{"id":6025,"date":"2022-11-22T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pixeltie.com.sg\/blog\/?p=6025"},"modified":"2023-02-10T18:14:59","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T10:14:59","slug":"hybrid-collaboration-for-ux-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pixeltie.com.sg\/blog\/2022\/11\/22\/hybrid-collaboration-for-ux-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Hybrid Collaboration for UX Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
How might we create a hybrid office environment where designers thrive?<\/em><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Dissecting hybrid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A hybrid office is a working environment where team members work from the office or home, synchronously or asynchronously. Most companies were forced into hybrid collaboration because of the pandemic, but remote work has been in the works for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, the benefits of remote work have had a proven net-positive impact on productivity and employee morale. A survey by Channel News Asia found that just 24% of people planned to return to a 9-to-5 routine<\/strong>. So, whilst shifting to a hybrid model will be uncomfortable, a flexible and constructive office environment is key to attracting and keeping top talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to the design industry, a significant challenge for hybrid teams is that critical phases of the design process are incredibly difficult to do remotely- hence this article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But beyond sharing specific tools or platforms, we\u2019re going to break down what hybrid collaboration is missing, how it affects your team, and what you can do in response to these issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gartner\u2019s Four Modes of Collaboration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Illustration
Credit Image: <\/em>Gartner<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beyond location, true hybrid work will also take into account whether work is synchronous or asynchronous<\/strong>. These factors influence not only the style and pace of work but also the interactions between team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This model from Gartner is particularly useful for design teams because the four modes of work can be applied to different stages of several design methodologies like design thinking, agile, lean startup, and SCRUM<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, colocated synchronous work (\u201cWorking Together, Together\u201d) would probably be the best fit for a prototyping workshop, and distributed asynchronous work (\u201cWorking Alone, Apart\u201d) could work well for things like desk research or development sprints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, Gartner\u2019s research strongly indicates that using a functional hybrid approach with intentional collaboration leads organisations to be more flexible, more innovative, and happier.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working from different places<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Using Gartner\u2019s model, we identified three main roadblocks faced by design teams in hybrid offices and different methods to address these issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collaborative nature of design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Photograph
Credit Image: <\/em>HubSpot<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the key challenges in adapting design methodologies to hybrid collaboration is recreating the energy of in-person activities in hybrid environments.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple activities like giving and receiving feedback suddenly become complex when team members are scattered across different software. Not to mention when non-verbal communication like body language is unavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, team leaders should choose the tools that make it easier for everyone to give and receive feedback. <\/strong>Of course, this could mean different things for different teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, digital toolkits can easily become bloated if your team looks for new software every time they encounter a problem. Many HR managers have also noted that knowledge workers who handle more software are more likely to burn out. As such, it\u2019s important to avoid taking on too many apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another frequent roadblock hybrid design teams face is designers instinctively retreating into \u201cisolation caves\u201d to perfect work<\/strong>. If we follow the Pareto Principle<\/a>, which stipulates that \u201cfor many outcomes, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes\u201d, designers perfecting work in isolation should be avoided.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common example of this is a designer spending weeks iterating on an \u201cadd to cart button\u201d even though it was already functional after the first two days of work. Clearly, this would not be the most efficient use of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For team leaders, handling this is a matter of creating a team culture of progress over perfection<\/strong>. Valuing progress over perfection encourages team members to prototype early and often, and check in frequently even with unfinished or messy work. Put this into action by making activities like giving feedback, ideating together, and having retrospectives weekly or biweekly team rituals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building trust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another frequent roadblock faced by remote and hybrid teams across industries is a lack of trust<\/strong>. Trust among team members is an essential cog for both creativity and productivity. Especially in small design teams where there is little overlap between the work of different team members, lack of trust can spiral into a debilitating issue if left unaddressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nurturing relationships in a hybrid environment can be difficult because there are fewer opportunities for spontaneous conversations to build rapport. So as team leaders, it\u2019s imperative to create these opportunities for your team<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, block \u201cwatercooler chats\u201d in your virtual meetings for a few minutes of informal conversation before jumping into work. You can also offer other team-building activities like mentorship calls, virtual happy hours, and online team-building workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
Credit Image: <\/em>War of the Wizards<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another way to build rapport is to simply spend time with one another<\/strong>. For example, platforms like Study Together<\/a> cropped up during the pandemic as students started experimenting with ongoing video calls to mimic the feeling of a library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some organisations have experimented with the same concept for their employees. Team members can drop in and out whenever they feel like they need some company while working synchronously. This not only helps build rapport but also simulates the in-office environment (at least partly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, as a team leader, it\u2019s important to model the behaviour you\u2019d like to see from your team. So, if you\u2019d like to see your team members trust one another, you should demonstrate this trust yourself. Actions speak louder than words here. To demonstrate trust, give team members the autonomy to make day-to-day decisions independently. <\/strong>In doing so, you\u2019re also investing in the individual development of your team, who are the foundation of your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, as your team makes progress, whether it\u2019s towards the team culture you\u2019re nurturing, or towards the project at hand, you shouldn\u2019t skip on celebrating small wins<\/strong>. Psychological research<\/a> indicates that celebrating small wins builds self-esteem and motivation for the future, thereby combating detachment and burnout.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This doesn\u2019t mean taking a week off when your team gets to the end of the to-do list (although we admit that would be quite nice). Celebrating small wins can be as simple as recognising yourself, the work you\u2019ve done, and how it feels to perform well. Whilst this study was about individual self-reflection, this could be done during team retrospectives to emphasise that you\u2019re celebrating the team\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying on the same page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even in \u201cregular\u201d offices, keeping everyone aligned and in sync can be difficult. In hybrid environments, practical mishaps like using different fonts and type scales, to more sensitive issues like big differences in the quality of delivered work, are much more difficult to monitor and address. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way to keep designers <\/strong>consistent<\/strong><\/a> is to create a \u201csingle source of truth\u201d<\/strong> like branding guidelines or design systems. Doing so helps your team work efficiently and avoid conflicts over subjective preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to project objectives, team roles, and the quality of work, you can set your team up for success by defining these things clearly and objectively before the kick-off. <\/strong>For example, constructing a team charter would allow your team to participate in the definition of these parameters. This ensures equal stake and a sense of responsibility from the get-go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot
Credit Image: <\/em>MURAL<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, zooming out and thinking of a \u201cnorth star vision\u201d (as this Design Director from Adobe<\/a> calls it) can unite your team under a collective long-term goal. This will also help build trust, as your team can be assured that they\u2019re all working towards the same thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last but not least, another frequent pothole is miscommunication between team members and stakeholders during handoff. When passing work to someone else, it\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that they know just as much about it as you do. Especially when delivering work to clients, it\u2019s critical to make sure that you outline exactly what you\u2019re sending and what you expect them to do with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you need help getting your project off the ground?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes projects sputter to a halt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here at Pixel Tie<\/a>, we have eight years of experience in the thick of the design industry. We go beyond \u201cbuilding apps\u201d, and help you create digital experiences that resonate <\/em>with your customers and create conversions<\/em> for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like to see how we can help you breathe life into your digital touchpoints, contact us and we\u2019ll get back to you shortly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further Reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n