Improving Workflows and Processes
My first steps in a leadership role where I focused on resource optimization and process improvement, ensuring that the design and research team's needs were better represented.
Overview
As a Design Manager, I worked on two initiatives for the UX Research and Product Design Teams. The DesignOps plan and the product Operating model.
These were my first steps in a leadership role. I focused on resource optimization and process improvement, ensuring that the design and research team’s needs were better represented.
For confidentiality reasons, I have omitted the actual values of some metrics. Contact me to dive deeper.
Stakeholders
Christian Bobzin - UX Director
Kateryna Sotnychenko, Agnieszka Chromik, Keti Tserovska, Anna Oliinyk - Product Design Team
Vidhya Arakere & Marthe Lem - UX Research Team
Kivanc Arkac, Nick Papakonstantinou, - Product Leadership Team
Marmik Brahmbhatt - Scrum Master
Tools
Figjam
Jira
The challenges
Rising issues are presented in the interactions between product design, user research, and engineering teams, looking to provide a solution for a fluid process that prioritizes transparency, efficiency, and productivity.
The previous 2022 UX maturity audit provided the team with many improvement opportunities, but defining where to focus first was essential.
Having designers/researchers participate in the engineering team sprint planning is not ideal because designers/researchers cannot track their velocity since their story points were mixed in with the engineering teams. The epics used to track a project’s overall lifecycle have an engineering-focused workflow that does not accurately represent the design and research team’s state. And most often, designers and researchers are a minority in the sprint planning meeting, with the engineers taking up most of the time and attention.
My Impact
Improved workflow for the design team
More transparency and clarity for non-designers
Better use of the design resources
Summary
The User Research & Product Design operating model and the DesignOps plan set a starting point in elevating design maturity at MLS.
Streamlined processes and minimize conflicts.
Elevated User Satisfaction: Fosters a user-centric approach, increasing satisfaction and loyalty.
Speeded up problem identification and resolution, minimizing disruptions.
I conceptualized and guided the creation of design sessions to promote innovation and encourage creative thinking and user-focused feature development.
The team achieved improved clarity and consistency in the design system process.
Many discussions were happening, and due to the change in company leadership and restructuring process, only the starting point of activities from the DesignOps plan could be implemented.
