The word PROCESS in design is raising eyebrows?
“I’m a process-centric” or “we are process-centric” or “we follow XYZ process for design”
At times, either of the above line from the designer raises an eyebrow. Worry line shows-up on the forehead. It’s followed by a response stating why one shouldn’t care much about the process. This reaction could come from anyone i.e newly joined, founder, engineer, product manager, etc.
When you receive any such reaction, dig deeper into their thought process. Probe their mental model of the process. Try to identify what bothers them.
Let the person speak their heart out. Don’t defend. Don’t counter immediately. Just listen. Probe in the direction of why do they feel the way they feel. Ask for examples. Ask “how frequently the XYZ event happened”. Lend your ear to them.
In the back of your mind try to capture the pattern that triggers skepticism about the process. As you listen, you will learn about stories where the process did hurt. You might hear how a rigid process failed to deliver the right thing or failed to deliver in time. You will hear opinions on why a process is a misfit in a startup environment. As they conclude their story, you will help you learn where they are coming from. You will get data-points on how cumulative experiences from the same or different departments resulted in a skeptical mental model about processes in general.
Share your opinion after the person is done with speaking their heart out + you see a severe gap between their mental model and conceptual model of your design process.
Share where you agree. Share where you had similar beliefs and how it has changed over a period of time. Share instances that led to a change in belief. Share examples of where you find it’s okay to compromise.
Speak of things you find non-negotiable. Counter it with practices you follow that helps find a middle ground. Plus, share one or two examples of the same from your past experiences.
Close your conversation with the philosophy or the attitude you carry towards the process.
I often hear people being worried about the design process as a time-consuming thing. After telling my agreement, changed beliefs, etc I close the conversation by saying “I’ve two guiding principles when it comes to process i.e Trial & Error and Kill or Create. I treat my process for each project as trial and error. I’m not married to any specific activity in the process. Based on the situation, I prefer to kill or create a step to sail through the process. It’s a bit different from what you have experienced before. It’s quite flexible. I would recommend watching it in action with an open mind. Also, feel free to share your feedback on areas of improvement as we ship stuff. Nothing is set in stone”.
In short, aim to build a shared understanding to deal with skeptical minds. First here them out. Next, share your opinion. Back it with examples. Close the conversation by stating your philosophy. Recommend to observe the process with an open mind. Request for continuous feedback to improve things.
You won’t be able to change anybody’s mind overnight. This dialogue is a starting point of change. A feeling of being heard sows the seed of mutual trust and open-mind in them. After that, what matters is being true to your words.
