Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience

by Tom Greever

It’s more than just communication; we have to turn those words into something that will enact change or compel people to agree with us. It’s not just about using words with a frequency or persistence; it’s about using them in a way that is compelling and convincing. It’s about being articulate. Being articulate can make you successful in any area of life. It can help you get almost anything you want: a job, a spouse, or a bargain. It is the ability to use your words, tone, and approach with people to communicate a specific message and elicit a specific response. The key to being articulate is to understand both the message you want to communicate and the response you want in return. If you can learn to craft your messages in such a way that they yield the desired response, you’ll find that you’re much more successful at getting the things that matter to you. You can apply the same ideas in your design practice.