When pitching design solutions, it’s not uncommon for stakeholders to have concerns, objections, and, many times, their own set of bad ideas to rain on your parade. These responses stem from various factors, such as a lack of knowledge of the problem or an incomplete understanding of the proposed solutions.

One common strategy to mitigate stakeholder disconnect is thoroughly defining the problem and solution. However, this tactic may not always work. In such cases, a less popular method is presenting good and bad ideas alongside each other. While this may seem unconventional, designers can preempt potential objections and ineffective solutions suggested by stakeholders and address them before they become problematic — essentially cutting a bad idea off at the knees.

What are Bad Design Ideas?

A significant problem designers face is getting stakeholders to understand what a bad design idea is. All too often, people tend to think of design as something aesthetic or subjective. However, good design can be quantified and measured by how successfully it solves a defined problem. By extension, this means bad design fails to effectively solve the problem it is intended to address and can even create new problems altogether.

Ineffective design solutions often appear when people express opinions to push critical determinations or designers do not utilize objective information to support their designs. That is why communicating design decisions with data is essential. Without a solid factual foundation on which to base decisions, phrases such as “I don’t like it” become fair game.

Understanding the Problem

One benefit of presenting bad design ideas is demonstrating to stakeholders that the team has already considered a wide range of options. Discussing why specific ideas were ultimately dismissed shows the design team thoroughly understands the problem and has carefully considered all available solutions.

Engaging in a transparent design process along with ideas backed by data and research is always ideal. When appropriately delivered, such design decisions are generally met with less resistance.

Building Trust

One unappealing aspect of dealing with designers is our sometimes arrogant attitude. As a designer, it’s vital to remember that design is one aspect of a sometimes multi-dimensional project with various stakeholder objectives.

We also must remember that not everyone thinks the way we do. What may seem like a self-evidently bad idea to us may not be to stakeholders. That’s why it’s essential to discuss these bad ideas so that others may understand why we chose not to go that route.

Presenting bad ideas builds trust with stakeholders. By acknowledging and discussing all ideas, even the bad ones, the design team shows we are open to feedback and willing to consider alternative approaches. This strategy helps establish a more collaborative and productive relationship, ultimately leading to better design outcomes.

The best path forward is when designers put their egos aside and remember the aim is to design the best solution and meet all objectives, regardless of whether they’re our ideas or if we agree or disagree with the objectives.

Beat ’Em to the Punch

All too often, we present our best design ideas only to have a stakeholder suggest something that degrades our well-thought-out solution. And when that stakeholder is a client or boss, explaining why their idea is terrible can be challenging for obvious reasons.

It may seem counterintuitive, but presenting bad design solutions that the stakeholder or client may suggest before they do demonstrates why those potential ideas will not work. By preempting these possible less effective solutions, we can prevent bad ideas from arising during the conversation and keep the process on track.

The ability to preempt what a stakeholder may propose requires a good understanding of their needs. And in many cases, experience dealing with particular stakeholders is helpful as well, as knowing how they think can provide valuable insight into what they may suggest.

For example, if you are working with a sales or marketing person who has expressed the need for lead generation, they may be inclined to suggest something like a subscribe pop-up form. In such a case, it would be our responsibility to explain that we have thought about this route and express why it would not work based on specific data, thus snuffing out the suggestion before it happens and providing a solution that still meets their needs while maintaining a good user experience.

Of course, stakeholders will often have valuable insights that can lead to better solutions. The key is to be prepared for these alternative suggestions and ensure they can be backed up by research.

However, we will inevitably encounter stubborn stakeholders and clients. For these folks, no amount of data will persuade them that their ideas are terrible. The best option here is to do our best and document everything. When the design fails, we can revisit the problem and make the necessary adjustments, knowing what not to do next time.

Presenting bad ideas alongside good ones can be a valuable strategy for preempting potential objections, concerns, and adverse suggestions from stakeholders. And by demonstrating a thorough understanding of the problem and willingness to consider alternative approaches, teams can build trust, establish more collaborative relationships with stakeholders, and prevent bad ideas from ever becoming a reality.