How to better communicate your design
Practical tools to articulate your ideas and influence stakeholders.
⏱️ Est. reading time: ~4 minutes
I realize that as designers, we weren't really trained in communication. We focus on crafting pixels and turning ideas into real stuff.
If you're taking a bootcamp or getting a degree, you'll probably work solo on most of your assignments. Even in group projects, it's not really like working in a cross-functional team.
You might present your final project at the end of the program—but that's about it. We don't get many chances to practice communication outside of real work situations unless we have an internship opportunity—and I know that can be a bit scary—it was for me too.
I always thought of myself as an introvert, thinking a design career would be perfect since I'd mostly be working with my computer. I was wrong.
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The ugly truth is that communication is half of the job
We craft beautiful design mockups and interactive prototypes to convince stakeholders to buy into your idea. But sometimes, you might find that a rough sketch on paper can get all the stakeholders on the same page.
I believe designers need time alone in their cave to process ideas. Yet, great design rarely comes from a designer working solo in their bubble, polishing mockups.
Communication is also key to delivering great work.
If you don't communicate your work clearly and effectively, others, mostly non-designers, won't buy into your concepts or be willing to try your unfamiliar ideas.
But here’s the thing: your main job as a designer is to design, not to talk—and design alone is enough to keep you busy. So you probably didn’t think much about communication until you hit a wall.
I get it. I’ve been there. I took some time to learn about communication.
Here’s how I improve my communication skills
The good news is we don't have to be like Steve Jobs doing a presentation—with great storytelling, flow, and captivating speeches.
Realistically, some of us, like me, aren't naturally good at public speaking.
Luckily, some of you might not have to present your work in meetings. With remote work, some companies focus on asynchronous communication, where most of your communication is done through writing. Still, writing is a form of communication.
Forget about public speaking for now.
Instead, focus on articulation. That’s important whether you present your work verbally or in writing.
Articulation is the ability to communicate design ideas, concepts, and solutions clearly and effectively, no matter how you communicate.
In short, it’s the act of organizing your thoughts.
Why does this matter? We can't communicate well—in presentations or writing—if we don't organize our thoughts clearly.
Ironically, we spend most of our time designing but hardly explain what we design.
Most designers I've worked with focus on explaining what's visible on the screen.
The thing is, you don't need to explain what's visible; you should explain the reasons behind it, the unseen stuff. That's what really influences people.
You don't need to explain that you added large spacing there; explain why the space should be larger in that specific area.
You don't need to mention you're using a secondary button instead of a primary one; give a compelling reason why you think a secondary button is enough.
You don't need to state that you added social proof in the lower area; frame it as a hypothesis on why testimonials could work better in that part.
Here’s what happened to me: When I focus on articulation, I feel at least a bit more confident presenting my designs because I know exactly what I want to say. As I became more comfortable with articulation, my public speaking skills gradually improved.
Prompts to practice articulation
A technique I use to practice my articulation is writing out my thoughts so I can observe them, read them aloud over and over, and then refine my thought process.
Here are some prompts that I've found useful:
Presenting an alternative
Proposing a solution
Presenting variants
Reinforcing your design with reason and evidence
Anticipating objections
Empathizing with who I'm speaking to
Some of those tools are inspired by the book Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever. I’d also recommend checking out Design Is Storytelling by Ellen Lupton.
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