Designing Your Team / Melissa Hajj (EDGE 2015)

To tackle big UX challenges, you need a great design team – but building a team is a design challenge itself. In this talk, Melissa Hajj will explore the difference between leading design and leading designers, discuss the key behaviors of a successful team leader, and share practical tools and tactics from her experience – and mistakes – as a team leader at Facebook, Apple, and more.

Transcript

2. Hi Tel Aviv!
3. Melissa Hajj Product Design Manager Facebook
6. When was the last time you felt you were able to do your best work?
7. Leading a design team is not the same as leading design.
8. Design is not just what it looks like. Design is how it works. — Steve Jobs, 2003 Design is not just what it looks like. Design is how it works. STEVE JOBS, 2003
9. What happens when you use design thinking to learn how lead your team?
11. Design leaders create the conditions that make great design possible.
12. Conditions are situational.
13. Conditions are situational. Clear goals Educated stakeholders EXTERNAL
14. Conditions are situational. Clear goals Educated stakeholders Just enough process Trust & candor EXTERNAL INTERNAL
15. Conditions are situational. Clear goals Educated stakeholders Just enough process Trust & candor Strengths leveraged Motivated EXTERNAL INTERNAL INDIVIDUAL
16. When was the last time you felt you were able to do your best work?
17. Conditions are situational. Clear goals Educated stakeholders EXTERNAL Just enough process Trust & candor INTERNAL Strengths leveraged Motivated INDIVIDUAL
18. And there's one other thing…
19. Great design leaders are supportive, not directive.
21. People
22. People + Understanding
23. People + Understanding + You
24. People + Understanding + You
25. People + Understanding + You, the Coach Diplomat Strategist Connector Defender Therapist
26. People + Understanding + You, the Coach Diplomat Strategist Connector Defender Therapist
27. A designer & a product manager walk into a bar.
28. A designer & a product manager walk into a bar. A designer & a product manager walk into a project.
29. A designer & a product manager walk into a project.
30. A designer & a product manager walk into a project. The designer The PM PEOPLE
31. A designer & a product manager walk into a project. The designer The PM PEOPLE What are the goals? Why the changes? UNDERSTANDING
32. A designer & a product manager walk into a project. The designer The PM The other PM The lawyer PEOPLE What are the goals? Why the changes? UNDERSTANDING
33. A designer & a product manager walk into a project. PEOPLE What are the goals? Why the changes? UNDERSTANDING The designer The PM The other PM The lawyer
34. A designer & a product manager walk into a project. PEOPLE What are the goals? Why the changes? UNDERSTANDING The designer The PM The other PM The lawyer
35. A designer & a product manager walk into a project. PEOPLE What are the goals? Why the changes? UNDERSTANDING Connector Diplomat Coach ME The designer The PM The other PM The lawyer
36. A product manager and a designer walk into a project. Get everyone aligned on the project's goals Coach the PM to bring the designer in to the complete process Coach the designer to ask for clear goals CHANGE THE CONDITIONS
37. Create the conditions that make great design possible. Be supportive, not directive. Use people + understanding + you.
39. Thank you!