The most common and sharpest contradiction between product managers and designers is that the designer puts the manuscripts made with a lot of hard work in front of the product manager. After looking at the product, he feels that it is very unfamiliar and exceeds expectations. What are they?”
(- -#), (- -‘), where silent is better than sound. It’s not that it’s hard to say who is right and who is wrong, but why does it always end up so embarrassing.
The best match in the world is actually one’s own hands with one’s own head. Whatever you think of your head, you can draw with your hands. The ugly old man Ding draws feels very cordial. Yeah, it’s a good work of mine (star eyes). It’s just a little troublesome when two people work together. Because, let the “designer’s hand” be controlled exquisitely by the “product manager’s head”, every time you finish painting, you can continue to paint if you feel right, and make corrections when you make mistakes, it is unrealistic.
The trouble is that there are many shortcomings in some communication. Only by solving these problems can the team sing the ” same dream ” harmoniously .
1. The product does not realize that what it is about to tell is actually a story
The common way for product managers to raise requirements is to write directly in the requirements document “Add a reprint button to the feed, and click on it to fill in the reason for reprinting”. This kind of description is actually a very concrete solution. Then this document containing dozens of such descriptions of requirements will be posted on the internal requirements management website or sent to the designer via email.
When designers get this document, they usually feel aggrieved. Hey, forbearance and forbearance, take people’s money to help people eliminate disasters. Then take this requirement document and modify it on the existing interface. But it is often found that the products say that these specific solutions actually have many details conflicts when they are implemented. Therefore, the designer must first reverse YY the user needs behind this function, and then try to find a new solution in the cracks that do not conflict with various details. Show this manuscript to the product, and the product will be shocked and say “What is this…”. (- -#), (- -‘)
In fact, many product managers have not figured out their greatest value. The most important thing to do as a product manager is to discover the various needs of users that they don’t know how to meet in life, and then entrust these very challenging and valuable user needs to the resource party to help them find solutions. This need should be expressed in a way that is as life-like and storytelling as possible, and has nothing to do with any specific solution. In this way, the designer can clearly know what problem to solve, and the design has a starting point, and it is the starting point given by the product manager. Therefore, in this link, the baton delivered by the product manager is a good story, and it is enough to describe the user’s difficulties in a teaser.
The core content of a story should include: <what kind of person><under what circumstances><what needs do you want to meet><he/she will try a certain way (or can’t find any solution)> <But the cost required is *****> <Let’s rescue him/her>.
2. Words are not the best way to tell stories
Everyone has heard the joke of “Buy a pound of buns on the way after get off work and bring them back. If you see a watermelon seller, just buy one”. When a product uses words to express its ideas, a lot of information will be distorted. When the designer receives these words and then reverses the idea of the concept product, what he imagines is another story.
Both “Back of Napkin” and “Frog Collective Action Toolkit” provide more expressive ways of telling stories. Such as drafts, comics, and videos can all be used to represent user needs scenes, which are more efficient than text, and the probability of misunderstanding is low.
We often say that this text has a strong sense of graphics, but I don’t think all product managers can write such texts, so why not tell stories directly on the screen:) I’m not going to write them specifically, two It’s all in this book, and it’s all right.
3. The designer did not confirm his understanding early
The designer received the imperial decree from the product manager, but there is actually a risk point, that is, he thinks he understands the will of the product adult, but it is not at all. The best way is that the designer can immediately use language or a more visual way to repeat his understanding to the product manager. Otherwise, you will really buy a bun after you meet a watermelon seller.
What a designer is best at is to visualize abstract things. Since there is such a magical skill, in fact, after receiving the order, don’t rush back to the seat to start the drawing, but draw some very simple sketches in person. On these diagrams, you can demonstrate how users will solve their needs in the future. The product can understand immediately, whether you understand him enough. If you don’t want to keep your eyes closed and go further and further down the wrong path, the best way is to open your eyes as soon as possible to confirm the general direction.
4. The design does not diverge multiple designs
The product manager said that learning and singing are all used, tell a good story, and set a precise starting point for the next design. Now it’s time for the designer to show his face.
For a user’s pain point, what kind of solution is the most effective is actually very confused (the product manager who pointed to the product interface of the competitor and said, “I want a page like this”, let’s not talk about it). This requires designers to be able to diverge their thinking, test their tentacles in multiple possible directions, and strive to explore various promising methods. In this way, the possibility of generating innovative breakthrough solutions will be greater.
Product managers are actually under a lot of pressure. They have to bet on their career prospects to ask investors for manpower (well, designers, engineers) and material resources to realize an unknown dream. If the designer can code a row of various solutions to the product manager and tell the product manager that you can pick it up and see which is the “best”, it will undoubtedly help the product manager to increase their confidence (Star Eye).
I hope this article can help product managers and designers have fewer quarrels with dead enemies. We are a lucky family.
