Enhancing Designers' Expressive Ability through Team Sharing

In the realm of design, the development of expressive ability is a universally coveted skill. Within this context, team sharing emerges as a vital mechanism for designers to augment their expressive prowess in the course of their work. Nevertheless, practical challenges tend to impede this progress. Factors like inadequate experience, limited influence, and a dearth of dedicated time for sharing can undermine designers' efforts to enhance their expressive ability.

I. Challenges

1. Insufficient Experience

Designers primarily engage in execution-oriented tasks, limiting their exposure to sharing and summarizing opportunities. As a result, they may struggle to promptly contribute and identify suitable topics when mandatory sharing becomes part of OKR tasks.

2. Limited Influence

Designers, including design supervisors, are frequently assigned task-oriented roles within small teams, where they are expected to focus on design work rather than managerial responsibilities. Consequently, many designers approach team-sharing tasks merely as symbolic gestures, struggling to deliver meaningful contributions that truly benefit the team.

3. Lack of Dedicated Sharing Time

Designers are rarely allotted specific time for sharing presentations or materials during their work hours. To fulfill OKR tasks, they often have to sacrifice their own rest and study time. While manageable under a 9-to-5 or weekend schedule, the same cannot be said for grueling 9-to-9 or round-the-clock work shifts. Consequently, the effectiveness of sharing initiatives diminishes significantly.

In practice, the impact of sharing largely depends on the supervisor's daily engagement. If supervisors fail to lead by example and neglect sharing in their own work, waiting for subordinates to do the work while reaping the benefits, it reflects poorly on their leadership and suggests a lack of astuteness on the part of subordinates.

Overcoming the challenges associated with enhancing expressive ability requires addressing the aforementioned issues. By providing opportunities for designers to gain experience, increasing their influence within the team, and establishing dedicated time for sharing information, organizations can foster an environment conducive to the development of expressive skills. Effective team sharing, led by proactive supervisors, is essential for creating a culture of meaningful collaboration and professional growth within design teams.

II. Classification of Design Sharing

Design sharing can be categorized into two main types: knowledge and skills sharing, and project review. Each type of sharing serves a different purpose and involves different roles.

1. Reporting to the Superior

Reporting to the superior typically occurs during supervisor debriefing reports, promotion reports, and performance reports for the superior team. This is the moment when your superior assesses your progress and determines the success of the debriefing or your eligibility for promotion.

As designers, our core objective is to meet user needs. Similarly, we must understand the needs of our superiors. They seek a clear overview of our results and performance over a certain period. When reporting to the superior, I recommend using the SMART principle, a goal management method, to structure your reports.

S.M.A.R.T. is a mnemonic acronym, giving criteria to guide in the setting of goals and objectives that are assumed to give better results, for example in project management, employee-performance management and personal development. The term was first proposed by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. He suggested that goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related).

——Quoted from Wikipedia.

Deconstructing the SMART principle:

• S: Specific

  Specificity requires clearly defining the behavioral standards using precise language. Goals must be specific and unambiguous.

  For example, a key result like "improve user efficiency" can be perceived and interpreted differently by individuals, making it difficult to measure and evaluate in the end. However, if the key result is "improve user efficiency in setting up by reducing the time from 20 seconds to 10 seconds," it provides a clearer understanding for subsequent communication and implementation scenarios.

• M: Measurable

  Goals should be measurable, allowing for clear assessment. It is essential to have a method for measuring goals, including tracking time spent and setting boundaries for one's capabilities. Goals should be quantifiable.

  Continuing with the previous example of "improving user efficiency in setting up," let's assume the goal is to "reduce the time taken for users to complete the setup process from 20 seconds to 10 seconds." Through event tracking, we can measure and determine the difference in time achieved.

• A: Achievable

  Goals must be attainable and aligned with reality. If a goal is imposed as mandatory without considering feasibility, it is likely to encounter resistance. Such goals often result in various evasion tactics. It is essential to objectively assess what steps your abilities can realistically achieve. In other words, goals should be realistic.

  Using the same example of "improving user efficiency in setting up," let's say the key result is set as "increasing user setting efficiency by 200%." While this goal may seem ambitious, achieving an efficiency increase of 200% is highly unrealistic. Generally, efficiency can be improved by up to 100% but not beyond that.

• R: Relevant

  Goals should be relevant to higher-level objectives and parallel goals. The connection to higher-level objectives involves breaking down and decomposing the higher-level goal into manageable components. The relationship with parallel goals involves mutual reinforcement and assistance in accomplishing similar tasks.

  Let's change the goal this time. Suppose your role is as a designer, and the goal you set is to "increase platform user engagement by 10%." This goal is primarily related to the product manager's responsibilities rather than design. For goals within the same role, setting a goal like "reduce the time users spend on posting information from 30 seconds to 20 seconds" would be relevant to the designer's responsibilities.

• T: Time-based

  Without setting time boundaries, goals lose their meaning. The same goal placed in different months or under different circumstances can yield varying results. Therefore, goals must be time-bound to ensure task completion. Without time limits, operators may become complacent, and those in charge will struggle to evaluate progress. Ultimately, this leads to a decline in overall efficiency.

2. Sharing with the Subordinate

Sharing with subordinates typically involves knowledge sharing and overall project reviews within the team. Different strategies can be employed for each:

• Knowledge Sharing: WWBL Principle
• Project Review: STAR Principle

1) WWBL Principles

The WWBL principle encompasses the following components: what, why, how, and attention points.

• W: what

  Knowledge sharing can be likened to writing a book. Similar to a book's preface, it is essential to provide an introduction, clarify key concepts, and describe essential elements upfront. This approach reduces the cognitive cost of understanding the subsequent content.

• W: why

  This section explains the rationale behind a particular design, usually employing process breakdown or element-based methods.

• B: behavior

  The focus here is on the specific solutions employed. Design solutions may include color, interaction, process optimization, user analysis, and more.

• L: lime light

  Knowledge often has its limitations, and venturing beyond these limitations can lead to fallacies or inappropriate scenarios. This section highlights specific attention points and provides detailed guidance.

2) STAR Principles

The STAR principles comprise four key aspects: environment, goal, behavior, and result.

• Environment

  Describing the event's time, place, and background is crucial. By clearly presenting the context, the design team enables the audience to understand the reasons behind a particular operation and fosters a sense of identification. Once there is a sense of identification, the subsequent discussion becomes easier.

• Goal

  Goals here pertain to individual and team tasks. As each person may have different responsibilities, it is important to provide a general description, including:

  • The specific task you are working on.
  • The goal associated with the task.
  • Any additional requirements.

  This approach clarifies individual responsibilities, enabling the listener/reader to grasp the scope of the discussion.

• Behavior

  This refers to the behaviors or tools employed to accomplish the goals. It includes highlighting any challenges encountered and explaining how they were resolved.

• Result

  Results are usually quantified, such as improvements in PV (page views), UV (unique visitors), or user conversion rates. Summarizing the outcomes provides a clearer understanding of completed tasks. Additionally, achievements and newfound knowledge can be included, offering a more comprehensive assessment of results.

III. Sharing Process

1. Pre-Planning

During the initial stages of the sharing process, it is important to consider the following points:

• Before creating a presentation, clarify the purpose of the audience's engagement.
• Determine how the presentation will benefit them.
• Identify the potential improvements for the team.

For inspiration, consider exploring articles from renowned technology companies' public accounts (I recommend 58 articles, as they are well-written). Additionally, resources in platforms like Yuque can provide valuable insights.

Another critical aspect is time management. Ensure the conference room is booked several days in advance, and ten minutes prior to the sharing meeting, verify the completeness of the conference room equipment.

2. Mid-Term Delivery

Nervousness, especially for those who are presenting for the first time, can be a significant hurdle (excluding extroverts). To alleviate this, one effective approach is to imagine the other participants as mere observers and focus solely on delivering the presentation.

3. Post-Evaluation

This is often an overlooked aspect for many designers after sharing their work. It can be beneficial to seek feedback from colleagues who have a good rapport with you once the sharing session concludes.

IV. Conclusion

The sharing meeting presents a rare opportunity for designers to enhance their skills. It can be applied in various scenarios, whether you are a supervisor or engaging in interview training in the future. I encourage everyone to improve their communication abilities through sharing meetings!