumptions?
Are some of the images/copy still place holders?
There are some cases when you feel the brief or part of it doesn’t make sense. Do not bring this up only on the review day–clarify as soon as possible. Align with your stakeholders every step of the way.
The key to managing expectations is alignment..
What parts of the proposal are still work in progress?
Did you make assumptions?
Are there critical decisions that need to be highlighted?
Are some of the images/copy still place holders?
There are some cases when you feel the brief or part of it doesn’t make sense. Do not bring this up only on the review day–clarify as soon as possible. Align with your stakeholders every step of the way.
The key to managing expectations is alignment.
3. Listen to understand, not to respond.
The session is not only about your work. It’s about getting feedback. Give your reviewers enough time to explain their concerns– do not cut them off. Let them speak.
Leverage the power of silence.
If, at some point, your reviewers are just silent, try not to fill the void. Do not feed your stakeholders with your thoughts. It will influence them. You don’t want to put words in their mouth.
Let them articulate their thoughts in their own words.
Occasionally you feel you have to defend your ideas. And at times, this can quickly turn into heated arguments. Keep your cool, do not take things personally. Focus on the problem, not the person.
4. Ask tons of questions.
Get the correct answers by asking the right questions. Have you heard of the Socratic questioning method? This method can help to extract and clarify the root ideas and knowledge of your reviewers.
Here are some examples of Socratic questions to clarify your stakeholders’ intent:
What do you mean when you say that?
Why do you say that?
What do you think is the main issue here?
Can you explain further?
Could you give an example?
Can you share some reference?
The 5 Whys
Another simple technique is to ask “why” in response to five straight answers. It will help examine and express the motivations behind their answers.
Now would be a good time to advise your reviewers on your reason for asking questions or asking why five times. Some clients might feel offended.
Uncovering the “whys” can guide you better in delivering the desired results. Moreover, it helps to isolate constructive feedbacks from personal preferences.
5. Bounce back the comment
Repetition is vital in communications. Repeating the comment is validating what you heard. Repeating also shows that you value their opinion. Bounce the ball back and elaborate further to gather precise and actionable feedback.
Listen to what the other side is saying and feed it back to them.
It’s a discovery process on both sides. By listening, you can discover what’s important to them. And by feeding it back, you are helping them find out if what they are saying makes sense.
6. Prioritize your tasks
Once you gathered all the feedback, it’s time to realign everything. Take note that big or small, revisions will have an impact on your final delivery.
At this point, the Project Manager’s Triangle is your best friend.
Time, cost and scope of work are interdependent constraints in any given project. We can’t treat them as separate issues.
Ask these questions to isolate the wish-lists from the must-haves;
Will the changes use up more resources?
Will it take more time than expected?
Are the changes within the scope of the proposal?
Will the budget or cost estimates be affected?
Given the time, resource/scope, and budget, what do we need to prioritize?
Everyone must identify what tradeoffs can and should be weighed and made to arrive at the best results. What are the critical tasks that will deliver the most impact?
7. Create an action plan
The process doesn’t end with a list of tasks or to-do items. The last thing you wouldn’t want to miss out on is creating an action plan.
A good action plan identifies what, who and when.
What about “HOW”?
On many occasions, the cause of frustration in design work is investing a great deal of effort in crafting pixel-perfect proposals only to be rejected in a 5-min discussion.
Here’s a quick tip inspired by Raymond Loewy’s MAYA (MAYA, Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) to avoid the trap. For our part, do practice –MAYA (Most Acceptable, Yet Achievable).
Various stages of the design process require a different set of design fidelity (low, medium and high fidelity). Don’t go straight into pixel-perfect and polished high fidelity designs. Take it easy on the pixels; use pencil and paper. Once you have a solid idea, start creating medium-fidelity designs that are quick to develop and adjust with each iteration.
A final tip,
Ultimately the success of any project relies on excellent communications and continuous alignment. A collaborative approach counteracts antagonism towards the final deliverable. Strive for alignment early to make everyone invested in the outcome. In return, revisions are more constructive and your wit unscathed.
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