Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience

Book Review: 3/5 Impact On Me (Book By Tom Greever)

Read more about the book here

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

1. Business: Supports goals, aligns with branding

2. Design: Matches known design patterns

3. Research: Shows data before and after, explains UX choices

4. 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.