Newsletter issue: #161
Read time: 1m 37s

In my first UX job, the CEO looked at my meticulously crafted HR dashboard and said:

"Is this it? You forgot this. You didn’t include that. This doesn’t make any sense, Chris."

That hurt 🥲

And what I didn’t know at the time (and come to learn quickly) is defending my design wasn’t about protecting my ego. It's about protecting the user.

Because when stakeholders say "make the button bigger" or "add more features," they're not thinking about the person who'll actually use this thing.

You are.

So how do we stand our ground without coming across like a pretentious design bro?

10 battle-tested tactics I've learned:

1. Align with business goals: "This design could increase conversion by focusing user attention where it matters"
2. Talk data, not feelings: "87% of users completed this task faster with this layout"
3. Present options strategically: Show your preferred design alongside a "worse" alternative (sneaky, but effective)
4. Use analogies for non-designers: "Our navigation should feel like walking into your own kitchen, you know exactly where everything is.
5. Visualize the journey: Show your design decisions along the way and evolved from messy sketch to polished solution
6. Anticipate objections: Have responses ready for the inevitable "why can’t we have it on the same screen?"
7. Highlight industry standards: "This pattern is commonly used by Stripe, and other companies our users trust"
8. Suggest A/B testing: "We could test both versions and see what we learn from the data"
9. Tie choices to accessibility: "The contrast ratio ensures all users can read it, including those with visual impairments"
10. Know when to fold: Not every hill is worth dying on. Strategic compromise today = more trust tomorrow

The CEO who trashed my dashboard? After I walked him through my research, explained my decisions, and how they supported specific business goals, he said this during my 360 feedback: “love your patience and ability to take feedback. You definitely lead with solutions.”

He still thought my designs were ugly, though.

Some battles you just can't win 🤷🏻‍♂️

Check out this detailed article with 20 tactics I've used across multiple teams. Standing your ground isn't being difficult, it's doing your job.

Learn to defend your designs

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The goings ons

Happenings & shenanigans in the (design) world and beyond

The browser wars are about to begin, again. But this time, powered by AI. The Browser Company said they're no longer working on Arc, but instead Dia. Perplexity is launching Comet. And OpenAI tinkering in the browser space.

OpenAI's $3B Windsurf deal fell through, and guess what? Google paid $2.4B to "license" Windsurf's technology. Meaning it's actually an acquihire to bring their CEO and lead AI researchers to work on Gemini. Then Cognition buys the rest of Windsurf's IP. This story keeps getting better.

Even though I only spent 2 days in Lisbon 🇵🇹, I can't wait to come back to this city. Super charming, not too crowded, multicultural, and the food is bomb.

Next stop NYC 🇺🇸 for a week! Comedy Club, The MET, Chinatown. Hit me up if you're around and wanna join.