Tomer Sharon’s book, “It’s Our Research: Getting stakeholder buy-in for user experience research projects” just came out and though I’m still reading it, I am already ready to recommend it (disclaimer: I contributed a Case Study to it).
Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to attend and speak at the IA Summit and not surprisingly I spoke with many people about getting stakeholders to understand what it is User Experience folks do and why our work is important. Admittedly, User Experience work is very hot right now, and yet there are plenty of people who still have questions about what it is and how it could help their organization.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I was speaking at the IA Summit on the topic of negotiation and how important it is in order to not only be able to plan projects effectively, but also to convince stakeholders of my recommendations. This led to some interesting side conversations about salary negotiations and the balance of life and work. The focus returned to discussions of how good negotiation skills can help us to collaborate and compromise with stakeholders to find a solution that is amenable to everyone (especially the users).
The case study I contributed to Sharon’s book focused on the importance of communicating clearly by using a vocabulary that is familiar and consistent to the group I’m working with. This is another skill that can greatly improve negotiations and the chances that stakeholders will not only understand what I am saying, but also agree that my recommendations should be implemented. Achieving great user experiences can be done without these skills, but certainly the presence of good negotiation skills and clear communication is a huge help.
Getting Stakeholder Buy-In for UX
by Carol Smith on March 31st, 2012 | ~ minute read
