Establishing Processes

Role:

Senior Design Manager and Director

Objective:

To create a seamless, efficient, and collaborative workflow across XD, Copy, Art, Development, and Project Management, ensuring all teams can work together effectively to deliver user-centered, high-quality digital solutions.

Overview of Process Enhancements

To bridge gaps between departments and foster a unified approach to digital projects, we developed tailored processes that clarified roles and responsibilities, standardized workflows, introduced collaborative tools, and ensured early and ongoing involvement from all stakeholders. These improvements strengthened communication, aligned goals, and leveraged each team’s strengths.

Orchestrating Success: PM & XD

Strengthened the partnership between XD and PM to ensure seamless planning, alignment, and execution of digital projects. By embedding XD into PM workflows early, we created a unified approach that reduced bottlenecks, improved timelines, and delivered stronger results.

  • Early Involvement: Included XD in scoping and briefing phases to align on goals, deliverables, and timelines before kickoff.

  • Collaborative Timelines: Co-developed detailed project timelines with XD, factoring in design complexity, review cycles, and technical requirements.

  • Capacity Planning: Established clear guidelines for resource allocation and capacity management to ensure XD had the bandwidth to deliver quality work.

  • Feedback Workflow Mapping: Streamlined feedback loops by defining when and how feedback would be shared, ensuring clarity and reducing rework.

  • End-to-End Alignment: PMs ensured consistent communication between XD, Art, Copy, and Development, acting as a bridge to keep all teams aligned throughout the project lifecycle.

Words in Sync: Uniting Copy and Design

We aligned the copywriting process with XD workflows to ensure cohesive messaging and seamless integration into designs.

  • Content Workshops: Collaborated early with Copy to brainstorm and map content needs, ensuring alignment with user goals and brand objectives.

  • Live Editing in Figma: Enabled real-time content adjustments processes during the content strategy, wireframing and visual design phases.

  • Feedback Prioritization Framework: Established a system to categorize and prioritize copy changes, reducing churn and streamlining reviews.

  • Integrated Accessibility Standards: Ensured all copy adhered to accessibility guidelines, making content more inclusive and user-friendly.

Bringing Vision to Life: Art and XD Alignment

  • Co-Creation Sessions: Facilitated joint brainstorming and design reviews to ensure Art’s vision translated effectively into XD deliverables.

  • Feedback Loops: Created a structured review process to ensure clear and actionable feedback at every project phase.

  • Pair Designing: Introduced pair design sessions where Art Directors and XD Designers worked side-by-side to merge creative concepts and user-focused execution.

Strengthened collaboration with Art to align creative vision and ensure consistency across digital platforms.

  • Safe Creative Spaces: Established a culture of open collaboration where designers and Art Directors felt empowered to share ideas, experiment, and iterate without fear of judgment.

  • Creative Alignment Workshops: Regular sessions designed to deepen mutual understanding of each team’s strengths and foster stronger creative partnerships.

Design Meets Build: Seamless Dev Partnerships

Enhanced collaboration and handoff processes between XD and Development to ensure seamless execution and higher-quality digital solutions.

  • Platform Knowledge Sharing: Equipped XD designers with insights into development platforms, frameworks, and technical constraints to optimize designs for feasibility and efficiency.

  • Retrospectives: Conducted post-sprint retrospectives to identify opportunities for process improvement and enhance collaboration for future projects.

  • Continuous Collaboration: Fostered ongoing communication between XD and Development through regular sprint reviews and check-ins to ensure alignment at every project phase.

  • Component Library Audits and Creation: Partnered with Development to audit and establish reusable design components, streamlining future builds and maintaining consistency.

  • Code Snippet Handoff: Delivered annotated design files and ready-to-use code snippets to improve clarity and reduce back-and-forth during implementation.

Successes of Process Refinements

Improved Teamwork

  • Clearer roles reduced misunderstandings and overlaps between teams.

  • Open communication ensured alignment on goals and deliverables.

Increased Efficiency

  • Standardized workflows minimized delays and errors.

  • Early involvement reduced the need for extensive revisions later in the process.

Better Output

  • User-centered designs with cohesive messaging and visual consistency.

  • Smoother handoffs to development, resulting in fewer technical issues.

Enhanced Morale

  • Teams felt valued and empowered through collaborative decision-making.

  • Regular celebrations of successes boosted engagement and productivity.