The Evolution of the Design Process
As we transitioned from our open studio environment (that provided natural feedback sessions and in-studio reviews) to WFH, our design process also adjusted. Below are just a few examples of how we've shifted for better in this season.
Design Briefs
Our team has always used project strategy documents for large scale projects to help streamline the design process and keep all of the important information in one place. Throughout the year, we have slowly introduced smaller design briefs to the process, helping to avoid unnecessary meetings and group project launches.
Rough Concept Reviews
Working from home has affected the design process in many ways, but one of the biggest is the review phase. Since we are no longer in an open studio environment, organic reviews no longer happen. With a collective goal to avoid siloed design and unnecessary miscommunications, we have made an effort to pause and ask for more rough concept reviews during the process. Taking a moment to step away and ask for feedback in the middle of the process has helped avoid preventable journeys down the wrong path.
Intentional Meetings
We all know that meetings can cause us to be unproductive if not planned well. We have made a team effort to create Meeting Free Thursdays to help give us a day of uninterrupted focus.
Utilizing Old Tools in New Ways
Communication is key while working remotely. We have dug deep to find ways to streamline our processes and use old tools in new ways. Uberconference has become one of our favorite tools to screenshare during reviews or collectively meet digitally for our weekly status calls. Slack is a daily necessity in our studio, using it to track progress, provide design reviews and update each other on our personal statuses.
