As Head of UX, I was responsible for the quality of design but wasn't allowed to work directly within sprints. My focus was on primary research working with Product Managers to support product roadmaps and Agile Epics. I managed 6 designers and 3 researchers. As part of my role as their Competency Manager I was to focus on expanding their skillsets and improving morale. The designers needed stronger interaction design and usability heuristics (the feedback from my SVP and also from the designers themselves), and Product had taken away "ownership" of design from UX prior to my arrival. The researchers, who came from diverse backgrounds, also needed to strengthen their UX Research skills including creating actionable results and collaborating more effectively with designers. Additionally, some UXers personalities were more dominant while others were passive within their sprints and our UX team efforts - Developing leadership skills was crucial for everyone.
Inspired by Transformative Leadership and Growth Mindset principles, I wanted to create a space where the team could grow individually and collectively, free from the pressures of authority or judgment. My goal was to encourage their learning and development, fostering a collaborative environment where everyone could blossom.
The Approach
Drawing on the principles of Transformative Leadership and Growth Mindset, I aimed to cultivate a growth environment, allowing each team member to develop without the pressure of authority or fear of judgment. I worked with them to develop a number of initiatives to address issues we and the organization recognized. I asked for different members of the UX team to lead each one with the direction that they were not the final decision maker but they needed to foster buy in from the team. They were responsible for the quality of the end result and team buy-in and morale.
The Book Club was the first initiative. We kicked off with me leading the first session, demonstrating that leadership in this context meant facilitating and ensuring the session's success. My intention was to pass this responsibility onto the team once the process was established.
Each team member took turns leading a session, with the lead responsible for opening, closing, and recording the session for the team wiki. For the actual book reading, no one was expected to complete the entire book. Instead, everyone signed up to read a chapter, giving a 15-minute presentation on the content, followed by a 15-minute team discussion on how it related to our work, products, or organization. If someone had scheduling conflicts, they were responsible for finding someone to swap weeks with.
For the first book, the team chose something a bit esoteric, which didn’t quite align with our practical design and Human Factors needs. I then selected the next two books, ensuring they were relevant to our work and goals:
Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data
This book was relevant because dashboards were a feature several of us were working on, and I wanted the team to understand the basics of dashboard design and data visualization. This book also covered general design principles and usability, allowing the researchers to engage with design-related content and the designers to dive deeper into more technical aspects.
This book was relevant because dashboards were a feature several of us were working on, and I wanted the team to understand the basics of dashboard design and data visualization. This book also covered general design principles and usability, allowing the researchers to engage with design-related content and the designers to dive deeper into more technical aspects.
Human Factors for Technical Communicators
To support the researchers’ backgrounds in cognitive psychology, experimental psychology, and human factors, I selected this book to refresh and expand their usability knowledge. For the designers, many of whom came from a visual design background, this was an opportunity to introduce human factors and usability concepts.
To support the researchers’ backgrounds in cognitive psychology, experimental psychology, and human factors, I selected this book to refresh and expand their usability knowledge. For the designers, many of whom came from a visual design background, this was an opportunity to introduce human factors and usability concepts.
The Results
Beyond the expected improvement in skills, this initiative significantly boosted morale and fostered stronger relationships between the team members, even across different offices. Collaboration happened organically during sprints, and the team’s overall performance improved. During 1:1 coaching sessions, I worked with each person on their presentation and leadership skills, helping them handle stronger personalities and ensuring that quieter team members had opportunities to contribute.
While it required some effort outside of regular work hours, the initiative was well-received and had a positive impact on the team's dynamic, skill development, and overall performance.
When I left Renaissance Learning one of the designers remarked - You made us cohesive team, not a group of competitive individuals. And that was my greatest success.