Our weekly design meetings, which take place every Wednesday, are a dynamic and flexible space where we tackle a variety of activities crucial to our design process. These meetings are not only about aligning on tasks and goals but also about fostering creativity, collaboration, and continuous learning within the team.
Here’s an overview of what could happen during a design meeting:1.
Assignment and review of design tasks
Task assignment: during these meetings, designers may be assigned specific design tasks that contribute to the overall product development. For example, a designer might be tasked with creating user flows for their product. These tasks are often aligned with our broader objectives and KPIs, such as conducting a SUS test to measure usability, or developing user journey maps to understand user experiences more deeply.
Task review and catch-up: in subsequent meetings, we revisit these tasks to review progress, discuss any challenges, and catch up on the status of the work. This ensures that the team stays on track and that any issues are addressed promptly.2.
User-centred design (UCD) activities
Brainstorming sessions: we can use our meeting time for collaborative brainstorming sessions. This is where we generate and refine ideas, explore potential solutions, and tackle specific design challenges as a team.
Persona creation: we might dedicate time to developing or updating personas, which are key to understanding and empathising with our users. Personas guide our design decisions by representing typical users and their needs.
Journey mapping: creating user journey maps is another activity we might engage in during these meetings. These maps help us visualise the entire user experience, identifying touch-points, pain points, and opportunities for improvement.
Competitive analysis: we may also conduct competitive analysis sessions, where we analyse competitors’ products to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities that can inform our own design strategies.3.
Knowledge sharing
Customer insights: this is a time to share what we’ve learned about our customers, whether from research, feedback, or analytics.
Design methodologies and tools: team members are encouraged to share knowledge about design methodologies, tools, or resources they’ve discovered. This could include discussing a new design tool, a relevant blog post, or an inspiring book.4.
Show and tell sessions
Work in progress: the meetings can also take the form of a "show and tell" session, where designers showcase their work in progress. This allows for immediate feedback and collaborative discussion, helping to refine ideas and approaches.
New ideas: designers can also use this time to present new ideas they’re exploring, whether it’s a new design concept, a potential feature, or a new approach to solving a design problem.
Completed projects: completed projects are shared with the team, offering an opportunity to celebrate successes, learn from the process, and gather any final feedback before moving forward.
Why we do design meetings
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