成为一个更好的沟通者如何帮助设计师?

The digital revolution has created a demand for a new form of design professional: the unicorn. 技术需求迫使设计师变得多面化. In the current environment, it’s no longer acceptable to be talented at design aesthetics alone—these days, you are expected to also have a good working knowledge of digital strategy, customer journey mapping, and coding.

但有一项技能胜过所有技能: good design communication.

大多数设计师现在都至少配备了一些 coding knowledge. But many businesses also know that there is far more to being a stand-out designer than having the ability to code. As the 2017 Design in Tech Report explains, design is no longer just about aesthetics and output—it’s about holistic product design, market relevance, and meaningful results. Design has a place at the head of the table.

According to LinkedIn, the highest echelon of the technology industry is vying for more design talent - Facebook, Google, and Amazon have collectively grown their headcount in design by 65% in the past year - with much headroom to hire more. –Design in Tech Report

Yet, while we are in an age of infinite communication channels and inspirational conversations around design, our ability to communicate design competently is an area in which designers need to improve. Where is the gain in being extraordinary if you can’t communicate your ideas and processes, design concepts, and principles effectively?

Case in point—ours is an industry where collaborating with clients you never meet face-to-face has become the norm. And while it is true that nearly every design process can be done from our homes, a shared workspace, or a coffee shop, let’s be frank: How easy is it to communicate design effectively while working remotely?

Communicating Design

First, the ability to communicate design compellingly demonstrates intelligence. And while designers may be clever and reasoned, having the ability to articulate design decisions assures stakeholders they can be trusted and have the expertise necessary to complete the job. It also proves purpose, validating that they have thought about their solutions and that there is logic to their approach. 一个明确的解释告诉企业，结果是……的结果 user research产品测试，以及深思熟虑的设计过程.

Second, having good communication skills indicates that we have a level of confidence in our abilities. As designers, we possess the knowledge and experience to understand the user’s needs while also having the craftsmanship and expertise to interpret these needs into practical and aesthetically engaging solutions. To demonstrate our understanding, we must be able to articulate a considered design approach without reservation.

最后，它体现了对他人的尊重. Designers need contributions and ideas from others—they need to understand different perspectives. When designers are well-spoken and literate, 这表明他们尊重并重视利益相关者和用户. It demonstrates that no ideas go unheard and that they are not so arrogant to believe they know best and find the input of others redundant.

Why Become a Better Design Communicator?

To get support from the team.

It’s not enough for you as a designer to solve problems or create solutions. 没有团队的支持，你的想法就不会成功. 决策过程中总会有其他人参与, and it is crucial to have support from your colleagues if you want to see your ideas taken forward.

沟通设计概念和原则, ideas, and solutions in an empathetic and practical manner will help you get your message across, 但是能够倾听他人的意见也同样重要. Taking your team’s feedback into account goes a long way to making people feel they are being heard and appreciated, and they will be far more likely to support your design decisions down the road.

Communicating about designs was more important than the designs themselves –Tom Greever, Articulating Design Decisions

向非设计师传达设计决策

The industry is full of people with markedly different job titles and levels of design understanding: researchers, marketers, product managers, and developers. 这些职业中的每一个都有不同的项目动机, a different level of involvement—they also may have little or no idea about design.

Often, within a business structure, those who manage the design team lack the comprehensive knowledge and full understanding of the design process. As leaders, 他们通常参与项目的所有阶段, and for a project to run smoothly, it is critical that designers 有效地表达他们的研究和设计解决方案.

Unfortunately, many of these managers want to be (or are only able to be) involved at a micro level, 但他们仍然希望参与这一进程. 他们会经常表达自己的意见 they think the product should look and work. Ever heard of “HIPPO syndrome”? This means allowing decisions to be made according to the opinion of the highest paid person in the room rather than that of the expert and cold, hard data.

除非你能够获得支持并证明你的设计的价值，否则.e., defend your decisions intelligently at a level all stakeholders can understand, ultimately all you can do is disagree. Not a good option. In most cases, 结果是你的意见将被推翻, which, 在大多数情况下会对产品有害.

It’s never easy to defend your decisions尤其是问你问题的人身居高位的时候. Take what you know about the people you work with and use it to your advantage. 基于你对同事的了解, 你应该能够预料到他们对你的想法的反应.

通过识别他们的价值观和动机, you may better understand their perspective and be able to take a pretty good guess at how they might react to your designs. Also, use your insight into that perspective to prepare answers and reasoning in advance—this will make it a little easier to defend your decisions.

Good public speaking and communication skills also allow you to present new ideas and designs to key stakeholders and get them on your side early on in the game. By presenting your process to them in advance and showing that there’s thought behind every decision, you are giving them insight into how their project will progress while demonstrating the amount of work that is involved.

Most stakeholders and clients don’t fully understand the work involved in designing a site or an app. Explaining your approach to the design process and your proposed solution or any issues or challenges you foresee will go a long way to helping cure HIPPO syndrome. It’s a combination of education, information, and evangelizing all at the same time.

To Talk Business

Design deserves a space at the head of the table; it deserves a chance to shine. 意识到我们生活在一个这样的时代并不罕见，这是令人振奋的, 但如果这是我们想要设计继续存在和发展的地方, as designers, we really need to be able to talk business.

如果我们真的想有机会影响组织的运作方式, we need to go beyond the aesthetics and customer goals—we need to participate in conversations about business objectives, technical solutions, timelines, budgets, process, resourcing—the list goes on. 我们需要有政治意识，并拥有非凡的个人技能, including emotional awareness, and excellent communication skills.

For most designers, talking business does not come naturally. 要克服你对坦率的抗拒是很难的, but from the moment you step into the room, be confident, pleasant, and professional. Don’t take a back seat. Give a firm handshake and make eye contact. Throughout the meeting, participate in small talk and, without coming across as pushy or arrogant, make sure your voice is heard.

During discussions, speak up and use your body language to communicate confidence. 尽量不要过度沟通或采取欺凌的姿态——定期暂停, listen attentively, and give time for questions. This may seem basic, but people often really struggle to establish themselves when they are out of their comfort zone.

Strategies for Better Remote Communication

Working remotely means you face a tougher task because you rely solely on indirect communication and are unable to read the silent reactions in the room. Body language and facial expressions are a great way to receive valuable feedback; by being remote, you may miss some of those social cues. 那么，对于我们这些在家工作的人来说，解决办法是什么呢, 经常跨越世界，跨越几层语言障碍?

选择合适的远程通信工具

First of all, choose the right tools with which to communicate; there’s nothing worse than technology failing you in the middle of a really important meeting. There are dozens of tools to choose from, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

GoToMeeting has established itself as the go-to solution for video conferencing for good reason: HD quality, screen sharing capabilities, and personalized meeting URLs. Alternatively, there are also Zoom and BlueJeans.

Get yourself a good pointer tool. 在分享屏幕的同时展示设计时， PinPoint helps meeting participants see your cursor more effectively by layering it with an animated graphic of your choice—like a pulsating red circle—or by simply enlarging it.

Beyond that, you’ll want to get a good quality headset and external mic. 这两种方法都能提高沟通的清晰度. Sounding loud and clear goes a long way in making you come across as confident and authoritative.

在设计过程中有效地表达:被倾听和理解

As remote workers, giving presentations without seeing nonverbal cues can be difficult; being unable to see the reactions of your audience makes it hard to decipher what people are really thinking. This works both ways; clients also rely on a designer’s cues to understand what is being said.

To engage with your client productively, it is important to speak slowly and clearly. 与此同时，不要完全抹去你声音中的个性. 如果你对一个项目或功能感到兴奋，那就表现出热情. By setting an example, you are helping your clients learn how to interact with you online.

Be clear and concise: Improve your verbal skills and presentation skills. Good communication means saying just the right amount, not too little or too much. 用尽可能少的词传达信息. 有效的演讲意味着清晰而直接地说出你想要的, 无论你是直接与某人交流还是 via email.

If you are rambling, the likelihood is that your listener will tune out and become unsure about what it is you are trying to say. Prepare. 在你说之前想好你想说什么.

为客户提供反馈的机会. 你应该能够接受——甚至鼓励——来自他人的反馈. Listen to the feedback you are given and ask clarifying questions if you are unsure of the issue. Listening and the ability to speak confidently play equally important roles in good communication.

When concluding the meeting, either ask for the feedback to be documented and shared or suggest writing some quick follow-up notes and sharing those. 这样，任何误解都可以很快被发现.

Choose the Right Medium

一项重要的技能是知道什么时候使用什么形式的沟通, for example, some serious conversations (finance, project delays, etc.) need to be done in person. Think about the individual you want to talk to; if they are a busy person, you might want to convey your message through email but keep it simple and get straight to the point: “Treat email responses like text messages, 每个回答使用一定数量的句子.” Your thoughtful choice will be appreciated and more likely to result in a quick and positive response.

Set Expectations and Have Regular Reviews

客户需要知道从工作关系中期望得到什么, and it’s a good idea to begin by putting some expectations in place way before you start working with them. It’s prudent to create a schedule for how often you think it’s best to speak with them, and how you will be communicating with them for in-between meetings and calls.

宁可谨慎，也要再三检查一切是否清楚. It is far better to communicate frequently with clients than to under-communicate and leave them in the dark about a project’s progress. Discuss how they can contact you if there are changes or updates to the project. The more honest you are and the earlier you speak about this sort of information, 你的客户就会越满意. Finally, and most importantly, make sure you stick to the expectations you have set up.

Going from Good to Great

The difference between a good designer and a great designer is having the ability to solve problems as well as being able to articulate how their design is solving those problems. The ability to offer thoughtful communication about a problem they’re solving is at least as important to a designer as the ability to design the perfect solution every time. As designers, we have the ability to create an environment where everyone is on the same page, where reasoning and justification align both design and business goals and unite everyone involved through coherent thinking.

It is important for designers 在权威的角色中要有领导的能力, inspire, 激励团队，并与其他权威人士沟通. Communicating up is a skill in itself, 但就像解释你的设计决策一样, it’s about understanding what makes your superiors tick and understanding their priorities.

Good communication goes beyond just having the ability to articulate your reasoning and design processes. 除了口头表达技巧之外，这对一个人来说也是至关重要的 designer to be able to write well. 写作不仅仅是把文字写在纸上. 好的、清晰的、深思熟虑的写作代表了思想的清晰. 通过花时间提高你的写作技巧, your vocabulary will improve naturally, 这反过来又有利于你的语言交流.

Communication is Easy. Good Communication is a Skill.

Fortunately, 良好的沟通习惯可以通过计划得到改善, preparation, and regular practice. 设计作为一种职业不再是单一技能. It is essential that designers focus not only on cultivating their abilities with the creative tools they use but also on improving their ability to communicate clearly and effectively.