Making Stakeholders Happy When We Are Creating
Who Do We Make For?
Whether we are writing, designing, developing, or creating strategy, we are making a product. And there are a lot of people who care about this product. We call them stakeholders. Who are these stakeholders?
- The owners- The people who need this product, who asked for it, and who are investing in it.
- The creators- Those who are tasked with creating and putting together this product.
- The users- The people who will be using this product. They are the readers, the consumers, the buyers, the website visitors, and the viewers.
If we are going to create a product that will achieve real success, then everyone on this list needs to be satisfied. That can be a real balancing act. Sometimes it can seem like we are in a battle with all of these people. In the worst cases, no one ends up happy. In the best, everyone feels excited and satisfied with what we are making.
The owners should feel confident that their investment will be worth it. The creators should feel inspired and motivated to create something great. And the users should be enthusiastic and accepting of the product in the end. Let’s see how we go about that.
Stakeholders: The Owners
Owner, client, customer- Whatever you want to call them, they are the ones who ultimately call the shots. If these stakeholders aren’t happy, no one gets the green light. One thing to note- these stakeholders cannot be our most important priority. Let’s be clear. All of the stakeholders are vital for a successful product. But there is one stakeholder who is, without a hesitation, the most important one for success. Read a little more and you’ll find out who they are. But first, about pleasing the owners.
Establish expectations from the beginning
How do we, as creators, make sure the owners of our product are happy? We start with very clear expectations. Everyone needs to be on the same page about goals, expectations, requirements, resources, costs, and expected results. We have to understand what our owners want us to do, right? And they have to feel confident in our ability to do it for them.
Keep owners in the loop
We also make the owners happy by keeping them in the loop. Things like reports and updates can seem like tedious from the perspective of the creator. But when done well, they transform the owner into an informed member of the team. Besides, when the owner feels good about what you are doing, they are less likely to feel the need to push and question your decisions.
Be a solution, not just a fulfilled need
Ultimately, if we want to be creators that will inspire loyalty and enthusiasm from the product owners, we need to offer them a whole solution. We can’t just be a factory that fulfills orders. Instead, we need to think above and beyond what they are asking for. We need to think about what will make this product better, or what other products could complement it. By showing our passion, we will, in turn, inspire passion.
Stakeholders: The Creators
This is the stakeholder that often gets forgotten. Think about it this way- Don’t you want your creators to be happy, invested, and interested in the work they are doing? Of course! And as the people who work on this product, they are undoubtedly stakeholders in the process. There’s also no doubt that your product will be better when your creators are content with the process.
Emphasize the importance of creators
It shouldn’t be hard to make the creators feel important, because they are! Without them, the product would never happen. Don’t treat the creators like assembly workers. Each creator has a different perspective, style, and background; showing appreciation for what each creator can do will encourage them to become even better.
Listen to creators’ ideas
Sometimes the owners of a product come in with very strict requirements, but often there is some room for creativity. As creators, this is where we are best. Getting the creator’s input on what we think would sound, look, feel, be best can be a valuable tool for creating something that goes beyond simply fulfilling a role. Use our experience, skills, and unique abilities to make something great!
Turn creators into owners
The absolute best thing for inspiring creators to make exceptional products is to make us feel like we own it. If we internalize that this is our work, and not just a task to be completed, then we will pour our heart and soul into it. Valuing our skills, listening to us, asking for our honest input, and appreciating the cool things we are doing will go far to make creators feel like owners.
Stakeholders: The Users
And here we come to the most important part of the whole process: the users. No matter how great an idea the owners have, or how awesome a product the creators make, if the users aren’t interested, it won’t be successful. You need your users to approve, accept, use, and recommend your product in order to have lasting success.
Conduct user research throughout the process
When we have an idea, we should conduct research. Make sure our idea is filling a niche, or is something that users want or need. Next, when we are turning the idea into a product, we continue to conduct research. We can work with prototypes, drafts, test runs, and things like that with users to see what they think about it. We can find out the confusing parts, or the parts they don’t like. And we can fix them before we invest too much into the product.
Brainstorm with a multidisciplinary team
The worst thing you can do is create your product with only one person’s idea. By involving a team with members from different backgrounds and specialties, you get the best of everyone’s ideas. Something that might seem obvious to one person, isn’t to another. Logic to some might not be logic to all. Brainstorming with these different kinds of people will enrich your idea and make it more appealing for more people.
Create with a user persona in mind
Instead of going crazy trying to create your product for anyone and everyone, create for one or a few user personas. These are basically design thinking tools that consist of a detailed profile of your target user. Think about everything from demographics, to problems they have in their life, things they like, and what they aspire for. Brainstorm with these profiles in mind. Create for these people. That way you will be creating with a more personalized touch, and users will appreciate that in the end.
Conclusion: It Is Possible To Make Everyone Happy.
It is possible. Establish expectations. Brainstorm intelligently. Value the creative abilities you have. And always test with your users. This process isn’t as fast as a factory assembly line that churns out products. But haven’t you ever hears quality over quantity? This way, you’ll have more chances of creating something that helps someone out. And that’s really our goal in the end.
About Pixel506
Pixel506 is a digital solutions company. Whether you are looking for a facelift for your website, re-branding, digital marketing, or content creation, we take pleasure in building you the right strategy and delivering you a product that goes above and beyond your expectations. We would love to start a project with you, so hit us up!