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How designers can gain buy-in from key stakeholders

Managing stakeholders’ competing interests in product development

Eric Chung

Published in

UX Collective

6 min readJan 28, 2023

Three people sitting at a table wearing business casual clothing talk to each other. On the table are a laptop, three glasses of water, some paper and markers. — Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

As a product designer, you may often find yourself in situations where various stakeholders have different goals and requirements. It can be challenging to bring all of those competing interests together and create a design that works for everyone.

But, that’s just part of the job. We have to find a way to navigate these challenges and come up with a solution that works for everyone. Let’s talk about identifying the key stakeholders that might be involved in a project, the challenges with managing competing interests, and strategies to help you gain buy-in for your designs.

Identifying key stakeholders

As a collaborative discipline, designers will likely be working with most of these key stakeholders in product development.

End-users use the product or service. Their feedback and satisfaction are crucial to the success of the product.
Product owners manage the entire product development process, from idea to launch. They set the product vision and strategy, and are accountable for the product’s success.
Developers implement the product design. They provide technical expertise and are responsible for ensuring that the product is built to meet the specified requirements.
User researchers gather and analyze data on user needs and behavior. They provide insights into the user experience and help ensure that the product meets the needs of its intended users.
Designers create the user interface and user experience of the product. They ensure that the product is easy to use, visually appealing, and functional.
Quality assurance tests the product to ensure it meets the specified requirements and is free of defects.
Executive leadership provides the overall direction and vision for the company. They approve funding and resources for the project and are accountable for the product’s success.