Design operations

 

Improving design culture

With my background in design program management, I’m always aware of inefficiencies and how to resolve bottlenecks to create a better design culture. The creative team grew from 3 to 14 within 10 months, but I discovered the way creative deliverables shipped had not scaled with the team, leading to:

  • Inconsistency in deliverable quality

  • Lack of insight into team projects

  • Limited cross-team communication throughout the week

Opportunities

  • Increase design standards, brand consistency

  • Increase collaboration

  • Alleviate Art Director's workload

  • Encourage open communication and allow interns & junior designers to practice giving constructive feedback

Stakeholders & Partners

  • Sr Design Lead (Self)

  • Creative Director

  • Design Ops

  • Sr Design Team

 

The process.

Organized a FigJam Brainstorm

  • Senior team members, open discussion on timelines, goals and benchmarks to hit

  • Set a baseline of pain points, identify which were highest priority

Proposed solution from brainstorm

  • Feedback-specific Slack Channel & Checklist aid

  • Process, best practices, feedback practices, expectations

Created Guidelines doc

  • Worked on condensing the information, so it was scan-able

  • Infused Wish’s brand by partnering with in-house illustrator for 3D artwork

  • Worked with team to ensure inclusivity

Soft Launch

  • Compiled feedback from senior team, which led to a more concise "best practices doc"

  • Timeline solidified to launch at beginning of new year

Rollout

  • Announced Channel and supporting material to team, made channel public, process started automatically

  • Monitored the channel and page, making sure documentation is always up-to-date and feedback is consistently flowing

 

The Results

Impact

  • All designs being delivered have gone through the proper channels, increasing consistency in branding.

  • Creates an environment of positivity in feedback

Feedback

  • "I have felt more connected to other designers because I can see what they're working on and have input"

  • "As an intern, I haven't been exposed to this type of feedback and usually dreaded asking for it..."

Wins

  • Relieved feedback bottleneck

  • Zero cost to implement

  • Alleviates traffic from other channels

  • Designated SSOT

Challenges

  • Limited budget

  • Would not have included so many stakeholders in brainstorming