From the sidelines to the frontline: A story on trust and impact
Make a shift in the team’s mindset towards the role of a user experience designer.
When developing digital products, roadmap planning is crucial. It shapes the team's next steps and guides our future direction. Recently, during our quarterly roadmap planning, I proposed a criterion to prioritize projects based on how excluding a project might affect users' trust in us. It's still in the discussion phase, but for me, it already marks a milestone.
Looking back to when I first joined the team, I didn’t even have the opportunity to participate in roadmap discussions. Now, I find myself actively suggesting strategic shifts for the team.
Below is my reflection on this transformation.
Starting out: I felt left out
Upon joining this team, I learned that they had limited previous interaction with designers, so their perception of user experience designers was mainly about interface design. Within just a few months of joining, I helped the team design and launch a major product, earning some trust.
Then, I discovered I wasn't part of the roadmap planning conversations. I understood this might be because the team hadn't involved designers in such discussions before. They possibly didn't fully understand the value a designer could bring to the table.
Feeling left out was tough. But merely completing one big project wasn’t enough for me to influence the team. I knew I had to show my value beyond just creating visuals.
Making strides and breaking through:
To change this, I actively sought opportunities. For example:
I noticed that our software engineers, when considering tech solutions, often got trapped in how the system works, overlooking how users interact with the system. So, I started asking questions to steer them towards thinking about the user experience.
Whenever I conducted user tests, I invited some engineers to observe. Afterwards, I'd share the findings with the entire team and offer some insights into basic user experience design principles.
Before the next annual product planning, I invited several engineers for a brainstorming session. We discussed potential product improvements and then I presented our ideas to the product manager. This led to my participation in the planning discussions.
As time passed, I began to sense the team's growing trust in me. They started consulting me more often on user experience matters.
A big moment was when an engineering manager approached me to brainstorm ways engineers could better understand and implement user flows.
Given the technical complexity of our products, our users often interact with code and configuration files, instead of just a visual interface. Traditionally, engineers wrote the project requirements, designed technical directions, and implemented the best one. If they focused too heavily on how the system works technically, how could we ensure that they make it easy for users?
Considering the number of engineers I work with and that I couldn’t possibly be in all the conversations, I needed a scalable solution. So, I created a template and an experience assessment framework for engineers to use in the high-level technical design phase. This helped them map out user flows and evaluate the impact of their technical directions on user experience.
With the help of the engineering manager, we applied this approach to several projects, receiving positive feedback. I refined it and encouraged the team to use it. I also make myself available for any questions they have related to user experience.
For the first time, my design influence went beyond just the screens. I was helping guide the user experience direction for multiple team projects.
This made me see a shift in the team’s mindset towards me as a user experience designer:
Initially, I was seen mostly as someone who made things look good.
Over time, they began involving me in early technical discussions.
Now, they actively seek my insights on user experience.
Wrapping up:
Reflecting on my journey, here’s what I learned:
Earning team trust is key. Being new, I had to show that I could be trusted. Through dedication and showcasing my expertise, I gained a more influential role in decision-making.
Take the initiative. I didn’t just stick to my job description. I looked for opportunities, whether through team brainstorming sessions, improvement suggestions, or crafting user trust evaluation tools.
From defense to offense. As the team's trust grew, I went from being reactive to playing a more active role in shaping decisions. It reminded me of a book I read about career growth, suggesting that proving your worth can lead to bigger opportunities.
This journey was rewarding, and I believe others can also find their own path to making an impact in their teams.