What business gets in the way of great design?

There are so many variables that get in the way of good design in business and none speak louder than the naysayers. The idea is to bring that person into the project and listen to what they have to say and keep your personal emotion out of it. Many times these people are focused on only one or two aspects of the design and you may have simply overlooked that area. So you really do need to listen to them with an open mind and understand their position, and in many cases you are going to learn something that you did not know about the project.

There can be a multitude of reasons that something gets in the way of a good design. It could be political, marketing, cost or performance that is the reason and you may have to sacrifice for any one of these or a number of other things that get in the way. The worst thing you can do is to challenge them or butt heads with them publicly because 9 times out of 10 you are going to be on the loosing end of it. Don't let you passion for the design close you off to what is possible or what needs to be done to make the design work.

There are other times when the naysayer may be motivated by something more personal. For example either them or their friend or relative was going to do this project and in their eyes you took that opportunity out from under them. You will not hear about the reasons in this case from them so look to another colleague or partner that is more on your side to give you insight as to the underlying reason. If this is the case try to plan a personal meeting with them, take them out to lunch or for drinks and you may find that they may end up being your biggest ally.

Evaluate the topics and decide on the presentation and if there will be any controversial topics it would be in your best interest to break down the presentation into several different meetings. That way you can get to the bottom of any issues that are more independent or personal and come to a resolution before taking it to the larger group.