This is how we roll (part 2)
In part 1 we talked about our Vision, Principles and Strategy. In part 2 about our Design Culture at Motorway we’ll look at the structure of the team and how we grow, how we look after peoples development and what a typical day looks like (is there a typical day?!).
Structure
Design is very important at Motorway. It connects our customers to our products in both a practical and emotional way. Our team is made up of experts in several fields including Branding, Visual Design, Product Design, UX, Service Design, Content Design and Research. Our Visual Designers spend a lot of time working on Brand and Marketing projects, both digital and non-digital. Product Designers are embedded with Product Squads with Product Managers and Engineers, empowered to own and develop their part of the user journey. And additionally we have a supporting cast of experts that can work across areas such as UX Design and Research, Content and Ops.
We scale organically and elegantly according to our plans as a business — this is not a boom and bust culture. We know the inherent benefits of hiring diverse teams as having different experiences and perspectives make for better design outcomes (and a nicer place to work!)
Although assigned to different areas of the business we communicate as a team often and have several weekly rituals where we can share and critique work. Having an appreciation of the end-to-end customer experience is key to designing a seemless journey. Plus, we can geek out about typography, spacing, transitions, etc… all the good stuff.
Growing your career at Motorway
We’re in it for the longhaul, a coast-to-coast roadtrip. That means that we pay attention to each team members growth potential. Everyone is supported with regular manager catch-ups, peer-to-peer chats and a personal development plan.
We know that designers are all a different mix of disciplines, from UX, UI, brand, animation, content… we’re complex, but that’s also our strength.
At Motorway we’ve put together a Progression Framework to map out everyone’s personal matrix (rather than a ladder). It’s split into two parts; your professional skills and your behaviours. For example, in skills will be things like how adept you are at Qualitative Research, Prototyping, Execution, and in behaviours, Curiosity, Communication, Planning. Each discipline in graded from 1–5 with clear descriptions on what the expectations are for each level.
We use this to plot out a path of development with measurable goals that can be referred to at any time to keep people on track. There are separate definitions for those wanting to go down a management or IC track but no one is bound by this (how do you know if you want to be a manager until you manage someone?).
A day in the life…
This is a fast paced environment. We are a rapidly growing business and as such the work can come thick and fast so we need to be okay with context switching and last minute requests. That said, everyone is supported and every voice is heard.
Let’s look at a typical day for a Product Designer for example:
You’re embedded in a Squad dedicated to part of the Motorway experience. Each day there as a 15 min stand-up to update on progress (you’ll probably want to grab a coffee).
Heads down to get into some design work… on some days. Focus time is important but so is collaboration and each day may differ. Aim to have a good balance.
Take a break.
It’s Design Jam time! Twice a week we come together as a design team to share, critique or ‘jam out’ some ideas. It’s an interactive session with no hard rules except respect and engagement.
Take a break.
It’s time to design. We’re all different. Personally I find i’m better for admin in the morning and creativity in the afternoon. But you do you, we’ll work with your rhythms. Message stuff — we use Slack. Get some quick feedback from the team, everyone is attentive. And turn it off when you need deep concentration.
Reflect and celebrate on your work during the week.
Then wind down, you’ve worked hard! Socialising has been difficult lately but as things return back to normal we like to organise team events from industry talks to design exhibitions and lunches to evenings out.
Here’s what some of them team say about working in the Design Team at Motorway:
“I’ve learned a lot working here, surrounded by talented, hardworking and amazing people who are willing to push the limits, which in turn inspires me to do the same”. Chinny, Visual Designer
“At Motorway I feel like my voice is heard, and that design is a really key factor in the business. We work with some incredibly talented developers, who are just as passionate as the design team”. Léa, Product Designer
“Every employer promises empowerment and autonomy but motorway really gives it”. Jack, Product Designer
“It really feels like design is at the heart of everything we do at Motorway and is valued throughout the company. It’s something that I haven’t come across in any other company I’ve worked for.” Leonoor, Lead Designer
If you’re interested in working for Motorway it’s always worth checking out our careers page.
