Each team likes to build or define themselves in a way that is unique. While some companies have five employees, others might have more than 300. The common thread between them is that all firms will have unique cultures.
Our observations for teams that have successfully leveraged a design-driven culture and reason the mindset is a great idea are as follows:
Why You Need to Build Design Driven Culture
Most companies have a ton of projects that are happening in parallel. That’s a lot for a small company if you sit back and think. It is essential for you to take a step back to help your team concentrate on your core mission. Having a design-driven culture is necessary for a company irrespective of the size and the shape. When you align your team with the purpose, it assists them well in design and product decisions.
No 1- Educate The Team About the Design Process
The truth is that initially, the design thinking process looks abstract. That can also cause discomfort especially as you wade through areas wherein there is no certainty. But, as you keep providing resources and in-depth explanations, your entire squad will become stronger.
There is a misconception that creating a great product needs a list of good questions you need to ask the users. The primary intention of it is to check if the feature is desirable. Helping your team understand this concept is essential if you want to succeed.
No 2- Be Comfortable Embracing Friction
First things first, you should create a platform for interdisciplinary teams to meet and know the problems they are to solve. For sure it is the most crucial part of the design process. Developing a culture that permits people to share or voice out their opinions and thoughts is vital.
Creating a space like open forum discussions are excellent, but you need to ensure that the critiques are quality driven. It can help in developing constructive feedback.
No 3 – Provide Great Feedback
One can improve giving feedback by ensuring that the input they provide is straightforward and honest. Backing the feedback with enough proof or documentation is critical. It is wise not to say anything abruptly without checking if the information is accurate before sharing it.
Do not to give any feedback that does not focus on your overall goals. Offer suggestions that may help improve the process rather than putting it across as a demand from your end. Exercise caution to ensure that your advice does not sound like a demand to the other person. Talk about things that are working as well, as it is something that many people overlook while giving feedback.
No 4 – Select Advisors Who Have the Expertise
If you want your team to look at things from a newer perspective, it is essential to have advisors that know the business well. They need to have a sound understanding of things that especially have a perfect balance of design and business goals in mind. Meeting at least once or twice in a month is necessary. Do this mainly with a purpose to review design goals. For sure, this is one great way to analyze how well we are doing when it comes to performing user experience tests as well as goals for new features. These advisors can be of a significant influence on how you make your design decisions. They can also utilize the time even to assess the overall product strategy.
Doing this can help you to tie back your team from not losing the focus to the business objectives. After these design reviews are complete with the leaders in the streams, teams can regroup and invigorate with new goals and ideas. For sure, this is the best way to measure the success.
No 5 – Surround Yourself With Design Minded Thinkers
It is critical for you to be around with friends, teammates, or colleagues who have an eye for design. They need to be someone who can think out loud and are not afraid to share their opinions without any fear, even when they are wrong. They could be experts in one or two skill sets and have a passion for design.
Having a design-oriented group can be very helpful as it can give you a new source of inspiration with some entirely new thoughts and ideas.
It’s essential for you to understand that a startup is more like a wild ride. While it is interesting to note that your role changes regularly, you will also see that the list of things that you need to do increases drastically. Building a team culture with design-thinking can help your team get the skills that are necessary to move the company forward.
