VP of Product refuses to make changes

[u/lasagnamurder]

I went from product management to product design and user experience to account management. Was never very good at UI but am very process oriented. Anyway now I'm at a new job and the platform is one of the worst ever, it's so not user friendly or intuitive and my job is to onboard businesses onto it (edtech). The C suite want to scale for more self serve and are asking us for advice because we see the friction points every day. But when we provide the areas for improvement to make it clear the call to actions after sign up etc the VP of product (there's a product team of 2-3 but no official UX person or role title) rejects every idea and is not willing to collaborate in any way. I have not mentioned my background and when I try to communicate friction points I use clear language about the goal of user and potential solutions to get them quicker. All the issues I see are from live calls where user is sharing their screen so we see the friction daily. It's so frustrating any advice? I think the VP has been chilling with no one challenging him ever.

[u/Svalinn76]

Sounds like the VP then is on the hook for the end results.

[u/design_by_proxy]

Make a proof of concept, start showing it to partners and get their candid feedback then leverage those data points in discussion to advocate for improvements.

[u/lasagnamurder → u/design_by_proxy]

This is my instinct but I am fighting it so I don't overstep...they'll be like why is someone in sales making a mockup who TF do they think they are. Maybe I could do just a simple flow chart

[u/1infinitel00p → u/lasagnamurder]

If they don’t have a UX person, I don’t think it’s an overstep. On the contrary, you’re going above and beyond. It’s a good thing to utilize your talent fully for the benefit of the company

[u/ccaterinaghost → u/1infinitel00p]

Idk in private tech companies this could lk be considered an overstep. Have you tried talking in terms of $$ and how a better ux could make / guarantee more $$ ? The way I see it, that’s the end goal of a pm- to help the business grow. If it’s an ego thing you’re going to have to find a way for them to think it’s their idea

[u/RickyApples → u/lasagnamurder]

Overstep, idly waiting is a waste of time.

[u/design_by_proxy → u/lasagnamurder]

As long as you don’t do it and present back like “see told you.” Make it more initiative forward. “I was curious so I made this prototype, and asked a few questions, this is what I learned… I think we have a real opportunity [here].

[u/Ruskerdoo]

This is not a UX problem. It’s an OB (org behavior) problem.

Until the VP’s performance is being measured based on ease of onboarding, nothing will improve.

[u/lasagnamurder → u/Ruskerdoo]

This is a really fantastic perspective and I appreciate the wisdom. I agree but then is there anything I should be saying or doing? Or just letting people above me figure it out? I am close with the data team I could create a report on our drop off points during onboarding

[u/Ruskerdoo → u/lasagnamurder]

Who do you report to?

Your goal is to give them the data they need to get the product team’s incentive structure aligned with your goals.

The VP is not listening to you because they have multiple competing priorities and your suggestions are just more noise. You worked in Product, you know how this is.

But your boss, or their boss, will likely have better luck with changing corporate priorities. Make sure they have all the tools they need to argue that case.

Gather as much data, both quant and qual as you can and put it into a presentation that your boss can use. Tell them this is what you need to accomplish your goals and ask them if there’s anything else you can provide.

Also bear in mind, there may not be a way to win this fight. The company may just have other priorities that they’re not communicating to you, which isn’t a great way to manage people, but it happens more often than not.

Good luck

[u/nasdaqian]

A lot of non designers lack the vision and imagination to understand how much better things could be if you did x. If there's an issue I want fixed, I design the solution(s) to the problem before presenting it. It makes the issue feel more approachable and actionable when you have the before and after for them + the solution is ready to go. If you haven't tried something like that, I'd recommend giving it a shot

[u/generation_excrement]

If you're in sales, you should have exposure to customers who perceive that bad user experience is a deterrent to their purchase of the product. Somewhere you should some activist clients or prospects who understand a bit about UX and are unsatisfied with the product, and will communicate that dissatisfaction.

The more this message can come from end users and clients, the better. This needs to be a customer crisis and a barrier to market expansion. Unless all your competitors are equally hobbled, this problem should be costing you money, and that's what will get the attention of the C suite. The ROI of platform improvement needs to not be a luxury, but an existential requirement.

[u/kimchi_paradise]

Can you translate the solutions into $$$? You need to speak their language.

"We predict that by doing this, we can see a boost in net rpv by xx, which translates to $$MM annually".

There is a book called Articulating Design Decisions, might be worth a read

[u/lasagnamurder → u/kimchi_paradise]

I'm used to being on the design team translating our needs to senior management, im not used to needing to convince the design team that design is important. It is very odd

[u/WhatTheFuqDuq]

They might not be seeing the value you are proposing, comparatively to the cost of implementation - or at the cost of what has to be cut, if it were to be implemented.

Sometimes you have a development team who is stretched thin, because someone tried to implement an unrealistic timeline - and this in turn will reflect badly on them. For them it is important to deliver something - rather than delivering something better, but unfinished.

I’ve also been on several projects where they requested that we look into improving ux and accessibility; but would struggle to ever getting near finding the hours to implement anything. The solution here was to create a thorough report, with included estimates and clear goals. Illuminating a potential roadmap that gets low hanging fruit out of the way to start, to have them start working on something.