GIVING DESIGNERS TIME TO DESIGN

As a design manager, time is one of my most precious commodities. As an individual contributor designer, time is just as paramount, but not just any kind of time: dedicated, focused time to get in the flow and actually design. It’s for this reason that a couple of weeks ago, I tweeted:

Other folks related to my message, and as you may note, I put the onus on the manager, not the designer. So, I figured I’d share 4 strategies for design managers to protect their team’s time.

ENSURE MEETING EFFICIENCY

Every 6 to 12 months, conduct a ‘meeting audit’. What are all the meetings designers are attending? How many hours total are designers spending on them? Are they spread out over the week or limited to certain days? Who are the attendees? What was the initial rationale for the meeting and is that reason still valid? What are people’s feedback on productivity and use of time?

After taking stock of existing meetings, consider goal alignment, length/cadence, audience, and format.