When a designer is brainstorming a concept, who is seated at the table (or in a virtual meeting) with them?
For a long time in most companies, you would likely see fellow designers. Their engineer and product manager counterparts, despite working on the same project, would be on separate teams, and collaboration would be strained. Now, many companies are shifting their org charts and embedding designers on cross-functional teams with employees from other departments and disciplines who are united under a common goal.
There is no shortage of benefits when it comes to incorporating designers on cross-functional teams. Engineers help designers consider the feasibility and functionality of their concepts, while product managers emphasize the end-user experience. Cross-functional teams simplify the feedback process across departments, and companies find they also result in improved employee soft skills such as empathy, communication and conflict management.
Design has also proven to be integral to companies’ operations and economic outcomes. A 2015 report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found that, compared to similar-sized companies in their sectors, companies with integrated design use had a 9.1 percent higher employment growth rate, an 18.7 percent higher value added growth rate and a 10.4 percent higher productivity growth rate.
At Stavvy, a Boston-based fintech company that provides a secure platform for remote mortgage closings, Product Design Manager Jonathan Berkey said integrating designers into cross-functional teams helps build stronger communication and trust across departments, often resulting in better solutions.
“The team can leverage its diverse expertise, rituals and open communication to raise concerns early and problem solve together,” Berkey said. “Whether it’s a potential issue with the intended behavior, an update to an existing component, or the question of technical feasibility or performance, working closely together and building those relationships makes for a cleaner delivery experience and less design and technical debt.”
Working closely together and building [cross-functional] relationships makes for a cleaner delivery experience and less design and technical debt.”
While many designers see the benefit of working closely with people from different departments, they also may worry that doing so will cut them off from the valuable expertise and advice of fellow designers. Berkey, however, reasons that embedding designers on cross-functional teams does not have to mean robbing them of interactions with other experts in their field.
“While they may have a lot of autonomy and ownership of the space they are working in, they are still part of the design organization and have responsibilities to the extended group and organization as a whole,” Berkey said.
To make opportunities for designers to collaborate among themselves, Berkey emphasizes the importance of rituals. At Stavvy, designers participate in group design reviews, during which they bring in current projects and problems to garner peer feedback.
“Building rituals that allow designers to come together for regular feedback and sharing is critical,” Berkey said. “This can serve as an opportunity to grow the critical eye, bring more transparency to each designer’s work and create more alignment and coherence across designs as a whole.”
What do organizations have to gain by embedding designers on cross-functional teams?
Embedding with cross-functional teams can create a tremendous amount of value, not only for the individuals on the team but also for the overall organization. Some of the key benefits that I have witnessed are in the areas of interpersonal connection, conflict management, knowledge sharing, goal alignment, feedback and validation.
The feedback and validation aspect is a great example of how cross-functional teams create value. When design is embedded within this type of team it creates the opportunity for more organic feedback on design and its implementation. The team can leverage its diverse expertise, rituals and open communication to raise concerns early and problem solve together. Whether it’s a potential issue with the intended behavior, an update to an existing component, or the question of technical feasibility or performance, working closely together and building those relationships makes for a cleaner delivery experience and less design and technical debt.
How do you avoid becoming siloed off from the other designers at your company? What does knowledge sharing, collaboration and feedback look like among this group?
Embedding a designer and working cross functionally does not have to mean that the designer is fully independent or alone in their work. While they may have a lot of autonomy and ownership of the space they are working in, they are still part of the design organization and have responsibilities to the extended group and organization as a whole. Designers need to stay aligned at many levels — from basic branding to design patterns, updates to components and the intersections of products and features. This all requires regular communication and sharing between the designers. Building rituals that allow designers to come together for regular feedback and sharing is critical to keeping all members up to date, as well as providing opportunities for input and feedback.
One great ritual is group design reviews, where designers can bring in current work and design problems to get feedback. This can serve as an opportunity to grow the critical eye, bring more transparency to each designer’s work and create more alignment and coherence across designs as a whole.
How does a designer’s average workday change when they are embedded with product managers, engineers and others, rather than working in a centralized design/UX team?
Whether a designer sits on a centralized design team or they are embedded, there are a few things that are consistent. The designer will need to work with stakeholders to understand the problem they are helping to solve and get feedback from stakeholders and other designers, as well as ensure the designs are implemented as intended. The most noticeable difference between an embedded designer and one that is on a centralized design team is the people with whom they spend most of their time problem solving.
On a more centralized design team, other designers tend to be the key partners in feedback and working through the problems that the individual is working on. However, when a designer is embedded, they lean on more of the cross-functional team, who all ostensibly share a common goal of solving the problem. This communication is more natural because they have built trust in working together. They all share a deeper knowledge of the space they are working in and can more effectively problem solve together. Both models can be effective, but the design team model takes more discipline when it comes to communicating with others outside the team.
