Working With Design
Collaborate on behavior and information, not surface decoration. · Execution & Communication · Lesson 63 · 3 min
Working With Design · 3 min
Situation
“Make the dashboard look cleaner.”
The dashboard feels crowded, but the real issue may be that managers cannot tell which customer cases need action. Removing visual elements could make it prettier without improving the decision.
Start the conversation with the task and observed difficulty. Give design the context needed to reshape the experience.
Mental model
Design organizes action and understanding.
Interaction design shapes what people can do and how the system responds. Information hierarchy helps people see what matters. Research reveals behavior and unmet needs.
Visual treatment supports those goals. It is one part of product design, not a final coating added after product decisions are complete.
Example
Review against a concrete scenario.
“A manager has two minutes before a handoff. Can they identify overdue cases, understand who owns them, and reassign one safely?”
Walk through the prototype using realistic records, long names, empty results, and permission limits. This produces more useful feedback than personal preferences about colors or card styles.
Failure case
Feedback that jumps straight to a solution.
“Move this button to the top” may be right, but it hides the concern. “I cannot find the next action after reviewing the case” explains the problem and leaves room for better solutions.
Ask design to explain the intended hierarchy and behavior. A rationale can expose either a deliberate trade-off or an assumption needing research.
PM decision
Bring constraints early and negotiate them.
Share timeline, technical limitations, user evidence, and business requirements before polishing. Ask engineering to review feasibility while alternatives are still cheap.
When a constraint changes, revisit the relevant interaction rather than quietly degrading the design during implementation. Test whether the reduced scope still supports the task.
Remember this
Review the experience through the user's work.
Give clear problems, evidence, and constraints. Evaluate whether the design makes the intended decision or action easier, rather than treating taste as the primary criterion.