But That’s Not UX... Or Is It?

By Ana Shulvela (she/they)

Picture this: you’ve finally done it—your research skills have been honed for years, your visual eye perfected, and your collaboration abilities are off the charts. You’ve landed your first (or second, or third, or even thirtieth) major client. The project kicks off smoothly, and you feel confident about the next steps—until you realize there are some serious misalignments in expectations. Perhaps it's a request that leans more towards a marketing role ("We need you to build out our Instagram page") or a push to get overly creative ("Maybe you can help us add some illustrations to the landing page"). Whatever the request, it doesn’t seem like traditional UX work. Or is it?

A unique aspect of being a UX designer is educating clients—especially those less familiar with your role—about what your job truly entails. To prevent situations where you may be asked to produce work that doesn’t align with your job description, it’s essential to inform clients about what UX is, how it can benefit their organization, and where it fits within the larger framework of product development.

Joy Mentzing, a senior experience design consultant at OMMAX, recently spoke with Layshi Curbelo on the "If U Seek" podcast by Useberry about managing client expectations that may not align with the traditional scope of UX work. Joy emphasized the importance of building trust, using data-driven arguments, and aligning user research initiatives with broader business goals to gain client buy-in and demonstrate the value of UX. By providing your client with a foundational understanding of not only what UX is, but also how design practices can meet overarching business goals, you may find greater success in steering them away from requests that sit outside the UX framework.

It’s important to recognize that, at times, these “non-UX” tasks you are being asked to do stem from a desire to address a user need or business goal in a way that feels familiar and manageable to the client. As a designer, you should feel comfortable advocating for practices and modes of thinking that may be unfamiliar to them initially. Just remember to do so in a way that connects to their knowledge base in a meaningful way—whether by highlighting how your UX methods will achieve business goals or by providing evidence-based solutions.

Another technique that Joy emphasizes is the importance of maintaining transparency and regular communication, especially during the early stages of a project. This communication can take many forms, including interactive workshops, one-on-one meetings, or even quick updates via Slack or another preferred messaging platform.

Now, let’s assume all these techniques are working, and bam! You’re finally back on track to make your (and your client's) UX dreams come true. That’s fantastic news, and you could probably stop reading here (though I really do encourage you to keep going). However, this isn’t always the case. Having worked with a range of clients across various projects, I’ve found myself in situations where I was still expected to produce work that stretched just beyond the scope of what I consider “proper” UX.

If you’ve ever been in a similar situation, or if you’re someone who likes to be overly prepared for anything that might come your way, consider the following tips and tricks to better align those requests with a more traditional UX framework.

1. Clarify expectations: Ensure that both you and your client understand the requirements and goals of the project. What are you both working to accomplish, and how can you speak the same language? Additionally, consider how you can be an advocate for the user in a way that works to meet the overarching goals of the project.

2. Negotiate scope: If you really feel like a fish out of water, maybe it’s time to renegotiate the scope of the project. If you’re being asked to do work that truly doesn’t align with the job description, ask if your role can be integrated with more typical UX tasks. Here, you may also want to consider how much time you are willing to spend doing non-UX related work (if it's just an hour or so a day, it may not be too bad, however if it’s making up the bulk of your work, you may want to have a conversation about reframing roles and expectations.)

3. Bring it back to the user: As I mentioned earlier, stakeholders often provide solutions in a manner that aligns with their knowledge base and expertise. Perhaps, you are both trying to solve the same problem, but are just using different tool kits in order to do so. Here, it is important to get clear on what the user needs and pain-points are, and how UX can be a driving force to address these items.

4. Apply UX principles to a non-UX process: Even if the job you’re being tasked with isn’t traditionally UX, you can still apply your design knowledge and UX principles to the task. By approaching the task with a user-centered mindframe, you may uncover novel ways to meet user needs.

Navigating client expectations is an inevitable part of the UX journey. While it may sometimes be challenging, it can also be used as an opportunity to educate your partner on the merits of good UX. When tasked with accomplishing items that fall outside the scope of a traditional UX role, you can begin by clarifying expectations, renegotiating scope, and bringing the focus back to the user. Here, conversation is key – don’t be afraid to speak up, ask questions, and get clear on what is truly needed to accomplish user and business goals. The next time you’re asked to step beyond what you consider to be a “typical” UX role, welcome the challenge as an opportunity to advocate for the design process, strengthen your interpersonal skills, and ultimately, find new and exciting ways to advocate for your users.