It is complicated situation. There are 2 sides of this coin. Client - which wants the design as it is. Your reputation - which connected to the designs you create. Either you have to do what client says. Sometimes they make you do what they want. In this case you can just not add design to your portfolio because it is not coming from your design thinking mind. Or communicate with client and try to explain what and whys of bad experiences. In this case it is up to your client whether listen your opinions or not.

Based on my experience, to find common ground, I acknowledge the client's vision, gently explain the importance of best practices for user experience, suggest integrating their ideas with these principles, propose a prototype for user testing, and emphasize the goal of creating a successful product 🚀

It's not a simple question to answer. In all cases however, fostering open communication, offering informed compromises, and reinforcing shared objectives, you can build trust and find a balanced solution that satisfies both your client’s vision and user experience best practices. With trust comes openness, and the conversations become easier and shorter!

The best approach is to tell them "this goes against best practices for mobile design, I don't recommend this as a solution."

First I would try to understand why they propose a solution that goes against the best practice. The context of use may call for an unconventional implementation. However if not then I would try to educate the client as tohow and why the best practice is the way forward.

Who’s to say that they don’t go hand-in-hand? As a coin has two sides, you can choose to flip the coin and choose a side, or you can back away and look at the coin as a “coin” and look at it from all sides—perspective. I think innovators or creators do this a lot without thinking—they play with the idea, flip it around, turn it upside down, backwards, an turn it inside out.

The idea of best practices is absurd! Innovation and pushing boundaries is what drives design and changes industry. If a client is willing to take the risk to do more and possibly fail let them.

Perhaps provide examples of real applications in the market comparison to client visualising pro and cons of the new ideas vs best practices, this will create a co-creation or collaborations understanding with the clients. Regardless there is no one sizes fits all. Sky is the limit!

By clarifying the risks & recommendations to client, we can look at what minimum we can compromise with the best practices to achieve the business objectives.

To find common ground with a client who wants a mobile design that defies best practices, a blend of empathy, education, and compromise is necessary. Listening to their vision, understanding their intent, and presenting data-driven insights can help. Emphasizing user experience (UX) can impact metrics like engagement and conversion rates. Offering to innovate within boundaries, balancing aesthetic or branding goals with usability, can help find common ground. Presenting case studies and holding workshops can help guide clients toward innovative but functional solutions. Balancing bold ideas with tried-and-true methods ensures both creativity and effectiveness in the final product.