Design brief or therapy?

Have you ever experienced a crystal clear design brief? Neither have we. Actually, we doubt that they exist at all.

To us, most design briefs are like therapy sessions. Clients have a vision that they want to realise or a problem that they need to solve. They ask designers to create something, which inevitably leads to discussions about what the problem or opportunity really is. Sometimes, it can take several therapy sessions before clients and designers speak the same language.

We’ve heard that designers should be good at listening and asking questions. It’s true, however the real superpower of designers might be our ability to visualise ideas. So, as soon as a client tries to explain a design challenge, start drawing. Then ask “is this what you mean?” until you find common ground.

As designers, it’s sometimes our job to drag design briefs out of clients. Let it take time when needed. Eventually, you might actually start enjoying your design therapy sessions. It’s OK. We won’t judge you.

By Dan, Chris and Frederikke @ www.nobiz.se. If you would like more one-minute UX reads, please leave a comment, clap or follow us here on Medium!

Design brief or therapy? was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.