Word: Stakeholder Interview

Definition: A structured conversation between designers and important clients used to gather insights into a project and better understand the business goals and expectations.

Thoughts: Stakeholders can take the form of senior leadership with the financial stake and they can also be end users. Essentially, stakeholders are anyone who can affect the end product.

Clients or product owners do not always provide all the information a designer needs to fully understand a project. Enter, stakeholder interviews. These interviews provide a deeper understanding of your client's needs and they also give design teams early clues into where there might be conflict between business goals and user requirements.

Tips: It is best to go into a stakeholder meeting prepared. Have questions written down and remember to take notes! Keep it conversation but have a carefully planned agenda.