Running my workshop on navigating uncertainty and ambiguity at UX India 2024 was a truly enlightening experience: meeting people face-to-face after the pandemic is always great. The workshop focused on helping creatives recognize the link between ambiguity and innovation to drive positive outcomes, acknowledge their emotions, adopt a growth mindset, and develop strategies to navigate uncertainty effectively.
If you’re creating something new to the world, you will definitely have to wrestle with ambiguity at some point. Engaging ambiguity isn’t a choice; it’s inherent in the process of getting to any great outcome.
Small, A., & Schmutte, K., Navigating ambiguity (2022)
While I anticipated a large audience, the sheer scale of the event was a pleasant surprise. The traditional “people standing in front of a whiteboard” approach was clearly not going to cut it. I had to improvise to accommodate the massive cohort, leading participants to work in tables and create their own whiteboards using A4 papers.
One of the most interesting observations came during stakeholder involvement and problem-framing sections of the workshop. It became evident that many participants, likely due to their junior experience or cultural differences, felt uncomfortable engaging with their stakeholders directly (I’d love to hear your opinions on why that’s the case). I emphasized the importance of asking well-timed, thoughtful questions as a powerful tool for influencing decisions, even in hierarchical structures.
Post-workshop, I received a wave of questions from designers expressing frustration with their leaders’ decision-making processes. While I acknowledged their concerns, I also reminded them that their influence, at their level, lies primarily in being effective partners. This experience is a cautionary tale for leaders: neglecting to listen to your team can create a toxic environment where employees feel disengaged and unwilling to speak up. You must strive to create psychological safety for product teams to feel empowered and be creative!
Key Takeaways
- By recognizing the inherent connection between ambiguity and innovation, you will be better equipped to embrace uncertainty and leverage it to drive positive outcomes.
- By acknowledging your emotions and adopting a growth mindset, and developing strategies for managing emotional responses, you will be able to build resilience and navigate uncertainty effectively.
- By developing process awareness, and using facilitation techniques to navigate uncertainty, you will be able to foster a collaborative and productive team culture.
Dealing with Uncertainty and Ambiguity
Designers often find themselves with incomplete information about their users, the problem space, and its parameters. We must therefore be able to deal with Uncertainty and Ambiguity while not being paralyzed by them (Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com)
