design goals

Everything you design is an opportunity to change the world. Yes, even the simple things — that journey map, those signs, that website — they’re all ways to make a difference.

So to make sure you’re changing the world in the right way, you need to be really clear up front on what you’re trying to achieve. Not what the deliverable is, but the difference you want to see because of it.

An example

I worked on a project recently where our deliverable was a training course to upskill a large workforce doing relatively complex work. My colleague and I went into the project with the goal of changing the way this complex work was done.

Please note the very big difference between the deliverable (a training course to upskill people) and our desired outcome (the job is done better). This is important, because there’s clear evidence that people don’t learn to do their job better by going off to training courses. The most effective learning is on the job with someone experienced.

In this case we identified in our kick-off meeting that the client did NOT share the same goal; they weren’t against it, but success in their mind was delivery of a training program. However, they were open to us exploring what that program might look like, so from week one we were experimenting with what else it might be. There was no appetite or time to go back and do a proper “discovery” phase; we were already in delivery. So we had to learn from trying things out, from actually delivering things and seeing what worked.

We still ended up delivering a training course. But we also implemented a peer learning program, and a “diagnostic workshop” where teams came together to solve problems themselves. By trying those things out (and other things which didn’t work and we threw away) we proved what was effective and got things happening; and it’s already changing how people are doing their job. We’d never have got to those outcomes by just doing what we said we would do.

It’s not about clashing with the client*

In that example our goal was different from the client. That’s not uncommon; often the client simply isn’t in the right place to see the bigger picture. They’re bound by business constraints and procurement processes, and more often than not will define outputs rather than outcomes for their project. It’s critical for you to understand where their head is and what their goal is, and then try to find some common ground.

For example, if the client wants you to deliver a journey map, there’s no point creating a journey map unless you understand why it’s needed. Is it a communication tool, or a way to identify the pain points, or to teach people about human-centred design, or something else? You need to know why the client wants that particular deliverable and how they intend to use it, but you also need to know what you want to get out of doing this project.

This is all about being focused on the outcome. And once you know the outcome — for both the client and yourself — you might find there are better ways to deliver it than a journey map. Or there will be things you could do differently to make sure the journey map delivers to its intended purpose, and doesn’t just look pretty on the wall.

How to go about it

This is far more about mindset than about following a process, but there are some things you can do to set yourself up well to succeed:

1. Be clear from the start on the outcome you want, what impact you want to have from doing this project.
2. Check you’re on the same page with your client. And if you’re not, figure out what you’re going to do about that.
3. Keep asking yourself if your actions and decisions are leading to your end goal.
4. Keep your eye out for opportunities to impact your outcome. And yes, opportunities aren’t always that easy to spot, but the more you look for them the better you get at finding them. One obvious one is motivated people within the organisation who have the same goals; you might be able to ride their tailcoats rather than do it yourself.

Conclusion

Your job as a designer is to continually question; why are we doing this and is this the best way? Anyone can follow a design process and hand over a predetermined deliverable, but we didn’t become designers to tick boxes. Take your chances; look for those opportunities and grab them with both hands.

Remember though, even if you agree with the client about the desired outcome, you won’t always be able to deliver it with your current project. Sometimes, given the lack of time or money or buy-in or something else, your job might just be to make things a little less shit. That doesn’t mean you’ve given up; maybe you can sow the seeds for the next project to achieve more. That’s okay too.

*I’m using the term client to mean the person asking for the work, so if you work in house this might be your project sponsor or your manager.