How to manage the design team

According to the experience of the design team that led the user experience for many years, the following suggestions are provided for the design team.

Once, I also managed a few teams, the accumulation of some of the insights hope to help your design team to achieve smooth or half smooth operation.

But some of the advice is adaptable to all types of teams, and for completeness I summarize the following:

Have a common vision and direction

A mission statement and a set of principles that the team can follow to ensure that each is practical and workable. If you always cheer your team up with an ambitious, worthless vision, they will soon be shattered by the iron Fist of reality.

Set strict but variable processes

Set standard design processes based on best practices so that junior designers have guidelines for doing things. The details of the process are variable, and when a player has a better idea of how to do it, (it has to change). Remember that "variable" is not the same as "disposable". Processes are important, and a repeatable process increases efficiency over time.

Love Everyone

Don't be eccentric. Let everyone have a chance to show their fists on big projects. Even if you think a team member is incapable of doing the job well, you must give him a chance to exercise. All you have to do is keep a close eye on it and then offer help when they need it.

Listening and attention

For a team, you have to be on a variety of occasions--mostly listening to a lot of complaints and gossip, inspiring, helpful, and mediating when your players need it. Don't spread the gossip that you hear, if you can stand it. Because it is the practice of breeding tigers, the result will be to discourage the enthusiasm of the players.

Allow disagreement, but don't evolve into personal attacks

The design team is made up of passionate individuals, and everyone wants to show their passion. You can let them debate, but don't let the debate get out of hand, hinder work, or exacerbate the debate by attacking and insulting others. Like a referee, be ready to interrupt when things get hot.

"You're not the same as your job."

This is one of the most important points I think. Designers must be able to look at themselves differently and look at work, because their designs will inevitably be modified before they are finalized, or they may find that some ideas and designs are simply unproductive through usability testing. Keep your team up to this point

(especially inexperienced members, who may have doubts about the objectivity of the evaluation).

Don't fame: Be a mentor

As a design team leader you should never put yourself in a position to compete with anyone in the group. I mean not to be both a designer and a manager, because it can cause jealousy and discord. If you have to be involved in the design, choose to work with a junior team member and take this as a mentor opportunity.

Establishing a pair design pattern

There is a method called "pairing programming" in software development, where two development partners write code for a particular project. It enables each programmer to play his or her advantage and "cross train" the other side. The same approach can and should be applied to the user experience design team as much as possible. Having two or more people working together will keep ideas flowing. It also enables the designer to collaborate with support and encouragement when he or she needs it.

The credit goes to the team, not to you.

If a design project goes well, give the person who does the work full praise and honor. If things get worse, don't look for scapegoats. As a manager, you will be responsible for what you do. UX professionals are often the most sensitive people, so your team members will notice this and thank you.

Don't be eccentric (don't hire a friend)

Don't spend all your time with just one member of your team. Invest your time reasonably and share it fairly with everyone else, or someone will always be excluded, and when you need them, they will not do their best.

It may seem like a good idea to bring in a team of co-workers you've worked with before, because you know their work experience and they used to work very happily with them. Don't do that. In my experience, bringing a friend into your job will only lead to bad things in the end:

The main reason is that once they have the experience of working with you, they will not respect you as a boss.

Realize that people are different

Your team will be a collection of talented people, but not everyone is a "perfect designer"-throw him a project without a care. Focus on your team's strengths and passions and try to play them as much as possible. Also accept the fact that some people are more ambitious and others are stuck in the perfect job of doing basic work.

Mentor, don't command.

Do not specify the design direction. Your players have their own outlook on life, values of the main body of thinking. You may already know what the right approach is, but sometimes it's better for the team to make your own decisions (you're going to have a little guidance from the side): Your approach is the solution.

Set aside daily research time

Unless your project deadlines are very much in demand, you should give your team some time to step into better designers and researchers-by reading articles and books. Learn to keep learning as part of your life plan, and to give the team the opportunity to share each other's learning experience (preferably a time away from work).

Do design, the most important is happy!

I have participated in design retreats, playing role-playing games: Revealing abstract maps and adapted characters. This type of activity not only strengthens and grows the design team, but also makes the design a unique and interesting experience: not only for the team but also for the managers of the user Experience team.

Captain Kirk once said: "The more complex your brain, the more you need to play some simple games." "The User experience design team is usually made up of very intelligent and" complex "people: always offer them the opportunity to explore and play.