How to train your designer?
Evolution: how it works in organizations
Evolution occurs as living organisms adapt to changes, with those unable to do so becoming extinct. Diversity, adaptability, and an iterative approach are crucial not just for survival, but for achieving higher levels of success. Various team structures, organizational formats, and hierarchies exist, each with its distinct dynamics. In my experience, software development firms often operate under engineer-led influence, given that many such companies were founded by engineers, who bring a practical mindset. Nonetheless, for a company to progress, changes must be welcomed. Embracing this shift is crucial at every level: supportive and understanding management is equally vital as an innovative development team. In the context of managing organizational change, it is essential for management to grasp the long-term advantages and holistic perspective. Recognizing that initially slowing down to integrate design into the development process is an investment that will pay off, resulting in a decrease in overall delivery time.
Those who understand the importance of this, acknowledge the significance of integrating designers into their teams, a shift that inevitably alters team dynamics. It is imperative for all involved to remain flexible. In order to adapt, engineers must recognize the value of incorporating different perspectives. Hence, I aim to assist engineers in engaging with these new partners and conveying to designers the aspects that could facilitate a smoother development process.
It’s important to note at this point: the following works only if the organization honestly wants to evolve and embraces changes. There might be situations when some can’t pick up the rhythm. The team can always help these individuals with patience, transparent communication and involvement.
Recognize similarities: get to know your partner in crime
When designers and developers collaborate, it's similar to blending strawberries and chocolate – a delightful fusion that enhances almost everything. Designers infuse creativity and sprinkle magic with their unique viewpoints and fresh ideas, transforming ordinary projects into digital masterpieces. Developers, on the other hand, contribute technical expertise to bring these creative concepts to fruition. Together, they leverage each other's strengths, resulting in innovative solutions that captivate and impress.
Internally, the dynamic between designers and developers is intriguing. Both possess curiosity, intelligence, and a desire to comprehend. So, why do these roles diverge, and why am I focused on aiding developers in understanding designers? There’s a trend: developers and designers share a common interest in problem-solving, albeit with distinct focuses. Developers aim to address issues through a technical lens, while designers prioritize resolving user pain points.
When these two perspectives converge, magic unfolds – leading to satisfied users whose challenges are elegantly resolved. This harmony results in overall contentment. Nonetheless, collaboration between developers and designers can be challenging. Their contrasting mindsets may necessitate alignment and empathy to establish a seamless, efficient workflow.
Unlocking the power of design collaboration: why does this matter?
Joining forces with designers brings a focus on the user to problem-solving, ensuring that issues are addressed from the perspective of those who will interact with the final product. Designers often use a variety of methodologies to approach problems, leading to a wider range of potential solutions. This diversity in problem-solving approaches can result in more thorough and successful outcomes.
Even the most user-centric developer may overlook certain scenarios or fail to engage certain stakeholders. While designers analyze data, conduct research, and interview real users, developers tend to concentrate on technical challenges of the implementation. This division of labor is beneficial, as designers may not consider all aspects of feasibility or potential integration issues. This is where the cooperation with designers shines: developers can bring their unique value while gaining a holistic understanding of the project through a design perspective.
The design adventure begins: from brainstorm to brilliance
Let's look into the fascinating journey of the design process — a dynamic adventure encompassing creativity, data analysis, and collaborative efforts with stakeholders. Here's an overview:
Initiation: the designers commence by grasping the business requirements, delving into data analysis (ideally facilitated by data analysts and/or business analysts).
Data analysis: collaborating with researchers to comprehend the market landscape, competitors, user pain points, niche opportunities, and more.
Prioritization and validation: armed with this robust data, they prioritize elements crucial to meeting business needs. At times, the requirements may fall short of addressing the core issue, prompting the designer to chart the correct strategic path.
Logical flow, user journey: once a prioritized set of solutions, validated by key stakeholders, is in place, the designer may create flowcharts, user journey maps, or similar tools to identify and streamline the user experience.
Low fidelity wireframing: subsequently, iterative design begins. Stakeholders, ranging from product managers to end users, play a pivotal role, offering diverse perspectives early on to uncover blind spots. During design iterations, designers present low-fidelity wireframes to sketch concepts, validating them before progressing to high-fidelity mockups.
High fidelity mockups: these mockups leverage components from a well-documented design system, ensuring consistency. Final mockups are validated, leading to the development of prototypes for stakeholder testing.
Prototyping and testing: with realistic, interactive prototypes, designers provide an opportunity to stakeholders to understand the suggested solution, while pointing out glitches or still having the option to simplify the flow. Having a prototype helps in preparing for testing, establishing solid test cases and documentation. A well-established prototype can be the northern star during development.
Documentation and handover: upon validation, designers finalize documentation and hand over to developers, who ideally engaged in design critique sessions earlier, offering valuable feedback.
Throughout development, designers collaborate with developers to identify potential issues, streamlining the process and facilitating a smoother release. Post-release, designers engage with stakeholders to optimize features, emphasizing the iterative nature of design, active involvement in the process, and collaborative development for mutual benefit.
Maximizing efficiency: crafting connections and crushing challenges
Now that you understand the design process, you might wonder: OK, but how and where can I “jump in” and initiate changes? Let me tell you an example from my past.
A few years ago, we implemented design critique sessions within the organization. We extend a warm invitation to all stakeholders, with a broader focus on welcoming anyone interested in participating. The rationale behind this is straightforward: the more eyes that examine a problem, the greater the diversity of experience and expertise available. When individuals with varied backgrounds comprehend the same issue, they offer unique solutions, allowing the team to choose the most optimal one from a broader range of options.
These sessions occur on a weekly basis with specific topics prepared for each session. Initially attended by designers, researchers, and a few product managers, the sessions soon attracted the head of frontend development, the development product owner, the head of sales, and members of the support team. Over time, the attendance grew to include more developers, including backend engineers. Everyone in the organization became more and more conscious about what is happening, what we plan to deliver, what to expect in the near future - and they could prepare and organize their own roadmap in a more enhanced way.
As our work expanded to encompass a complex ecosystem (mobile application, desktop software and multi-functional hardware), even the CEO began attending. The design critique has become a pivotal opportunity for everyone to gain insight into product design and provide feedback. While it may seem resource-intensive, considering the long-term benefits, these initial feedback sessions have helped us address dissatisfaction and avoid potential roadblocks. Additionally, as designers, we have gained a better understanding of the limitations posed by hardware constraints.
One potential point of contention is when certain team members exhibit a "superior" attitude. It's crucial to set aside egos for successful collaboration. True partnership can only thrive when everyone is considered an equal, recognizing that each person brings a unique level of expertise, albeit in different domains. By pooling your knowledge and skills, you can elevate user satisfaction and quality to new heights. However, if you opt to work alone due to a belief in your superiority over others, you will ultimately find yourself isolated. Transparent, honest and respectful communication can help you overcome this challenge: with honest curiosity and openness, anyone will be able to understand the “why?”-s, the reasons behind a certain approach, and folks might find it fun to collaborate with each other. Additionally, establishing a shared understanding from the beginning fosters strong relationships among team members, enabling mutual reliance and trust from day one.
The importance of customer experience (CX): who counts as a customer?
Typically, designers strive to deliver not just a visually appealing UI but also an exceptional user experience. However, when we talk about users, it's not just the end user but also the developer who interacts with the design. Therefore, designers should consider the developer experience to some extent when handing over a design.
Designers need to recognize that the primary focus of effective UX and product design is the user. It goes beyond aesthetics, personal expression, or artistic flair; instead, it relies on practicality grounded in data, research, technical feasibility, and meeting user requirements. Designers should acknowledge the significance of thorough documentation and being readily accessible. While some organizations may initially not see the need for assistance, if designers maintain a consistent presence, developers will eventually appreciate the advantages of collaboration.
Developers can offer insights on the design structure, the overall project, and even the organization of design files. It may seem odd, but in many companies, design practices are not as advanced as they could be, and it is in everyone's best interest to ensure smooth and efficient outcomes. This can be achieved by designers presenting clean, clear, and comprehensible designs that offer practical solutions.
Developers have the opportunity to guide and support designers by suggesting logical approaches where needed. If a designer is capable of delivering a well-organized, self-explanatory design file, the role of the developer primarily shifts to assessing its practicality and consistency.
Benefits of patience: what comes with a good collaboration?
By actively engaging in the design process and offering insights on your workflow to help designers align their files with your requirements, over time, the transition will become seamless, communication will be clear, and mutual understanding will develop even from incomplete expressions. This streamlined collaboration accelerates project delivery and establishes a solid groundwork. Such unity fosters a mature organization where team members are adept at supporting each other to achieve success and secure quick wins.
It is important to remember that encouraging management can enhance collaboration, whereas pressure to simply rush through application development without refining it can render cooperation futile. In conclusion, the partnership between designers and developers is like a beautiful dance without being spoiled by business – each step complementing the other, each move adding to the rhythm of the project. By embracing a structured approach, fostering open communication, and celebrating the power of collaboration, teams can create digital wonders that captivate audiences and drive success.
