How volleyball can help you to survive and thrive on a design team
Within the past year, I have moved from a solo lead design role to one where I am part of a team, consisting of other talented designers. For anyone making the jump, feelings of excitement can also be mixed with anxiety. What if I don’t get to own a product from end-to-end? What if I am relegated to only one phase of the design process — will my other skills diminish? Is there going to be a culture of competition? If so, will feelings of intimidation hamper my growth?
In my experience as both a UX designer and a recreational volleyball player, I’ve come to realize that the skills developed on the court can also be used to help anyone survive and thrive on a design team.
I present 5 volleyball-inspired tips that have helped me adjust from designing alone to designing in a group. These insights could be relevant to you whether you are figuring out how to shift from solo to team-based design, you are thinking of joining a new team or just wondering how to level up in your team role!
1. Embrace design as a team sport
True teamwork is the essence of volleyball. In this sport, hitters know that without a good set, they cannot execute a good spike. As designers, there is the desire to produce the best solution by doing thorough research, having pixel-perfect mockups and delivering a solid UI components to boot. Delivering this in high quality requires teamwork. When I was working as a freelancer and solo designer for many years, the immense pressure to perform in all areas led to either making “quality vs. quantity” tradeoffs or to burning out. In contrast, a team can cover more blindspots, keep biases in check, and incorporate diverse perspectives. This leads to a more well-rounded outcome, and to less pressure falling onto any single person — everyone wins!
2. Hone a T-shaped skill set
In volleyball, players must know how to play all positions — setter, hitter, blocker, etc. Yet, there is an understanding that each player could have one position they are most proficient at. The team works best when they play the game to each player’s strengths — either switching formations during a rally or adjusting when there is a bad pass. The best collaboration happens when all players have a grasp on both individual and team skills simultaneously. This is facilitated by developing T-shaped skill sets.
Opposed to a pure specialist or generalist, a T-shaped individual has a broad base of knowledge or set of skills in many fields but is also an expert in one of those areas. — Derek Mei on T-shaped skill set.
By knowing how to perform every aspect of the design process as well as having a specialization, each teammate can leverage their strengths within the project but also fill in the gaps when necessary. As a lone designer, I often had to be a jack-of-all-trades. Now as part of team, I have the bandwidth to specialize.
3. Communicate to avoid collision
When joining a new volleyball league, players are often unaware of their teammates’ skill levels or playing styles. They need to communicate by calling the ball in order to gain trust and to avoid collisions. Calling ownership of the next hit or volley is an effective way to smooth the rhythm of gameplay and to protect all the members of the team.
When we collaborate in a group setting, it can be difficult to gauge when to lead and when to follow. Openly discussing who will be the primary designer and who will support, or who will own certain tasks, will help the team function smoothly and efficiently.
4. Take the time to develop relationships
Gaining mutual respect among teammates is probably one of the most challenging aspects of teamwork. Whether it be volleyball or design, respect is cultivated when we see each other in action. We can enhance our confidence in one another when we take the opportunity to give and receive feedback. In volleyball, this might mean introducing a low-pressure situation to demonstrate and practice skills, such as a pre-game rally or a post-game debrief. One ritual that has promoted team camaraderie at my company, Included Health, is a weekly critique of each other’s work. I believe that this open but structured forum helps to foster a space where all designers feel safe to speak up. This then lends to enhanced trust, and the betterment of the team overall.
5. When in doubt, stick to the process
One aspect unique to volleyball is that all players must rotate positions after each side-out. Although one would think that the alternating positions and configurations would cause confusion among teammates, there is a basic play to keep the game going smoothly: bump, set, spike. When designing as part of a team, the same phenomenon can occur — roles, projects, priorities can shift. Everyone ultimately must adapt. However, no matter the change, we all fall back to the same design process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test.
While being the only designer at a company makes the process easier to control, the team environment definitely makes it more enriching. I love being able to learn by bouncing off ideas with others and receiving guidance from fellow mentors. I’ve spent years as a self-taught UX designer and as a result, I cherish these special moments of learning that are only manifested once working amongst a tribe.
I circle back to my initial qualms of choosing to leave my last position as the lead (but solo) designer to joining the team at Included Health. Viewing design as a team sport has helped me embrace the support of others and celebrate the wins together. Even if I have to slow down my process to collect a few more opinions around initial ideas, I rest assured that my solution would have covered all angles. Also, sharing the workload allows me to concentrate on areas of the design process that I gravitate towards.
After almost a year of working in a team, I can say that I feel more comfortable giving and receiving advice. I am happy to share that seeing other designers excel in their work did not harbor feelings of intimidation, rather, working among others has only pushed me to do better. Seeing how each person organizes wireframes, illustrates complex information architecture, facilitates design workshops or creates UI components, has inspired me to improve my own work.
Of course there are times I miss having complete ownership of a product or vision. I miss the straightforward, self-directed path towards a solution. However, having full control can be both a blessing and a curse for the solo designer. At this point in my career, I feel no need to prove that I can handle each and every aspect of design on my own. I’ve found that being able to play as part of a team can be an accomplishment within itself. Just like my weekly volleyball league, once I find the right group of people to play with, my skills, my drive and my love for the sport will flourish.
So if you are a product designer who is thinking of transitioning from a solo role to a team, my advice is to think about your current needs and your style of learning. If you feel you could benefit from any of these 5 insights, go the team route. For those who are figuring out how to work more effectively in a group setting, perhaps this analogy can help re-center your strategy. In any case, may I also recommend picking up a sport such as volleyball — it could very well be the game changer you are looking for!
