Summary
UX practitioners often overlook the fact that UX terms do not naturally translate into business contexts, particularly when high-stakes decision-making and unclear communication become barriers. In this session, Shan Shen will highlight instances where UX terms consistently hinder collective problem-solving between UX and product teams.
Key Insights
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Unstable and inconsistent UX language creates costly confusion across product teams.
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Translating UX jargon into simple business terms facilitates alignment and trust.
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UI polish and usability elevation represent distinct priorities that need clear linguistic separation.
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Card sorting exercises can expose underlying user needs beyond visual arrangement, influencing conversion rates.
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Product managers often focus on sprint constraints and direct value delivery, which UX must consider when proposing research.
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Standard UX terms like 'tree test' may need explanations or alternative naming to be meaningful for cross-disciplinary use.
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Educating product teams on UX terminology and activities builds shared understanding and smoother collaboration.
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Code switching between UX and business language is a valuable skill rather than a betrayal of design discipline.
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Reciprocity in language adaptation—designers learning business language and product managers engaging in UX language—strengthens partnerships.
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Measurable UX improvements, like a 10% lift in conversion, can stem from clarifying information architecture and simplifying action hierarchies.
Notable Quotes
"Translation is key to earn the seat at the table."
"An eight-page long study plan wouldn’t fly in a one-sprint product timeline."
"We reduced buttons from six to two and saw a 10% increase in conversion rate over three weeks."
"Card sort as a phrase may not require translation, but the value discovery it represents certainly does."
"Instead of explaining phrases like card sort from a book, prioritize code switching to clarify value and relevance."
"Product team misused ‘prototype’ to describe tree test artifacts, which have very different outcomes."
"Language adds prestige to the equation, but leveraging well-established language attracts a wider audience."
"Speaking a fluent language that translates into business discussions forces us to think like business owners as well as designers."
"Start small and learn as you go to avoid failure from expecting huge success right away."
"Be strict in what you emit but liberal in what you accept is like an engineering principle for communication."
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