The 3 Key Groups You Need for for World-Class Design

How to Build a Healthy Design Team

Article written by Kate Valind

5 min read

In the last article we discussed the 3 key players needed to create exceptional digital products and service: Business, Design, and Technology. I now want to zoom in and share what I've learned over the past decade working as a product designer about forming optimal Design Teams.

The ideal team makeup will look different depending on each company's specific needs. These needs may be influenced by the size of the company, the industry, whether the team is in-house or at an agency, and so on. That said—having worked at huge and small companies, across many industries, in-house and in agencies—I've noticed patterns in which team structures deliver exceptional results more consistently than others.

Here's the structure:

Design Lead

The Design Lead oversees the project and is the main point of contact with the Business and Technology stakeholders (such as a Project Manager and Lead Engineer). This person often collaborates with Business and Technology to co-create the strategic vision for the product and to create the project roadmap. They set up the design team to succeed. They may also do some hands-on designing.

Design Researcher

This person plans and executes research tasks (surveys, user interviews, user testing, etc.). They involve the team in the process and share clear insights that influence key design decisions.

UX Designer

The UX Designer (also potentially known as Service, Interaction, Product, or Experience Designer) is responsible for taking research findings and other data to shape the user's experience of the product or service. They often deliver artifacts such as personas, user journey maps, service blueprints, sitemaps, and wireframes.

UI Designer

The UI Designer (sometimes called a Visual Designer) translates the wireframes into high-fidelity screens. They are responsible for adhering to brand guidelines, utilizing (or creating) design systems, focusing on reusable patterns and components, and prioritizing accessibility. The UI Designer doesn't just make the thing look pretty, they improve upon the user experience. This person also collaborates closely with the engineering team to ensure the designs are executed as expected.

Some other common disciplines you might see on high-performing teams are:

Front-End Developer

This person could be on the design team or they might be on the engineering team. Either way, they support prototyping, motion design, micro-interactions, and pixel-perfect implementation.

Content Designer

Sometimes known as UX Copy Writers, this person may be responsible for content strategy, information architecture, the sitemap, or writing content.

Data Scientist

The Data Scientist (also known as Business Analysts or Data Analysts) leverages data to inform decisions. Their data insights often shape product strategy and influence project roadmaps.

Design Director

I've also observed that the healthiest design teams typically have a Design Director or Design Principal that they can collaborate with. This person may oversee several design teams at once but can be brought in as an additional resource should a tricky situation arise. This person has many years of experience in both strategy and design. They are a strategic thinker who focuses on the long-term vision of the product.

The reason I believe the best performing design teams have this makeup is because it naturally encourages cross-discipline collaboration which leads to the mixing of perspectives and birthing of novel ideas. For example, the researcher may lead user testing but they need to collaborate with the UX and UI Designers to know what to test. Also, when the UX and UI Designers attend the user testing session, they can experience the insights first hand. Those lessons are more impactful than reading a stat in a deck.

This team structure also creates opportunities for teammates to catch mistakes or gaps in the work. For example, when the UI Designer translates the wireframes in hi-fi designs, typically they'll spot a use case the UX Designer missed. Did we think about what happens if the user's search yields 0 results? What happens if they forgot their password?

Unfortunately, I'm seeing a trend in the industry where companies are looking for and hiring design "unicorns". They want one person to do research, UX, and UI. While it's possible to have 1 person do it all, I genuinely believe these companies are missing out on so many ideas, innovation, and quality assurance by choosing that operating model.

I know some companies have financial restraints and really do need that unicorn, but my advice to those companies is to stop and think about what opportunities you may be missing out on by having 1 person design in isolation. The money you save upfront be lost in the long run if you factor in missing opportunities to innovate and catch oversights in the work.

That said, I do think it's reasonable to want a Senior or Lead Designer to have experience across all disciplines since that will enable them to create more accurate roadmaps and provide better mentorship.

Often designers become design unicorns because of working on teams with the team structure illustrated above. Researchers, UXers, and UIers all gain a lot of experience in the other disciplines through regular collaboration. I started off as a Visual Designer and built expertise across the design process in exactly that way. I learned more from my colleagues over the years than I could have in any classroom. My hope is that other designers will also have opportunities to work on design teams that encourage specialization and collaboration. I truly believe it's often best for the designer, the business, and the user.

For example, the researcher may lead user testing but they need to collaborate with the UX and UI Designers to know what to test. Also, when the UX and UI Designers attend the user testing session, they can experience the insights first hand. Those lessons are more impactful than reading a stat in a deck.

I know some companies have financial restraints and really do need that unicorn, but my advice to those companies is to stop and think about what opportunities you may be missing out on by having 1 person design in isolation. They money you save upfront be lost in the long run if you factor in missed opportunities

3 groups you need for world class design

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