ARTICLE SUMMARY: Large projects have the potential for large problems. As projects drag on it’s only a matter of time before the finger pointing begins, the PMs blame designers, designers blame devs, and devs blame lawyers.
Creating alignment is crucial for designers because it ensures that everyone involved in a project shares a common understanding and direction.
“How designers create alignment” by Ed Orozco helps designers avoid missed deadlines, finger pointing and general aggravation when all people involved with a project are not on the same page. He talked about why
- Alignment is a design superpower
- Alignment before the project starts
- Alignment throughout the project
Having alignment helps to define and communicate the overall vision, goals, and objectives of the project. When all team members—designers, developers, stakeholders, and clients—are on the same page, it becomes easier to work toward a shared goal. This clarity prevents misunderstandings and scope creep.
When the team is aligned decision-making becomes more efficient. There’s less back-and-forth and debate over directions because everyone has a shared understanding of the criteria for success. This speeds up the design process and reduces bottlenecks and keeps the customers satisfied.
In short, alignment is essential to ensure that design efforts are not only effective and user-centric but also sustainable and coherent within a team or organization.
This is a great article for all designers.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
