You devote hours to building the perfect
Web design for your company's new Web site. The colors are dead
on; your navigation couldn't be any clearer; the words read
perfectly and jump off the page. But you aren't done: You still
need sign-off from the boss.
The problem is the boss isn't a design
expert. Like most people, the boss usually bases his or her
opinion on what "looks good," which isn't necessarily
what customers think.
Before you walk into the boardroom to
show off your perfect design, you need to have the right sales
pitch to keep your design from being torn to shreds. Here are some
ways to make sure you "sell" your designs more
effectively.
Give the right
answers
Be prepared to respond to every question
or objection with a detailed, thoughtful, and truthful
explanation. Quips such as "Well, it looks cool" or
"I just like it that way" will probably ensure that your
boss won't respect any of your future opinions.
Here's an example scenario:
Boss: "Why is this
area on the left of the page mostly white space?"
Bad answer: "I'm
not really sure. Is there anything you want to put in there?"
Good answer: "Good
question. There are two main reasons for that white space: 1) We
used that space to balance the page layout. Too many people were
focusing on that area, yet we wanted their eyes to focus on the
right side of the page. 2) In the future implementation, we plan
on adding a series of promotional banners that can be rotated in
that space; therefore, we left it unfilled until we decide what
we're going to do then."
Make sure it's been
usability-tested
Some bosses will never take your word for
it, so always do a usability test first. You need to prove to your
boss that you aren't the only one who likes the design.
It doesn't have to be an extensive
usability test; simply find out what your coworkers think, and
then ask them to role-play being the boss so you can test your
answers.
Final words of advice
for selling your design
- Never talk about how much money the
new Web site design will make; instead, focus on how much it
will save the company.
- Bolster
your points with some stats.
- Lose your designer ego.
- Be flexible, but don't give in to
everything.
- The person who signs your paycheck is
the one you need to please, so listen intently to that person
first.
- Remember that you're the expert--so
act like it!
