I'm working with someone who is more skilled than me in programming, but lacks many of the design skills we need to complete an assignment. He can't stop pointing out that he's a better programmer than me. I think that I have better design skills.
We have to work together on this project. I've spotted some design problems with his work.
He's unwilling to hear my suggestions for improvement, citing that because he's a better coder, I can't be knowledgeable on designs either. He keeps mentioning his better coding skills in a triumphant manner. In a way, his response comes down to bullying. I've resigned myself to never be bullied again, so I keep mentioning our relative strengths. I need the project to be a success, so I've tried being very accommodating with his behaviour. This seems to have increased his sense of superiority.
My concerns regarding his design were validated by a senior dev, causing a stalemate. I still wonder how to deal with such a situation when there's nobody to cover your back.
Question: How do you get past someone's pride when you have different skill sets without bruising each other's egos? Especially when the other thinks they're better than you in terms of skill, but this remains to be seen when considering skills other than programming that are needed to get the job done?
Note: I'm not trying to be the divine type from Dealing with someone who thinks he's "divinely right" not at all. It not the opposite either though. I've tried considering my own behaviour from the perspective in that question as well, and I honestly can't say that I recognize myself in the devine character.