Research for Design - Team Building

My previous experiences with teamwork weren’t always positive. Many times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was unable to collaborate effectively due to team members’ time zone differences and communication issues. So I want to find out how to form a good team and engage all participants to achieve our goals.

Last week, we had our first group session in class, and the goal was to get to know each other and define each person’s role. In my group of four team members were Hima, Ziyi and Michael, and we did not know each other very well and had never worked together before. During the session, we discussed several points:

Expectations: What do you expect from each other in order to become a successful team?

Although we all come from different experiences and backgrounds, one thing we have in common is the need for everyone to be responsible and transparent about their work, and working towards the same goal.

Team Values: What are the overall core values that are recognized by all team members?

As a team, we agreed that learning is essential for everyone, and we are using the team project to improve our skills and learn from each other. So, we hope to have a fun learning experience and maintain open communication.

Team Members: Who is on the bus and what do they bring to the team? Roles, values, skills, character traits?

In the session, we surprisingly mentioned each other’s strengths without talking much about ourselves, which is a good sign that we recognize teammates’ values and qualities and want to learn from each other.

Driver: Who is behind the wheel? How will you choose a direction and make decisions together?

We all have different ways of making a decision, and this was not clearly defined during the meeting. A comprehensive understanding of the subject matter, as well as an organized process, would be helpful; we are also looking for ways to develop negotiating skills and decision-making abilities.

Obstacles: What would you prevent you, as a team to reach your goals?

Some concerns were shared, such as inactive participation and being late/delayed tasks seem to have a negative effect on teamwork. It is also important to note some external obstacles, such as time constraints and user research limitations.

Team goals: What is the goal you want to reach? When is the effort a success?

Each of us has things we would like to improve, and for this class project, we are not just hoping to achieve the short-term goal, such as reaching course criteria, but also aiming to achieve the long-term goal. Our goal is to ensure that this project offers everyone a meaningful experience in developing the skills they need to advance in their career and also discovering their strengths and weaknesses.

Trouble: What will you do when the shit “hits” the van?

In our discussion, we agreed that reflection could be helpful when things do not work out as expected. Reflecting on the process of making sense and the consequences of each step is likely to help us discover new possibilities. Additionally, the ability to associate other projects as examples would provide us with inspiration.

Energy Source: What generates energy in the group? What gets everyone going?

It will take time to figure this out since everyone has different styles and preferences in terms of collaboration. We chose the tools and work mode and discussed each other’s schedules. As soon as the project officially starts, it will be important to pay attention to details that will keep everyone motivated and productive.