Retain & Develop
Kick-Ass Designers–Part 4:
Variety & Fit of the Work
This is the fourth article in a 10-part series for design managers and directors called How to Retain and Develop Kick-ass Designers. You can find the overview of all 10 parts here in the Introduction.
The secret of happiness is variety, but the secret of variety, like the secret of all spices, is knowing when to use it.”
— Daniel Gilbert
We talked with a promising young designer a few years ago. He was fired up to work for an agency that was the best around at designing e-commerce platforms. They had a great reputation and he was excited about the big brands he’d work on. His new boss was cool. The pay was solid. His commute was a piece of cake. He was stoked.
Then, about a year later, he was moving on. He’d had enough. “Why?” I asked, “Was the job different than you thought it would be?”
“No, it was the same,” he replied. “In fact, that’s the problem — it’s always the same. Everyone’s great, and we do solid work, but if I have to work on another checkout process I’m gonna fall asleep at my desk.”
Without variety, his great job was no longer a fit.
Ask The Right Questions
As a design manager, how do you determine if your designers have enough variety? How can you be tuned in to what your designers need?
Start by asking them. Be thoughtful and creative about how you ask. Yes/No questions like “Are you happy with your project?” won’t give you much. Approach from different angles:
- Which projects over the last two years were your favorites?
- What was it about those projects that you liked?
- If we could do any of those projects again tomorrow, which one would you pick first?
- Are there any parts of this next project that you’d like to work on more than others?
- If we were to do that project again tomorrow, and we were going to assign someone else to do part of it, which part would you want someone else to do?
- Of all the projects that we’ve done as a group, think about the ones that you weren’t a part of. If we were to take on more of any of those projects, which ones would you want to be on? Which aspects of those projects interest you? What kinds of projects do you wish we did more of here?
While it’s easy to ask, it’s unfortunately not always easy to answer — not everyone likes to tell their manager that they’re unhappy. Let them know that you want them all to be a part of the process.
Look for Signals
Some answers don’t come directly. How’s the designer’s energy level when she talks about her project? Has the quality of her work gone up or down? Is one designer staying later than normal, even though there’s no pressing deadline, while another one seems to be watching the clock? It might be time for a change.
Bring In the Best Work (or Farm Out the Worst)
If your organization is an agency, you might have criteria for which projects to accept. Here’s a common list:
- Likelihood of success
- Value to the portfolio
- Positive impact to users
- Make the world a better place
- Financial viability
- Fit
That last one, Fit is a two-parter: (1) “Do we have the right capabilities to do an awesome job on this design challenge?” and (2) “Does this project align with the interest level and desires of the team?”
However, if your team is in-house, you might not have as much flexibility — your organization has design needs, and your group needs to deliver. You don’t always get to say no.
But that’s not always the end of your options. If you have budget for outside vendors, then perhaps you can give the least desirable projects to them. This shouldn’t be the only criteria for assigning projects to a vendor, of course, but it can help.
When It’s Not a Fit
Let’s say you’ve got a designer on a long-term project and you’re noticing signs that it’s no longer the right fit; she’s getting burned out. Often, she just needs to be moved off the project and someone else brought in. She gets re-energized by her new assignment, and the long-term project gets a fresh set of eyes. Win-win.
And, when it’s not possible to remove a designer from a project, it’s not the end of the world. We’re all adults and everyone makes sacrifices. To help the situation, be conscious and thoughtful of who’s ‘taking one for the team’ and do something to make it up to them.
The easiest thing to do is recognize her contribution. Tell her that she’s doing a great job and why it’s valuable to the business. Communicate your recognition in front of others. Maybe it’s as simple as during the shout-outs part of your team meeting (if you don’t have shout-outs on your team meeting agenda, give it a try; you’ll love it).
You can also reward the designer. Maybe it’s appropriate to provide comp time. Or, get her a gift card to a local spa. It doesn’t have to be big; thoughtful is better than expensive.
But, the most important thing you can do, and the one that takes the most effort, is get her a better project sooner than later. Nothing helps better than a better assignment.
In the next article, Part 5, we’ll cover how to develop a sense of Purpose.
