Tips on How to Align Design Ideas with a Client

A while back, I was managing a key customer account of our SaaS-based recruitment product, Talentera.

We had agreed to work on a design customization that involved revamping the UI of their career site.

My POC at the company was obsessed about branding, as evidenced from his lengthy email chains.

I did some homework by scrutinizing his ideas, conducting competitive research & building a wireframe.

I then scheduled a Skype call with him.

He spent the first 30 mins talking about what he was looking for in meticulous detail.

I listened carefully, only asking questions for clarity.

For the points that made sense, I made tweaks to my wire-frame in real-time.

For ideas where I wanted to push back, I took notes on the side.

When he ended his bit, I shared my screen & walked him through a proposed solution by mirroring his narrative, not mine.

He was elated. More importantly, we locked in a design in 3 days saving tons of time.

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Tips:
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1. High-fidelity wireframing is insanely useful to create alignment on design ideas.

2. To get buy-in quickly, adjust your pitch to make it seem as if it was driven by the client.

3. Don't just say no. Advise. Tell them you disagree not because you're "better" but because you care.