Stop 06 · Design Collaboration & UXTopics · 9/10

Working With Designers

In short

The fastest way to get bad design is to hand a designer your own sketch and say "make it pretty". Bring the problem, and let them bring the craft.

Giving designers a clear problem and constraints rather than a pre-baked solution, and trusting their craft on the how — the healthiest PM-designer relationship is collaborative, not directive.

The purple blob talks with a friendly painter in front of a blank wall, holding colour swatches.

Think of it like this

Briefing the house painter

You could tell the painter "use shade 4B2 on the left wall". Or you could say "this room gets little light and Dadi reads here". The second brief lets their skill work, and they'll likely pick a better colour than you would.

Watch it happen

A healthy kick-off

Designer

Problem + evidence

1/5PM shares the problem: 40% of new users drop off at address entry, with session clips.

The big ideas

What you need to know

Problem, not solution

Share the user problem, the goal metric and the constraints. Leave the screens to them.

Involve them early

Bring designers into discovery, not just after the PRD is written.

Protect their time

Batch feedback and avoid daily "quick changes" that break their focus.

Decide together

You own the why and the priority. They own the how. Disagree openly, then commit.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Drawing the screens yourself and asking the designer to polish them.

Do this instead

Share the problem and constraints. If you have an idea, offer it as one input, not the answer.

Oops

Inviting the designer only when engineering is about to start.

Do this instead

Bring them into research and problem framing so they understand the why.

Your mission

Write a one-page design brief

~25 min

Quick check

What should a PM bring to the first meeting with a designer on a new feature?

Go deeper

1Practice writing a design brief that states the problem, not the desired UI.
2Learn to ask 'what are you optimizing for here?' instead of 'can you change this to...'
3Understand the designer's own process (research, exploration, iteration) so you can support it.