Bridging the gap
Aligning stakeholders through sketch fidelity
In the era of Figma and design systems, where high-res mockups and where everything it pixel-perfected to the limit, I sometimes found myself in a bit of a catch-22.
For many years, I had been working with pen and paper, articulating my ideas with a simple ballpoint pen and an A4 straight form the printer tray. The reason why I used this as the preferred weapon of choice is that I know that it is always available whereve I go. This time, the team primarily used digital tools like Miro and Figma, all grounded in design system. We brainstormed solutions rooted in our customers’ pain points and consolidated a shared vision. Still, with this vision, we wanted to quickly iterate and articulate a shared design vision not just for ourselves but for the entire department.
Lo-fi Vs. Hi-fi in a digital world
In an age where everyone can access the same templates and predefined design elements, the push of going straight into Hi-fi design is very tangible. I did it myself many times with templates. But this time I wanted to push myself more, and my instincts pushed me to start from the basics. Using our design system as a base, I began drafting sketches using paper and pencil to initiate visualizing my ideas. The outcome? Rough, somewhat ugly drafts. But they manifested the essence in its simplest form.
Reaching consensus
The challenge that followed was to convince and argue a cross many professions to product owners, fellow designers, engineers, and marketers of a mutual vision. We needed to showcase how these sketches could pivot and align our business objectives, turning customer pains into gains.
Hi-Fi sketches
Picture a complex project for a big company with 10,000 employees. Given the scale, a Hi-fi sketch seems like the best choice. But, as you start crafting details, your fellow stakeholders might start asking questinos about buttons and text formulations, which you dont yet have the answers to. Then they probably will misinterpret your early sketches as the finished design. When people see an overworked sketch looking like the final product, they might think that it is too late for changes and that everything is thought-through and ready to be A/B tested, even if it is in its earliest phase. How can one fix those misconceptions?
Lo-Fi works
In another scenario with tight limits, a Lo-fi sketch might be better. But after you have presented your Lo-fi sketches, stakeholders may remain skeptical. It looks cheap and perhaps even underdone, they might be criticising that it doesn’t align to the design system. Another designer then steps in, offering a readymade Figma Hi-Fi-version, but detached from the design vision. How do you maneuver this?
Personal Insights
Chris Risdon, a track leader of Ambition Empower and an expert in service design, once shared a lesson from his past: the pitfall of Hi-Fi storyboarding. His team invested countless hours crafting highly detailed designs, only to later recognize that a simpler approach would’ve been more time-efficient.
Conclusion
Choosing the right kind of fidelity in sketches is an art form. It demands a insights in how project work, and with an udnerstadning of how design is received in the beholders eye. A well-crafted sketch doesn’t just simplify complex concepts but also heightens the end vision, and in turn the impact of the product. The difficulty is that not all stakeholders accepts internal sketches as a material for alignment. Remember that sketches work as a bridge, and it is important to know how fidelity ensures the transition from concept to completion.
