Laura Baker’s Post

If you want to scale design, focus on consistently delivering high quality outcomes over rigid adherence to a process. Process may be necessary to drive consistency & expectations, but it shouldn’t be the end goal. There are many other factors that make a team effective: ✦ Building a culture and shared vision ✦ Defining standards and metrics ✦ Collaboration and comms ✦ Good onboarding ✦ etc etc It is a great way to give constructive constraints, especially for more junior designers But a process is only a means to deliver value It is not a guarantee for success. #Design

A small design team is better to work with, according to our clients. As a creative director, and a founder of such a team myself, I totally agree. Why? 1. Effective and agile team. The fewer team members, the faster decision-making. Simple as that, it just allows for better flexibility and adaptability. Small teams can respond to feedback faster without major delays. 2. You can talk directly to a person responsible for your project. A client can give feedback and directions to a designer face-to-face without an account manager middleman/woman. It vastly speeds up the workflow. 3. In big companies, one project may be taken over by several designers at different times, each with their own vision. This often leads to a lack of focus and duplication of tasks. A small team guarantees the most effective workflow and satisfied clients. 4. In a smaller team, you often work with 1-2 people deeply immersed in the work process. So, extended meetings are no longer required. 5. In big companies, the employee turnover may be more frequent, leading to the project being “tossed around” among them.     I’m happy to say that in my small team, the retention rate is high, with everybody stays with us for more than 3 years now 🤗 But that’s my opinion. What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Frameworks and methodologies will only take you so far If you want to scale design, focus on consistently delivering high quality outcomes over rigid adherence to a process. Process may be necessary to drive consistency & expectations, but it shouldn’t be the end goal. There are many other factors that make a team effective: ✦ Building a culture and shared vision ✦ Defining standards and metrics ✦ Collaboration and comms ✦ Good onboarding ✦ etc etc etc It is a great way to give constructive constraints, especially for more junior designers But a process is only a means to deliver value It is not a guarantee for success. #Design

Product design is a team effort, yet you try to hide it. Team player = mature designer. You work at a crossroads. Clients, users, product managers, engineers, and you — the product designer, in the middle. Collaboration is demanding and unpredictable. You need to understand others' perspectives and have basic knowledge of each field. Often, you land at the center of a project. You know every small detail. You are like a glue for the whole team. You collaborate with others to resolve all problems. Yet, all this is absent in your portfolio, or you try to be seen as a lone hero by design. Beyond a case study intro, you don’t mention collaboration at all. That is a mistake. Instead, you should share your "hero" moments, like: • When you’ve convinced a stubborn stakeholder to change their mind by participating in user testing.    • When you’ve worked with a project manager on improving collaboration processes to improve teamwork.    • When you’ve collaborated with engineers on a new hand-off process. Product design is always a team effort. Show you thrive in collaboration. Show you’re a team player. Show you're a mature designer. P.S. Do you have any tips on working with others? Share your stories 😀

Collaborating designers design better and happier 😎 😊 Pamoja Twaweza,kwa furaha 🤜 🤛 Reasons why I would choose collaborating in projects: ✅ Diverse Perspectives: Collaboration brings together individuals with varied backgrounds, experiences, and expertise, leading to a rich exchange of ideas. ✅ Creativity Spark: Interacting with colleagues ignites creativity through brainstorming sessions, feedback loops, and collective problem-solving. ✅ Skill Enhancement: Collaborating allows designers to learn from each other, share best practices, and develop new skills, leading to personal and professional growth. ✅ Enhanced Solutions: Combining different viewpoints results in more robust and thoughtful design solutions that consider a wider range of user needs and preferences. ✅ Increased Accountability: Working as a team encourages accountability and responsibility, as each member contributes to the success of the project. ✅ Supportive Environment: Collaboration fosters a supportive and inclusive work culture where team members feel valued, respected, and motivated to excel. ✅ Faster Iteration: With multiple minds at work, design iterations occur more rapidly, accelerating the development process and ensuring timely delivery of high-quality products. ✅ Improved Morale: Positive interactions and mutual support among team members contribute to higher job satisfaction and overall happiness in the workplace. ✅ Long-Term Success: Building strong collaborative relationships fosters trust and cohesion within the team, leading to sustained success in future projects.

5 Ways Bad Design Rationale Wreaks Havoc in Teams 🌪️👇 ▾ Bad design makes tasks harder and slower, reducing productivity. ▾ Unclear decisions lead to more errors, wasting time and resources. ▾Teams spend too much time fixing design problems, diverting focus. ▾ Poor tools and systems make employees unhappy and more likely to quit. ▾ Bad design causes delays and blockages, slowing down projects. Faulty reasoning creates errors, and frustration, destroying productivity and morale. But there's ways to to bring back the harmony after bad decisions. Here are 5 of them: ▴Define the goals and purposes of your design to ensure alignment and focus. ▴Record design choices, including alternatives considered and the reasons behind the final decision. ▴ Update stakeholders on the design process to build trust and ensure alignment. ▴Foster a collaborative environment where team members can share insights and ideas. ▴Review the design process and decisions made to improve for the future. How do you reduce the impact of poor design logic? Share your stories and tips in the comments below! If you find my posts helpful, follow for more insights on improving design.

I’ve gone to hundreds of design critiques… Here are 6 signals a project’s in trouble 1. The problem isn’t clear. As a result the feedback is all over the place and the designers are confused on which direction to tackle. 2. The problem is only being addressed in one dimension. A group will show up with a series of drawings and no models contextualizing the physics of the solution. 3. There is miscommunication among team members. The idea presented by Andrew is being communicated differently by Alex because she understands it differently. 4. The designers haven’t played enough. That’s right, they have played the game of exploration long enough to figure out a depth of variety among possible solutions to a problem. 5. There are little to no relevant diagrams. Attention spans are short so without a key diagram capturing the entire gist of the solution, too much of the critique is spent explaining the solution rather than critiquing it. 6. Designers often place too much emphasis on critics' feedback. Since design is subjective, it’s essential to discern which insights to retain and which to let go.

Collaboration Over Competition: The Power of Working Together in Design Hey there, fellow designers! Let's talk about something important: collaboration. You know, it's easy to get caught up in the idea of competing with each other, trying to outshine one another and claim the spotlight. But here's the thing: when we work together, magic happens. Think about it: each of us brings something unique to the table, whether it's killer design skills, fresh ideas, or a knack for problem-solving. When we pool our talents and perspectives, we can create something truly special that none of us could have achieved on our own. Instead of seeing each other as rivals, let's embrace collaboration as our superpower. Let's share our knowledge, brainstorm together, and lift each other up. Because when one of us succeeds, we all succeed to building an amazing product. I have worked with various designers and the ones that don’t think of it as a competition make the environment conducive, there are relationships built after the product is completed or when one leaves and the experience while working with the other designers is just amazing. I don’t know why you will say you are a User Experienced designer and you are creating a competitive, toxic environment for your fellow designers. ????!!! Please as designers, our first objective is to create an amazing product. Put down the pride, or anything that will make you want to outshine the other, prove you are better to retain the job or anything and learn to collaborate effectively. PS: Who thinks ensuring teams can collaborate effectively without much competition or outshining the other is important??

Design team meeting? More like an ego contest. Nobody listens. Everyone knows 'best'. Welcome to Design Drama 101. Hard truths about teamwork in design:  – Ego outweighs collaboration  – Personal style often overshadows team objectives  – Everyone desires to be recognized as 'the genius' What really happens is: – Designers defend their work blindly – Feedback becomes a battle – Compromise is a dirty word – Collaboration dies Real design needs: – Openness – Humility – Shared goals – Mutual respect Actually The best designers know that: – Great work happens together – No one has all the answers – Diversity creates magic – Ego destroys innovation Stop thinking you're the smartest. Start listening. BTW Do you have an idea and need support to develop it? Check out this: https://lnkd.in/gUj5YPeb PS: True creativity is collaborative. Not competitive.

I hear this all the time from design managers: “Sometimes I feel like the only person in the room who even understands what design is supposed to do.” I've heard this in almost every research call I've had with design managers, especially at mid-sized companies, where they’re often the only design manager and the most senior designer in the room. If you’re the lone design leader at your company, this probably sounds familiar. Your day isn’t just managing a team — it’s defending your discipline. It’s explaining the same basic design principles over and over, in rooms full of people who don’t get it. And no one else inside your company can back you up. When you’re the only design manager, there’s no one to talk to who really understands. You’re left navigating these challenges on your own, while others don't even see the problem. It’s a tough spot to be in. How do you handle it?