The definitive Guide for
Earning respect as a creative thinker
How to earn respect as a creative problem solver in a non creative environment.
I was about to write this article with the title “How to earn respect as a UX Designer”. Then I paused for a moment. In last one year or so, I have been reading thousands of medium article on UX (2–5 per day) and I am so utterly impressed by the span of variation in thinking by the UXers.
BTW I am a UXers too and I am not happy with that!
I would like to call myself a problem solver. Unfortunately that’s a too broad title to acquire. It’s kind of reserved for the people who is or has been CEO, CIO etc. in their career. In design world, it’s reserved for innovators like Dieter Rams, Jacob Neilson, Jony Ive, Jared Spool and the likes for a good reason. I am ok with the title “a wannabe problem solver”. Sounds just as good! Improving user experience, no matter how tiny role one plays in the process should be tagged as a problem solving skill. Solving where to place the right button is part of the solution, call it UX or whatever.
The Context:
Like many of you, I also work for a giant software corporate. When I was recruited by this company 8 years back, I was given the task to create a design out of a problem statement which was a page of word document and then make HTML out of it in a 8hrs of day long hands-on interview session. Coming from the Advertising world where I was a creative strategist for online campaigns. I still knew HTML basics, as I had worked for web industry almost my entire career but in that recent profile I was supposed to think more strategically and used HTML sparingly just to brush up my knowledge. Anyway, I didn’t stress on design and went for tile design as it’s easier to create code for a tile layout, but put on my thinking hat for the content and wrote all the content instead of using lorem ipsum to save time. I was not very happy with the design output but managed to make it pixel perfect anyway. I got the job though not much people from my team noticed the copy and gave me feedback only on the “boxy” design. Somehow, I managed to get the job!
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Cut to 2019! Things have changed since then. What I was trying to do that day semi-consciously was to solve a problem instead of focusing on the design. I didn’t have much jargon in my wallet to explain my design. I was thinking logically but wasn’t given a chance to advocate my design, part of the failure! It’s been 8 years and though I still am not top of my game (and I never want to end the learning curve), I give love and feel loved by a lot of young and old designers and interestingly some of them respect (and that’s mutual) me for what I am, wannabe problem solver. So, going through the path of being ignored as a designer(only) and try and become a problem-solver, here’s my take on how to garner respect if you brand yourself a creative thinker (UXer or otherwise).
Let’s focus:
In this article, I will not focus on how to be loved by fellow creatives (that’s much complex and you have figured out by now and perhaps for another day). I will focus on commanding your voice in a non-creative (like business stakeholders, biz analysts, developers etc.) driven environment.
Let’s agree, it’s mutual: First things first, “Respect” is never a one-way path. You have become what you are because you practiced creativity, embraced it and researched it. Your way of problem solving is bound to be better that people who doesn’t practice Design Thinking. Right?
To some extent, yes. But no matter if you are a genius in your process, you have to take help from others. So first, recognize their expertise. You may know how to solve a problem, but they perhaps know a little better what is the problem. Diagnosing the disease is equally important before prescribing for it. Docs rely on tests, you rely on opinion, facts and experience. Facts and Experience can be user driven but in absence of users, opinions are what people have experienced and drew a conclusion. So, sharpen your ears and listen like Sherlock Holmes. While you will find many noise in those opinion, you will be amazed to discover something among the noise. Show appreciation for those gems. And you will be appreciated for your appreciation. There’s nothing better than showing appreciation, which is the crude form of respect.
Respect without sacrificing your originality: Sacrificing is a virtue. Not for you. You are a creative, you are born to be a rebel and think differently. Your thought process won’t match with others all the time and that’s what is expected out of you. Even if you are influenced by HIPPO in the room(Highest Paid Person’s Opinion in the room), show respect and push your thinking if you are convinced. No matter how tiny the problem is, if it’s right for the solution, respect it and do not compromise. Jan fortune has written wonderfully about sacrificing and giving here
Agreeing to disagree: Never take any opinion personally although it may sound like. We often tend to create biases about an opinion and opinionee. How will you overcome that? Know the person. For example. John is a nice guy. He like baseball, just like me. He loves hos kids and make sure that he reads them book every night, like an ideal father. I saw him the other day at the shopping center and he was very polite with the waiter he was ordering food. In the meeting room though he is a different John. He is opinionated and stubborn. He won’t listen to me. What can be the reason and how to take him into my side? Start with coffee corner conversation. Know the person, let him know who you are. You are also a person like him, just with a different opinion. Be honest. Be respectful but please please and please, don’t fake it. That never works. Don’t get time to meet John outside meeting room? Get into the room early well before start of the meeting and someday you will catch up. Don’t work with him directly? Try and see if it’s possible to get an one-on-one with Skype etc. If possible switch your video on even if John’s video is off or it’s not scheduled to be a video call. A lot of time seeing the person in real helps create an authentic human touch to the whole perspective.
Reverse Gossip: Gossip is almost always discussing people and their actions in their absence. Practice the opposite. It’s easy and just exactly the opposite of gossip. An example of it would be “Hey John, I was discussing your idea with Matt and he was like “I totally agree with him”. Even if it’s 80% true, it helps. Again, be honest and real. Faking it till you make it doesn’t always work.
React and Act: Do both. If you are pushed to a corner when you don’t agree with other’s solution but has to digest because he/she was the HIPPO in the room, work on it. Create it and show how perhaps that might not achieve the highest goal. Then improvise and who know your original solution will be taken back into consideration. But agreeing and often going back to your desk to work your solution to retro fit into the HIPPO’s view will not help. If you react yes, and act yes.
Use silence. Do not try to over react or in most cases react till you form your thought well. Remember, silence in every situation is an opportunity to create and refine a meaningful opinion. I am not asking you to hold back your opinion, and never replace truth or feedback by silence but you are nothing but your opinion and act. So give opinion once you are convinced it’s meaningful. Exception would be in Brainstorming sessions where you are supposed to deliberately not hold back any suggestion no matter how weird it may sound to others or even to yourself.
Integrity: The most important virtue of all is to maintain one’s integrity. We all have our ups and downs and go through different phases and situations in life. If you made a mistake in life or any solution, own it and act on it. Never fake your present and fake your past. You can think broadly over it and go philosophical, but here I am talking about your solutions. A solution proposed yesterday might be the best at that moment but may sound absurd even invalid today in context of new discovery. It happens always. No shame accepting it was proposed with a different view and now that the situation changed, it might require another look. You may halt a production deadline, or the company might face some financial damage, but eventually as a problem solver it will show your maturity and moral strength.
If you have reached to this level, I appreciate your taking time to go through this journey together and I am sure you have your own perspective too. It will be very kind of you if you share them and suggest more to this. Now go on, make some difference to the world and be a creative problem solver, earn more respect!
