Make Designers Give a Shit about CRO ft. Erin Weigel
Jan 17, 2024
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Shiva and Erin Weigel discuss different kinds of designers, the mindset of a designer, how to work with a bad designer, and the importance of collaboration between designers and CROs. They also highlight the problem of prioritizing corporate storytelling over visitor needs and offer advice on partnering together to combat challenges.
Designers and CROs should work together to establish roles, build trust, and ensure designers have access to all necessary information in order to prioritize customer needs over company narratives.
Good designers have a multidisciplinary role as problem solvers who prioritize accessibility, usability, and user experience, while CROs can build a productive partnership by recognizing their strengths and fostering trust.
Deep dives
Understanding the Importance of User-Centric Design
Designers should prioritize identifying and solving problems for users. Good designers focus on finding complex problems and creating solutions that benefit multiple stakeholders. There is often tension when companies prioritize their own story over meeting customer needs, leading to poor copy and user experience. To address this, designers and CROs should work together to establish roles, build trust, and ensure designers have access to all the necessary information. It is essential for CROs to understand the design process and not just dictate solutions to designers. Both CROs and designers face challenges from internal politics, egos, and ineffective leadership. They can overcome these challenges by forming a strong partnership, advocating for user-centered design, and addressing culture and power dynamics within the company.
Navigating the Designer's Mindset
Designers have a multidisciplinary role that goes beyond visual aesthetics. They are problem solvers who consider accessibility, usability, and user experience. Good designers have confidence in their abilities and research but also maintain skepticism and openness to learn. CROs can build a productive partnership with designers by recognizing their strengths, understanding their role as problem solvers, fostering trust, and using clear communication. On the other hand, bad designers may resist testing or prioritize personal preferences over user needs. In such cases, it may be necessary to reassess the fit between the designer and the organization's goals.
Overcoming Challenges through Collaboration
The partnership between CROs and designers requires open communication, understanding, and a focus on customer needs. Designers need access to research and a deep understanding of the problem they are solving in order to create optimal solutions. CROs should provide designers with the necessary information, explain technical concepts, and ensure designers feel valued and trusted. Collaboration should involve cross-disciplinary teams working together throughout the design process, combining the strengths of different team members to achieve the best outcomes. It is crucial to address power dynamics, egos, and lack of trust within the organization to foster a productive partnership.
Recognizing and Addressing Dysfunctional Corporate Culture
Many companies struggle with a self-centered corporate narrative that fails to address customer needs. This issue can stem from internal dysfunction, power dynamics, and egos. Both CROs and designers face the challenge of pushing back against such narratives and advocating for user-centric approaches. However, if the company culture does not support customer-centric strategies, it may be necessary for CROs and designers to consider other opportunities where their expertise is valued and utilized effectively. The key is to recognize when efforts are futile and focus on environments where their skills can make a difference.
In this episode, Shiva and Erin "All She Does Is Win" Weigel discuss different kinds of designers (Designers vs designers... apparently there is a difference), and gives you a glimpse into the mindset of a designer so you can understand how better to collaborate with them. Also her dog interrupts the show but we are ok with this because dogs are awesome.
Timestamps:
00:00 Show Kickoff 02:39 Understanding designer's Mindset 11:01 What makes a designer tick? 12:44 Erin's dog disrupts the show 21:42 How to work with a bad designer 24:54 LinkedIn Post of the Week (Els Aerts)
