Design Leadership

User interviews are one of the easiest user research methods to get started with. To make them effective, the flow and formulation of questions need to be right. — ☕ Getting deeper with well-formed user interview questions User interviews are one of the most basic and widespread research methods used by design teams, and a great tool to get details and especially stories from users. These are the stories that help the design process, add context for user goals and needs, and also help to answer the…

Because leaders need to succeed, now more than ever — When budgets are tight, teams are shrinking, and headcount is limited, why should coaching be at the top of your list of expenditures? The short answer: Because you can’t afford to go without it. This economic downturn is taking a heavy toll on leaders. They are stressed out by instability…

In a few words, a well balanced team can increase the overall design performance of your digital product. Nurturing a positive Design culture is crucial to increase the maturity of a Design team. So, when a Design team is capable of providing different skills, perspectives, and experiences, the hypothesis brought…

Results from Design Dept.’s recent community survey — If you’ve been wondering whether you’re the only one juggling flaming torches or scaling a particularly brutal mountain or thinking that Rip Van Winkle 20-year nap sounds pretty good right about now, we’re here to tell you that you are not alone. And we’ve got the data to prove it. …

7 things you need for new product development — Early in her career, Mia Blume was an innovation consultant at IDEO, helping big companies figure out how to create new products and services in the market — often quite successfully. But where the efforts of external consulting agencies end is often where failure begins. “Even when we set up…

From the heart: practical tips for effective leadership and management — As a manager, you have a vital role to play in helping your team grow and succeed. That’s why I was struck by a recent LinkedIn post that said, “Be the senior you needed when you were a junior.” It perfectly captures the importance of coaching and mentoring in creating…

Pair design is an awesome way to get designers to collaborate more closely, increase design quality, and for team members to learn and grow together. — ☕ Pair design leads to better design collaboration Modern product design is a deeply collaborative discipline. Whether it’s the discovery process within the product team, or functional practices like design critiques, there are a lot of opportunities to exchange ideas and get feedback.

Managing Design projects can be a challenging activity, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that this is not as satisfactory as any other exploratory or creative activity. Once the responsibilities and due dates have been delegated, you can feel like you know exactly where to go and what the expectation is…

From a 1-person team to leading my own 4-person income generating domain. — Back in 2019, I started off as the only designer in an up-and-coming tech startup. When I say tech startup, I mean TECH STARTUP- filled with tech geeks that are focused on numbers and characters, and the only colours they cared about were the ones on their terminals. Being the…