Daily Stand-ups

The daily stand-up is a brief, daily team meeting that encourages communication and coordination among the design team members. It involves people answering three standard questions: what they did yesterday, what they plan to do today, and if they face any blockers.

Our daily stand-up meetings are typically short, lasting about 15-30 minutes. The main goal is to keep the team informed, aligned, and aware of potential issues within their squads or projects.

The focus is on sharing information rather than in-depth discussions or problem-solving. The process promotes transparency, accountability, and collaboration within the team.

Things to remember: In running a daily standup meeting, there are things you need to remember to avoid common pitfalls and maintain productivity and efficiency. It includes staying on-topic, being concise, coming prepared, ensuring equal participation, refraining from problem-solving during the meeting, and maintaining a respectful atmosphere. I recommend maintaining consistency, being flexible, and following up on action items for a successful daily standup. These methods help promote effective communication and coordination among team members, preventing disruptions and wasting of time.

Weekly Focus Meetings

A weekly focus meeting for our team is a recurring gathering held every Monday to facilitate communication, coordination, and collaboration among team members.
‍
It has a duration of approximately 30 minutes. The primary objective of these meeting is twofold: to ensure that the team remains aligned and focused for the week ahead while also fostering a sense of camaraderie by sharing their weekend highlights.
‍
The 30-minute meeting is divided into three key segments:
‍
1. Weekend Updates (10 minutes): During this part of the meeting, design team members take turns sharing highlights from their weekend activities. This fosters a sense of camaraderie by allowing everyone to connect on a personal level. It sets a positive tone for the meeting and the week ahead.

2. Team Focuses for the Week (15 minutes): In this segment, the team collectively discusses and outlines the key priorities and objectives for the upcoming week. This is where the team members align on their tasks and responsibilities for each squad, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and that the week's work is well-coordinated.
‍
3. Announcements (5 minutes): The final part of the meeting is dedicated to important announcements. I usually share updates, news, or any crucial information that affects the team's work or ErudiFi as a whole. This ensures that everyone is informed about critical developments and changes.

Things to remember: It's crucial to avoid common pitfalls when running this meeting. These include avoiding excessive detail in weekend updates, maintaining concise discussions on the week's focus, being prepared, and staying on-topic.

Design Critique Session

The Design Critique Session is a structured evaluation and feedback process conducted by designers, researchers, product managers, and sometimes end-users, to assess and improve the design of a product or user interface.

The purpose of our Design Critique Session is to ensure that the design aligns with user needs, usability standards, and business objectives.

The 1-hour meeting is divided into three key segments:
‍
1. Preparation: Before the Design Critique Session takes place, designers and team members should have a comprehensive understanding of the problem and context - from the customer pain-points to the business objectives. This understanding informs the design decisions that have been made and the goals the design is meant to achieve.

2. Critique Session: During the actual critique session, the focus is on evaluating the design itself. Participants discuss aspects like usability, aesthetics, functionality, and alignment with objectives. They provide feedback on the design based on the information they already have about the problem and context.

3. Iterative Process: The feedback received during the critique can inform revisions and improvements to the design. If issues related to the problem or context arise during the critique, they can be addressed in subsequent design iterations.

At ErudiFi Design, I have developed this framework to facilitate more successful feedback critique sessions:

Product Design Guild

Within the Product Design Guild, we tackle an array of team-wide responsibilities that go beyond our everyday design activities. These encompass strategic aspects like revisiting our design principles, design system, assessing the efficiency of our critique processes, generating ideas to elevate the overall quality of our work, and reviewing our past achievements and lessons learned.

I consistently engage my team in shaping these design process modifications. It should not fall solely on the shoulders of the design team lead to drive these design process changes forward. Undoubtedly, within my team, there are thoughtful and talented individuals who are well-equipped to contribute to problem-solving.

I firmly believe that the most productive and healthiest teams embrace a shared responsibility for enhancing the team's processes and activities.

1 on 1 Monthly Sync

Our 1 on 1 Monthly Syncs serve as a platform for performance reviews, allowing me to provide feedback, discuss goals, and monitor progress.

Additionally, I also facilitate coaching and mentoring opportunities, enabling designers and researchers to receive guidance, overcome challenges, and work toward career development. Project updates, conflict resolution, and feedback exchange are also common topics addressed in these meetings.

It is an essential tool for fostering open communication, aligning efforts with organizational goals, and maintaining a positive working relationship.

The monthly frequency of these meetings ensures regular check-ins and ongoing support, enhancing accountability and goal achievement. It helps us promote a culture of continuous improvement and professional development, benefiting both our team and the organization as a whole.

Design Lunch & Learn

To foster a culture of learning and knowledge sharing in our organization, we established Lunch & Learn Programs.

Lunch & Learn Programs are learning events that are scheduled during lunch break. We conduct these kinds of programs to share ideas, and also encourage our team to grow their unexploited skills and knowledge. These sessions allow them to nurture their skills, develop collaboration, and ​​build a strong network.

Design & Research Conf

Design & Research Conf is a more substantial and comprehensive event compared to Design Lunch & Learns.

It takes place on a quarterly basis and covers a diverse range of topics related to design and UX research.

One notable feature of Design & Research Conf is the inclusion of external speakers who are invited to share their expertise and insights about their work. This external perspective can provide valuable insights and fresh ideas to the participants.

Design Lunch and Learns are typically shorter, more frequent, and less formal sessions that occur during lunch breaks. They offer bite-sized learning opportunities and are often conducted internally, with colleagues or experts from within the organization sharing their knowledge and experiences.

Our Design & Research Conf serves as a more in-depth and periodic learning and networking event, while Design Lunch and Learns offer a convenient and regular way for team members to engage in continuous learning within the constraints of a busy workday.

Both formats can be valuable components of a holistic professional development strategy within a design-focused organization.

Design Night & Celebrations

Design nights and celebrations serve as a morale booster, creating a positive work environment and enhancing job satisfaction. Additionally, they promote camaraderie and trust among team members by fostering interactions on a more personal level. Recognizing individual and collective achievements during these events not only motivates team members but also helps strengthen bonds within the team. Furthermore, celebrations offer a much-needed break from work-related stress, allowing team members to relax and recharge, ultimately contributing to increased productivity. These shared positive experiences create lasting memories and encourage my team to set and strive for future goals, thus nurturing a motivated and high-performing team culture.

Incorporating celebrations into our team cadences strikes a balance between work and play, nurturing a well-rounded and supportive team environment. These events are not merely about fun but also about building a cohesive and motivated team that is well-equipped to tackle challenges and achieve collective success.

Credits to my small but amazing ErudiFi Product Design Team (circa 2019-2024) - Safrian Jayadi, Ando Silalahi, Annisha Livyana, Indah Widia, Tian Marucot, Eulo Soriano, Vanessa Williams, and Dhea Ananda.