94. Why Less Can Be More with Pavel Samsonov

Is skipping low fidelity costing you more than you think?

Pavel Samsonov is a design leader currently building design practices and leading innovation engagements at AWS. With an extensive background in managing enterprise product teams at Bloomberg and rapid prototyping in startups, Pavel joins the show to give us a reality check.

In this episode, we discuss the pitfalls of focusing on high fidelity at the wrong time. Pavel shares his insights on why many designers fall into this trap and how it can lead to wasted efforts and misaligned expectations. We dive into actionable strategies to flip the conversation and emphasize the importance of low fidelity stages. Pavel’s advice is invaluable for anyone looking to refine their design process and deliver meaningful outcomes.

This conversation is packed with actionable strategies that can transform your approach to how you work with your team. Join us to learn how you can avoid the pitfalls of high fidelity and leverage low fidelity techniques for more effective stakeholder engagements.

Topics:
• 03:39 – What’s wrong with high fidelity?
• 10:16 – how do we flip the conversation?
• 11:36 – Start from the bottom up
• 15:58 – 30% feedback vs 90% feedback
• 27:08 – Stakeholders expected a professional who is responsible for outcomes
• 32:36 – Stakeholders don’t know design, you know design
• 34:26 – Stakeholders are not your professors
• 43:09 – Try, measure, learn instead of build, measure, learn
• 51:25 – Low fidelity and high fidelity tools do different things

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Pavel on LinkedIn
• Follow Pavel’s writings on Medium

Pavel Samsonov
Design Lead @ AWS; Writer & speaker; Strategic UX, Product, Research, Innovation

About Pavel

Pavel Samsonov is a New York-based UX leader exploring the applications of design as a decision-making framework for all areas of product development. He currently builds design practice and leads innovation engagements at AWS. His approach to product & design draws on his experience managing enterprise product teams at Bloomberg, design-driven rapid prototyping in the start-up world, traditional graphic design education, and an academic background in human-computer interaction.

Connect with Pavel on LinkedIn

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