People think product designers spend their days designing. That would be so amazing. I believe one skill gets overlooked and crucial to get designs shipped.
Negotiation. Negotiating with product managers, the client, developers, marketing, the big boss… yourself.
Every stakeholder has their priorities and often they are competing. The user wants one thing. The business wants another. Engineering has technical constraints. Marketing has launch dates.
It’s a skill to bring everyone together and still create the best possible experience. Know when to stand your ground… and when to let something go.
No product is designed by one person sitting in a dark room. It comes from experience, empathy, and a lot of conversations.
Nobody sees this part. They see the finished screen and think, “That looks nice..” or even “That’s not what expected.” They don’t see the hundreds of conversations that shaped every button, every interaction, and every decision.
A great designer knows how to work with people just as well as they work with pixels.