Why your UX team probably doesn't need better designers

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives… but the one most responsive to change." 

“Change is the only constant” - Every single manager you’ve had

The harshest truth you’ll realise but never say as a UXer is that most UX problems are not design problems. They’re problems of needless complexity, ones we unintentionally create to fix a problem that didn’t exist.

When outcomes were weak, management assumes “We need better designers.” What we actually need is - Better direction.

Most often, UX teams are driven without clear goals, shifting goal posts, increasing list of stakeholders, and an unclear vision of what success would look like. 

Having been on both sides of the table, I can say this is like asking a driver to “drive faster” without telling them where we’re headed to.

‘The Design of Everyday Things’ tells us good design emerges from clear constraints. I’ve realised this applies to UX teams as well.

Instead of telling them to 'make this better', I encourage my team members to ask:

• What problem are we solving?

• What does success look like?

• What trade-offs are we making?

And this is a replicable solution - All you need to do is equip them with the answers and they will navigate the fog. 

What changed in me

As a manager, enabling my team helped me increase effort and efficiency and reduce ambiguity. Over time, they were surer of themselves, their capabilities.

Takeaway

• Most design problems are problems of misdirection

• Clarity is a core leadership requirement

• Better briefs create better outcomes