Cross-functional Collaboration: Think as Product Managers and Engineers

Fostering cross-functional empathy for holistic design impact

Terri shared insights on cross-functional empathy after her journey from UX engineering back to design:

🔄 Role Perspectives:

💻 Engineers: Prioritize design finality and efficiency due to code change costs.

🤵 Product Managers: Focus on market strategies and data-driven decisions.

🎨 Designers: Tend towards subjective, iterative product refinement.

💡 Bridging Gaps:

🧪 Experiment Wisely: Test ideas with limited MVPs (10% user base) before full implementation.

📊 Adapt Metrics: For B2B/SaaS, consider alternative success indicators like reduced task time.

🔍 Immerse in Other Roles: Write PRDs, join roadmap planning to understand different viewpoints.

🤝 Building Trust:

🌱 Embrace Growth: Recognize everyone's learning journey and avoid adversarial stances.

🎯 Issue-Focused Feedback: Critique ideas, not people, explaining disagreements constructively.

🙏 Value All Input: See feedback as a growth opportunity, learning from mistakes.

🪞 Foster Mutual Growth: Cultivate team-wide empathy for better trust and communication.

💼 Junior Designer Tips:

🛡️ Leverage Protection: Understand that in mature systems, you have space to make and learn from mistakes.

🔨 Refine Your Craft: Use this protected time to hone skills without major constraints.

"Empathy is the bridge that turns cross-functional teams into unified product visionaries."

🔑 Key Takeaway:

Cultivate diverse perspectives to evolve as both designers and collaborators, enhancing overall team dynamics and product outcomes.

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