Fransgaard – Thanks for the new quote!

Joel – I think we are on the same page, this might be something that you have been living by and that you already know. Many of us are in that boat! But, I still see some UXers who do not have this same perspective, so I write this piece to highlight a different point of view for them.

uxdude – Thanks .

Jeremy – Haha you are right, I can be a pessimist from time to time. Yes, that is what I mean by shared goals. The point here, which it seems you get, is that not every UX can take a step back and see when their ideas are not in the user’s best interest because we hold on to the title of user advocate so tightly. Having the ability to do so is very important indeed (as you know and practice).

Sandeep – Thanks!

I always give people the benefit of the doubt that they are arguing their point from the perspective of what will be of most benefit to the company/customer. There are certainly those more interested in power and ego, and while the memory of interacting with them tends to stick out in our mind, I think they are in the minority, albeit the very vocal minority.

From this perspective, ‘winning’ is about whether we are making a better experience for our users and will that lead to improved performance of the business? I think that is what you meant by ‘shared goals.’

The challenge is that each stakeholder has a different idea of what that improvement looks like. Getting to a point where everyone understands and respects each others’ biases and expertise and can negotiate from a broader perspective takes time and a willingness to be more open to others.

Everyone should agree that the best solution is always the right choice, but in what scenario are the best solution different and the best UX not the same?

If they are not the same, then either the UX person is wrong, or the definition of “UX” is wrong, or it’s not the best solution.