It’s smart for companies to contract with an outside firm for experience design (XD) — but they often fear how the partnership might go sour. This bite-size brief highlights five common disappointments we uncovered through a projective research session. It then lays out three tactics customer experience (CX) professionals can apply to steer clear of the bad outcomes that inspire these fears. Set a clear direction, break projects into achievable phases with progress milestones, and remember that although you’re outsourcing the work, you should not outsource the accountability.