Business Thinking for Designers

Gauge ambition and plan for negotiations ahead of 
time
There's a strange dance that sometimes takes place 
among decision-makers. Unspoken agreements are made, 
unexpected outcomes are presented as new ideas, and 
designers are often pushed to the sidelines while fates are 
decided. I call this the negotiation zone, and we need to be 
prepared to assert ourselves.
Let’s face it, the majority of design decisions involve 
negotiations. From my experience, the majority of trade-off 

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Communicate the options
decisions also come after a negotiation and to become a 
successful negotiator, you need to focus on three things:
01. Empathize with your partners to understand their 
mindsets, motivations, fears, and goals.
02. Do your best to remain objective. Use objectives, 
measures, and experimentation to support your position, 
rather than your emotions.
03. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Studies have shown successful 
negotiation is 80 percent preparation.
We’ve already covered #1 and #2 in this book. To prepare 
for a negotiation though, you have to consider what you’re 
negotiating, where you’ll hold your line, and what you’re willing 
to give up. The Negotiation Canvas is a great tool to help.