Lizelle Rademan, Experience Design Director
Every UX designer eventually finds themselves in the same situation.
I’ve done the research. I’ve mapped the user journeys. I’ve meticulously designed the wireframes. I’ve carefully crafted a design that brings harmony, consistency, and a sense of order to the digital universe… something that actual humans can use.
And then, the stakeholders arrive…
Suddenly, the design process transforms from thoughtful UX strategy into what can only be described as a collaborative improv theatre performance where everyone has opinions and nobody has read the script.
Welcome to Mission Improbable: Stakeholder Edition.
Act 1: The calm before the meeting
Before the meeting, the design is a beautiful thing.
There are principles. There is hierarchy. There are decisions based on research and user behaviour. Buttons have rules. Spacing has meaning. Typography behaves itself.
It’s like a beautifully organised kitchen. Every ingredient has a purpose. Every step in the recipe leads somewhere meaningful.
I am the chef, carefully plating the dish.
And then… the meeting starts, and suddenly everyone is Gordon Ramsay.
Act 2: Too many cooks
The first stakeholder leans forward thoughtfully.
“What if we move this section up?”
Reasonable. Fair. We adjust.
Another voice joins.
“Could we make the button bigger?”
Sure. Bigger buttons improve usability. Then… the rest of the cast arrives.
The Head of Marketing has thoughts. The Head of Sales has stronger thoughts. The Product Manager has roadmap concerns. The HR Director wants the culture to be “visible”. The CEO wants something “more innovative”. None of them are entirely sure what UX is, but they all feel compelled to weigh in anyway.
Now the marketing team enters the chat.
“What if the button was red? Red converts better.”
The brand colour is blue, but okay.
Now someone from sales speaks up.
“Can it say ‘Click Here Immediately’ so users know it’s important?”
Now the button is large, red, shouting, and slightly aggressive.
But the meeting’s really heating up now.
“What if it also animated a little?”
Of course.
Now the button pulses softly like a distressed lighthouse trying to warn passing ships.
Act 3: The impossible request
At some point, the brief evolves into something truly remarkable.
A stakeholder clears their throat and says:
“We want the design to be very simple.”
Good. Simplicity is the goal.
“But it must also show all our services, our products, our case studies, our partners, our awards, our testimonials, a timeline of the company history, a video, and a section explaining blockchain.”
Naturally.
Because when users visit a website, their first thought is always:
“I hope this page contains every piece of information the company has accumulated since 2004 – preferably all competing for my attention.”
Act 4: Pixel politics
Soon the meeting descends into what designers know as pixel negotiations.
“Could the logo be slightly bigger?”
Sure.
“Actually a bit more.”
Okay.
“Maybe a little more than that.”
At this stage the logo is now large enough to be visible from space and the navigation has been pushed somewhere near the footer.
But the stakeholders feel good.
And honestly, that’s half the battle.
Act 5: The UX designer’s internal monologue
Meanwhile, I sit quietly, smiling politely, while internally narrating the situation like a nature documentary.
(Imagine David Attenborough’s voice) “Here we observe the stakeholder in its natural habitat, confidently rearranging elements it does not fully understand. Fascinating behaviour.”
Act 6: The art of survival
Over time, designers develop coping mechanisms.
We ask questions like:
“How does this help the user?”
Sometimes this works.
Sometimes it leads to a brief moment of silence followed by:
“It just feels right.”
Which, from a design methodology perspective, is technically known as the strongest design rationale known to humanity.
Act 7: The quiet victory
Despite the chaos, something miraculous usually happens.
Through gentle persuasion, subtle nudging, and careful diplomacy, the design slowly finds its way back toward usability.
The screaming red button becomes normal again.
The homepage sheds half its unnecessary sections.
The interface breathes.
And users can finally navigate the product without feeling like they’re solving an escape room.
The truth about UX design
Design isn’t just about pixels, layouts, or typography.
Sometimes it’s about managing opinions, translating visions, and guiding people toward better decisions without anyone feeling like they lost the argument.
In other words, UX designers aren’t just designers.
We’re part strategist, part psychologist…and occasionally part hostage negotiator.
Because when there are too many cooks in the design kitchen, the real mission isn’t designing the interface.
It’s surviving the meeting. And ultimately, saving the broth (aka the design).
