Management
Frameworks, techniques & tools used:My role:
Design Manager
My role:
Design Manager
Enhancing efficiency, collaboration, and planning to minimize product overlaps and motivate team
I firmly believe in the critical role of cross-functional collaboration and communication for organizational success. As a manager, I foster collaboration through workshops and co-creation sessions, involving technical and product teams in solution design. This approach helps quickly identify overlaps in product and delegate tasks effectively, enhancing efficiency and promoting accountability.A key element of my management strategy is meticulous planning and strategic development. These efforts focus our initiatives and align goals across departmental, team, and individual levels, facilitating clear communication within the business through detailed roadmaps and progress updates.
Creating a culture of psychological safety, continuous improvement, and open feedback.
Understanding our own working styles and those of our colleagues, along with sharing personal interests, is essential for building trust. As a manager, I aim to create a supportive environment where team members feel safe to communicate openly, be vulnerable, and have their voices heard. Recognizing the diverse communication styles of colleagues can enhance teamwork and efficiently resolve conflicts, which is particularly crucial for UX professionals due to the horizontal and cross-functional nature of their work.
To support this, I organize and facilitate activities such as bootcamps, personal canvas exercises, collaborative design community events, a culture of candid feedback, and design critiques to encourage improvement and dialogue.
Facilitating growth through mentoring, coaching, and guidance.
To motivate individuals and help them advance in their careers, I assist them in creating personal development plans and identifying opportunities that will propel their growth in the desired direction. I firmly believe in the importance of a growth mindset and continuous learning.
As a manager, I guide and coach team members to identify their strengths. Additionally, I actively mentor individuals outside of work. I also support mentorship programs as they can connect designers from different areas of the company, allowing them to support each other's career development.
Throughout my career, I have contributed to: Mentorship programs, Onboarding programs for new joiners, Design roundtables & knowledge share sessions, Mentorship for individuals switching careers.
Developing Teams: Recruitment, Graduate Programs, and Student Initiatives
A key role of a manager is to build teams with individuals whose skills complement each other to address various design aspects. I actively identify and develop skills to meet team needs, focusing on facilitating horizontal career progression to enhance capabilities relevant to current opportunities.
I have also taken on extensive responsibilities in hiring for all UX roles and as an advisory interviewer for tech and product positions. My tasks included drafting job descriptions, reviewing portfolios, and conducting interviews with professionals and stakeholders. I played a strategic role in planning interviews and advising on hiring for the design organization, including setting up a multi-location design team for a new Virgin Media office in Birmingham.
Building teams should go beyond recruitment to include nurturing young talent. I have organized hackathons and student design competitions, and initiated creation of the Design Graduate Programme for Booking. While not all efforts were successful, as a manager, I explore industry trends and generational dynamics, promoting initiatives that provide valuable opportunities for mentoring, leadership development, and enhancing soft skills.
