Categories: graduate school, learning

Working in teams is inevitable in the design field. If you are considering to do design but do not like the idea of collaboration in teams, then you might want to rethink the field you are getting into. Good team dynamics plays a huge role and is crucial in the creation of a concept, product, or service.

The CHI design team that I am working with this year is a group of talented individuals and for the most part we get along well. However, I’ve been concerned lately on how the team dynamics of the group is changing. Not going into details, but I’ve quickly realized that as soon as the team dynamics and attitudes “go south”, our design discussions become very unproductive. Lately, nothing we plan to accomplish in the beginning of the meeting is even addressed at all. As a result, a two-hour meeting ends up being a six-hour meeting.

My professor Marty, gave us sound advice on creating an efficient design atmosphere and how to utilize our time in the most efficient way.

1. Before the meeting starts, make sure everyone is “checked in”. What Marty means by being “checked in” is to create an environment where everyone is ready to start the meeting and design. Though this may be common sense to most people, in my professional and academic experience, this is rarely done. I’ve been in professional meetings where its time to start and someone in the room is either fiddling with the hair daydreaming about Brad Pitt, or picking off the white lint balls from their black velvet jacket.
2. Make sure you designate a facilitator for the team. The facilitator doesn’t have to be the “boss” of the group, but there should be a person who manages the discussions. Creating an agenda or goals before the meeting starts, intervening in any situations where the team conflicts arise, and most importantly, creating and reviewing action items for the next meeting.

   Our design team lacked a facilitator and is one of the factors our meetings weren’t running so smoothly. Many of us assumed that having no facilitator in the beginning of the project was fine. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way. Our team had no clear direction, we didn’t know what was due for the next meeting, and uncontrolled design arguments were not handled properly where some members took it personally. We learned for the sake of our sanity and the project, this had to be resolved and fast!! In less than two months our CHI project will be due.

   We finally voted on a facilitator today.

3. Don’t be afraid to take the next step forward. All of my team members are great thinkers, but in many cases, I feel we overanalyze our designs in the hopes of making it perfect. This false assumption on making it perfect is detrimental to the teams progress. By putting all the pieces together, I get the sense that our team feels the pressure to get the perfect design concept the first time. The less revisions are required and the less work we have to do. This constant overanalyzing of our designs, makes us counterproductive and we need to start changing our design approach. Its unrealisitic to say that the perfect design concept will come from only one or several iterations. Great designs take many, many, many iterations. Our teams needs to stop the fear of being wrong and uncertain, have design courage, and and take a step forward… there is no perfect design.

Now that our team has reflected on these issues and incorporating the three items above moving forward, I’m optimistic that the group dynamics will improve. I expect that our designs will be much more creative and the team dynamics will change from bad to good.

image accessed: http://flickr.com/photos/wiseacre/312839512 (2007)