Every so often, I stumble upon an interesting book in Amazon's recommendations that I've never seen.
Yesterday, it was Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever. I would've normally (and likely have previously) scrolled right past it, because on the surface, it sounds pedestrian.
But lately, I'm finding myself having to articulate my design decisions! In the last quarter, our company lost the PM that I've worked with for over 3 years, and also the CTO who'd sponsored our big project. You forget how luxurious familiarity can be until you find yourself surrounded by strangers, trying to work without the faith that once empowered you to move without resistance.
Last week, I was caught off guard by reasonable questions about my work, and felt embarassed that I wasn't prepared with a good response. All the context is gone, the relationships lacking, and my confidence is disappearing. So a book about articulating is serendipitous.
Most of the book throws red flags, as it's written in the spirit of How to Win Friends and Influence People and Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I'm allergic to people-pleasing, and this book points out that a successful designer is often the most agreeable one. It also suggests that the way to articulate choices is by having lots and lots and lots of meetings.
I almost put the book down, until I realized that there are two types of designers:
- Designers that take orders
- Designers that make magic
Most designers are the former. They'll provide a menu, but are happy to allow stakeholders to customize their orders.
But the best designers, the ones that make magic, are omakase designers. Somehow, some way, they gain the trust of stakeholders so much that they're able to do whatever they want, and the stakeholders excitedly eat it up, no matter what. The most celebrated products are made by omakase designers, who are have a vision and the leash to make it reality.
Just how does a designer get that leash? What do they do that gains them so much trust from the people footing the bill?
It's not because they have a better pedigree or are more talented or have better ideas.
It's because they communicate precisely why their solution is not just the right solution to a problem, but the only solution. They know that the place they landed is inevitable, and pull the rest of the team along in such a way that they know it too.
Here are 5 key traits of the omakase designer:
- They're aware of the problem that needs to be solved
- They know how a solution will be deemed successful
- They are aware of each choice, big and small, that they made inside their process
- They're able to explain why they made each choice in the process
- They document all of the above in a way that makes the points above visible
Everything else is finesse. You can be a flaming asshole or a hack of a designer and still be successful if you're able to communicate why your solution is the best one available. The author tries to convince the reader that all the intangible skills are imperative, but they're secondary to your ability to bring your audience along for the ride.