How do you manage manage imbalances within product and design teams? Product Design Leader, Richard Bassett, shared his thoughts with us at our rece...
How do you manage manage imbalances within product and design teams? Product Design Leader, Richard Bassett, shared his thoughts with us at our recent Product x Design event.
As someone who's kind of lived through poor mental health, I think that's an obvious sign. I think spotting these imbalances is actually not that difficult. Most of us notice these things - maybe it's the well-being within a team or a department. You can see performance dropping because people are just not well, not at their best, and not taking the rest they need.
I think there are other measures as well. For example, something you see at the moment is designers and other skills being spread really thinly across product teams. That in itself is a sign of imbalance. There's a lot of pressure coming down from above, and unfortunately, that pressure often leads to people being overwhelmed. Once they're overwhelmed, they're going to be underperforming, so you're not in that sort of high-performance culture.
I think the interesting part of the question is, what do you do about it? Because I think it's actually not terribly difficult for us to spot when things don't feel right and there's an imbalance. The challenge, and this really falls upon the leaders within the department, is how you talk to Executives and Senior Stakeholders in a language they understand.
From my perspective, I'm often leading design systems teams and advocating for that. There's no value in me going to an executive member and saying, "Look, if we get a design system in place, we're going to have much tighter typography. We're not going to have a font a pixel out here or a corner radius wrong over there." You have to talk to them in a language that says, "If you invest in design systems, things like onboarding will be much more efficient - say, 80% more efficient. And if onboarding is 80% more efficient, it means someone can be working productively within a month, not three months."
I think that's the sort of accountability that sits on the leaders, whether they're product or design leaders within the department, to own that conversation and advocate for the right investment in the right way.
With over 20 years of blending user-centred design with strategic business goals, Richard Bassett is passionate about creating meaningful experiences that make a difference in people’s lives. In his career, Richard has developed and led diverse, high-performing teams, combining strategic leadership with hands-on research and design to deliver impactful results.
Richard has worked with renowned brands like Microsoft, SKY, The Times, BBC, and PepsiCo, leading innovation and strategic design that drives business success. Now, the Design Manager at Financial Times, he focusses on creating lasting impact with his work.
