Design Team Skills Mapping
How can we better support each other as designers?
While I was working at Optimal Workshop we went through an organistional restructure. During this process we moved into relative flat hierarchies and self organising teams. Through this process we had to work out how to support each other without having formal management, training, or level based promotions.
I ran this workshop with the design team. The goal was to get everyone to self identify strengths, weaknesses and spot opportunites where we can learn from each other. Also to spot the balance of skills within the team to help us in hiring.
The point isnt for everyone to be good at everything but to know where our gaps are means we then hire for those areas or see who wants to upskill. Everyone in the team had a chance to draw where they think they fit within a skills matrix and talk about what they want to do in their jobs and who they want to pair with on projects.
Process
We looked at soft skills that designers bring to company and then we looked at a matrix to cover strategy, interaction, research, IA, copy writing, coding, visual design, information design. I designed 2 charts for us to rate ourselves in different matrices. Afterwards we each explained why we rated ourselves the way we did, and which areas we want to grow in, and which areas we can offer help in to others.
Reflections
This was an important team bonding experience and one where people were supported to be vulrenable. I like to lead by example and talked through how i rated my self (why, and examples). I was thanked privately by many of the participants for creating a space that felt safe to express and explore and be honest about their skills.
