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Senior product design: owning outcomes · Proficient · Lesson 64 of 99 · 15 min video, then about 2 hours of practice
Managing stakeholders and earning trust in design decisions
After this you can map the stakeholders for a project, run a stakeholder interview, and keep decision-makers aligned so design work is not overturned late.
Why it matters
Most senior designers who lose a design argument lose it before the review, because a stakeholder heard about the work too late, or their goals were never asked about. The skill is mapping who can block, fund or be harmed by a project; interviewing them early about goals and constraints; and showing work in progress often enough that the final review contains no surprises. Focus on trust as something built through predictability. Trap: treating stakeholders as an audience to be persuaded at the end, rather than collaborators whose constraints shape the design.
How to use this resource
Recent and specific to designers: why stakeholders second-guess design decisions and what to change in how you work so they stop. From a designer who has worked as both IC and manager.