1. When designers get frustrated working with people who don't understand design, the tempting wish is to CONVERT THEM, ideally in one fell swoop, to GET IT. But this rarely works. Here's why. #design #ux

2. Persuasion works best on the other person's terms, not the designer's. You have to put aside how much they don't know and start somewhere small, in their worldview, where there is a clear problem, in their language, that design can help them solve.

3. It's the difference between "you don't understand this big important abstract thing" (what they hear) and "problem X is important to you and I will help you solve it". Which is a better-designed way to get what you want?

4. It's only after you've been useful, collaborative and solved a problem of theirs that deeper kinds of persuasion become possible. They may even say "I've never seen someone solve X like that before. What else can you do?" and invite you to tell them more.

5. It's ironic how designers and UX folks often resist applying design methods they use with users to their interactions with their own coworkers (who are a kind of user too).

6. I mean, it'd be heresy for a webpage to say to a user "You are doing this wrong (sigh) and you don't understand how ignorant you are" - but that's the attitude some designers have with their bosses, coworkers, PMs and programmers.

7. Designers will usually be in the minority in organizations, which means they always need to teach, explain and advocate for what good design is & why it matters. Design pride should include being ambassadors, bringing more people in, not keeping them out.

I'm working on a project about how we all can promote design literacy (and a book is part of that project). And I'll be talking about it next week at @ixdaseattle - ixdaseattle.org/calendar/2019/…