Managing Design 2016 - building a respectful design team culture

Managing Design 2016

Building a Respectful

Design Team Culture

@cameron_rogers

I’m Cameron

I lead the SEEK UX team

@cameron_rogers

I’m Cameron

“…a fine, upstanding member of the UX community…”

@shanemo

@cameron_rogers

Today…

1. Design and Leadership

2. UX & Design @ SEEK

3. SEEK UX team’s challenge

4. Building a collaborative team

@cameron_rogers

Talking Design + Leadership

@erova @joulee @peterme @kimgoodwin

What we’re seeing from this newest crop of successful design leaders is less about design. It’s all about leadership.

Jared Spool

“ “

@cameron_rogers

A good Leader is…

Selfless, driven, vulnerable, trusting, honest, approachable, fun, flexible, fair, courageous, visionary…

@cameron_rogers

A good Design Leader is a…

strategic, visionary, inspiring, detail-oriented, diplomat, considerate, teacher, dogged recruiter, operator @peterme

Focusing in and out

• Practice Leadership

+ Change Leadership

• Leading Inward

+ Leading Outward

UX @ SEEK

A little background

@cameron_rogers

A long time ago*

*just over three years

@cameron_rogers

Mobi le App

Design

Hirer Product

Design Candidate

Product Design

Visual

Design

User

Research

Clear boundaries existed

@cameron_rogers

Hirer Product

Design Candidate

Product Design

Visual

Design

User

Research

Mobi le App

Design

I’m an iOS app expert

Mobi le App

Design

Candidate

Product Design

Visual

Design

User

Research

Hirer Product

Design

I’ve deep insight into hirer needs

Hirer Product

Design

Mobi le App

Design

Candidate

Product Design

User

Research

Visual

Design

I love skeuomorphism

In hindsight

Warning signs were present

@cameron_rogers

As the Product Roadmap grew

@cameron_rogers

The team size also grew…

…and fast

@cameron_rogers

Mobi le App

Design

Hirer Product

Design Candidate

Product Design

Visual

Design

User

Research

Be careful not to grow your

team too fast.

Sarah Doody – 2016

“ “

@cameron_rogers

The UX team’s challenge

Becoming a true team

@cameron_rogers

Moving from ‘I’ to ‘We’

… and we, and we?

@cameron_rogers

Without unity, creative people

pull in different directions, which

breeds conflict and spawns

inconsistency, which leads to a

poor customer experience, which

is the beginning of the end.

David Bradford

“ “

@cameron_rogers

Google’s Project Aristotle

What makes a successful team?

@cameron_rogers

#1 Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is by far the most important factor in a healthy team—that is a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up

@cameron_rogers

Intelligence X Collaboration

= Results

Mike Davidson

@cameron_rogers

Comfort Zone

Apathy Zone

Learning Zone

Anxiety Zone

Performance Pressure

Ps

ych

olo

gic

al S

afe

ty

LOW HIGH

LO

W

HIG

H

@cameron_rogers

In the Anxiety Zone

o Few offer new ideas or critique

o Little asking for help

o Perceived pressure to know all

o Pace slows

o Avoidance behaviour rife

@cameron_rogers

Comfort Zone

Apathy Zone

Learning Zone

Anxiety Zone

Performance Pressure

Ps

ych

olo

gic

al S

afe

ty

LOW HIGH

LO

W

HIG

H

@cameron_rogers

In the Learning Zone

o How can I make this better?

o High collaboration

o Learning from each other

o Seeking critique

o Coaching and mentoring

@cameron_rogers

(Re)Forming

Creating Psychological Safety

@cameron_rogers

Step 1 - Social Communication

Create opportunities to talk

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

Step 2 – Hire well

Prioritise collaboration

@cameron_rogers

Do not seek praise. Seek criticism… If, instead of seeking approval, you ask, ‘What’s wrong with it? How can I make it better?’, you are more likely to get a truthful, critical answer.

Paul Arden

“ “

@cameron_rogers

Hiring the right designers

@cameron_rogers

Step 3 – Teach Critique

Design critique is a skill

@cameron_rogers

30 Percent feedback

Shared mindset and framework

@cameron_rogers

5 Key Critique questions

o Is the design at 30, 60, or 90%?

o How urgent is the critique?

o What are the business goals?

o The user goals?

o What’s the design logic?

@cameron_rogers

Learning Design Critique

@jasonfreedman @aaroni @adamconnor

Step 4 – Tame your Unicorns

Foster integration and collaboration

@cameron_rogers

@peterme

@mikejoos

Voltronicorn?

@mikejoos

Step 5 – Establish Mastery

Promote individuals' strengths

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

Step 6 – Ensure scalability

Extensible rituals and processes

@cameron_rogers

Be careful not to grow your

team too fast.

Sarah Doody – 2016

“ “

@cameron_rogers

Step 7 – Outwards Safety

Help your org embrace the same frameworks and mindsets

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

@cameron_rogers

Takeaway from today?

In the rush to influence your org, don’t forget to lead inwards too

@cameron_rogers

What have I missed?

@cameron_rogers

Article references - Leadership On U X L ead er s h ip – K im G o o d w in

The N ew Des ig n L ead er – Ja r ed S p o o l

Th e C h a l leng e o f H i r ing S en io r D es ig n L ead er s h ip – P e te r M er h o lz

W h at G o o g le L ear ned F r o m I ts Qu es t to B u i ld th e P er f ec t Team – C h ar les D u h ig g

Th r ee Y ear s in S an F r anc is c o – M ike D av id s o n

@cameron_rogers

Article references - Critique H o w to d o a P r o d u c t C r i t iq u e – Ju l ie Z h o u

The A r t o f C r i t iq ue – A d am C o nno r & A ar o n I r i z a r r y

H o w to r u n a D es ig n C r i t iq u e - S c o t t B er ku n

G iv ing B et te r D es ig n F eed b ac k - M ike M o nte i r o

Mo ving f r o m C r i t i c a l R ev iew to C r i t iq ue - Ja r ed S p o o l

@cameron_rogers

Image references

R a inb o w G o d z i l l a and V o l t r o n ic o r n h t tp : / / w w w . m ike j o o s . c o m / 2 0 11 / 0 8/ mec h ag o d z i l l a - u n ic o rn - b reath ing -r a inb o w . htm l

S h ac k led u n ic o r n – B anks y v ia Th e S im p s o ns

@cameron_rogers