Attentive design management

Messaging pillar

Day-to-day

I managed 3 designers across the Messaging pillar at Attentive. I also coached and supported two visual designers transition into product design.

I focused on creating close collaboration with our embedded UX Researcher and Content Strategist, while supporting our regular projects with our PMs and scrum teams.

I led monthly roadmapping for the design team and ensured UX's seat at the table. My partnerships with Product + Engineering allowed us to have visibility down the road while having plenty of impact in the short term to get us in the right direction. This close collaboration and communication allowed us to deliver on 25+ design projects in Q1 + Q2 2021.

Coaching & career talks

Weekly 1:1s were important due to our quick-paced speed. I carved out time at the end of each month with each of my direct reports for a retro. We used this space to highlight wins, share feedback both ways, identify growth opportunities and have open conversations about their long term career aspirations.

Design Ops

Designers had been dependent on their PMs to track project progress, but we needed structure that supported our UX workflows. I created this project template for myself when I was an IC and eventually expanded it to become a template for the team.

This template made it easy for managers to see project statuses and flag blockers for leadership and it allowed designers to take more ownership over their workflow. We saw many designers work collaboratively with their PMs, UX Research and Content Strategy in their project plans.

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Collaboration

One of my management themes is collaboration. I enjoy working with people, which is one of the many reasons I decided to become a manager. Through collaboration and true partnership, the kind that encompasses mutual respect and communication, I facilitated and influenced countless monthly roadmapping conversations with Product + Engineering partners, coached PMs who were without managers and lifted our Messaging team morale by leading by example.

Wanna see more? 

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