Feature image credit: John Ditchburn (Ditchy) of INKCINCT Cartoons.
I am among 10 Canadian UX professionals who shared tips with navigating resistance to innovation and change for an article on the Association of Registered Graphic Designers website. This article is chock full of excellent information and practical takeaways based on real strategies from my co-contributors who work at a cross-section of agencies and organisations of all sizes.
To summarise…
Some contributors shared that resistance can stem from fear of the unknown or comfort with familiar mental models, so addressing emotional concerns along with practical concerns is important.
Clear communication is also key. What I also liked was the tip by Crispin Bailey RGD, Director of Design and UX at Kalamuna about the use of storytelling to stakeholders “the path from today’s friction points to tomorrow’s improved experiences: for users, customers and the business itself” so they can understand the value. This enables stakeholders to see themselves “as co-creators of something meaningful rather than approvers to be convinced, resistance transforms into enthusiastic support.”
This is part of a common thread mentioned throughout the article about fostering buy-in through collaboration and trust-building with stakeholders. There is also an emphasis on the importance of using research, prototypes, and data to back up claims with evidence rather than opinion (my tip!).
Other practical tips include finding a stakeholder champion (always great to have advocates!), running small pilots (this always came in handy in my previous workplaces), and iterating with feedback (another great way to avoid decisions based on opinion).
Read UX Perspectives: Navigating resistance to change in innovative design.
Thanks to the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) for this opportunity. Membership is open to all areas of design including UX. I’m not being paid to say this, I’m a satisfied member just sharing this info. :)