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
-
•
Unstable and inconsistent UX language creates costly confusion across product teams.
-
•
Translating UX jargon into simple business terms facilitates alignment and trust.
-
•
UI polish and usability elevation represent distinct priorities that need clear linguistic separation.
-
•
Card sorting exercises can expose underlying user needs beyond visual arrangement, influencing conversion rates.
-
•
Product managers often focus on sprint constraints and direct value delivery, which UX must consider when proposing research.
-
•
Standard UX terms like 'tree test' may need explanations or alternative naming to be meaningful for cross-disciplinary use.
-
•
Educating product teams on UX terminology and activities builds shared understanding and smoother collaboration.
-
•
Code switching between UX and business language is a valuable skill rather than a betrayal of design discipline.
-
•
Reciprocity in language adaptation—designers learning business language and product managers engaging in UX language—strengthens partnerships.
-
•
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."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"There’s often a disconnect because the people doing the research and conceptualization aren’t the same as those doing the development work."
Jack MoffettSAFe or Sorry? (Videoconference)
May 29, 2019
"We have a thing at Athena about positive mutual regard — sitting down with people to understand root causes for strange behaviors builds powerful bonds."
Tricia WangSCALE: Discussion
June 15, 2018
"Users aren’t interested in learning intricacies of systems they use infrequently – they want fit for task."
Fredrik MathesonFirst-time users, longtime strategies: Why Parkinson’s Law is making you less effective at work – and how to design a fix.
June 8, 2016
"Starting small is okay, and I actually recommend it for kickstarting this kind of work."
Laine Riley ProkayHow DesignOps can Drive Inclusive Career Ladders for All
September 30, 2021
"We had to push through analysis paralysis and trust our guts on what to prioritize for product changes."
Shipra KayanHow we Built a VoC (Voice of the Customer) Practice at Upwork from the Ground Up
September 30, 2021
"Expert intuition can be wrong or right, especially under uncertain contexts without regular practice and feedback."
Kristen Guth, Ph.D.Out of the FOG: A Non-traditional Research Approach to Alignment
March 28, 2023
"Diversity sitting only at the bottom levels narrows all the work we do from the top down."
Joi FreemanA New Vantage Point: Building a Pipeline for Multifaceted Research(ers)
March 30, 2020
"Data informs, but humans decide."
Victor UdoewaTheme One Intro
March 27, 2023
"Strong design leadership manages down, across, and up, enabling teams to do their best work."
Peter MerholzCustomer-Centered Design Organizations
June 8, 2017