How to Integrate Collaboration Tools into Daily Work

Practical #designops Tip 2: Consider creating an ops-specific Figma library to support your UX team. Meeting your team where they work is a powerful mechanism to drive engagement. While centralized knowledge management may occur elsewhere (Confluence, Coda, etc.), there are opportunities to extend and reinforce ways of working in #figma, providing just-in-time resources to designers in their daily workflows. Let’s break down some components to consider building: 👉 Figma File Thumbnails: As your org scales, your team will need to establish Figma file standards for wayfinding within Figma, so that collaborators (e.g. marketing) can find the right file easily. Create a standardized cover thumbnail component that displays properly in Figma’s grid view, and use component properties for the different info displayed: project name, feature team, status, etc. 👉 Design Brief Template: While the need for this will vary by project scope, the premise is getting designers in the habit of writing out their design’s objectives (for both the user and business) ahead of time. Pushing them to have this alongside their designs in Figma does two things: 1) keeps objectives top of mind while designing, and 2) allows others to critique a design’s success in relation to well defined objectives. I prefer to keep the design brief light-touch for designers, and include a space to link out to other relevant documentation (PRD, user research, etc). 👉 Design Principles: Remember those #productdesign principles your team created and then put on some Confluence page that hasn’t been looked at in a year? Get them in your library and include them within / alongside a frequently used DesignOps component. I recommend the design brief above! 👉 Presentation Templates: Not all slide decks will be in Google slides, Keynote, etc. A simple, clean, and branded Figma slide template is helpful to the #ux team - it will save time and create consistency when the team chooses to present from Figma. Build out a few key slide layouts (cover slide, text, image, etc), using variants and properties. If available, make components for industry-specific illustrations or images to pull into slides. 👉 Critique Format Guides: As you mature the #designcritique process, your team will likely use various crit formats. Build small cheat-sheet card components for running each type of crit - what’s the format, what roles exist, tips for giving & receiving feedback, and so on. Designers can drag these in alongside their design as a reference for themselves and crit attendees. 👉 Fun Stuff: Warm-up prompts & exercises, custom emojis of each person on the team, etc. Components can be brought into Figjam as well, so get creative! Consider any task your team is doing in Figma: is there repeated work you can simplify with a #designoperations library? Is there a playbook that would gain better adoption extended alongside design work? Curious to hear from others - what else might you put in here?

Managing remote UX teams at top tech companies like Dropbox and Google has given me unique insights. Here are some best practices to overcome common challenges. - Virtual Design Critiques: Host regular design critique sessions via video conferencing. These allow for real-time feedback and ensure all team members stay aligned and engaged. - Leverage Digital Whiteboarding: Utilize tools like Miro or Mural for collaborative brainstorming and sketching sessions. These digital whiteboards can simulate the in-person experience and foster creativity among remote team members. - Conduct Virtual Usability Testing: Schedule remote usability testing sessions with real users using platforms like UserTesting or Lookback. This allows your team to gather valuable feedback and iterate on designs without needing in-person interactions. - Implement Design Pairing: Pair designers to work together on tasks via screen sharing and collaborative tools. This practice, similar to pair programming in software development, enhances problem-solving and skill-sharing among team members. - Encourage Creative Breaks: Schedule regular creative breaks where team members can share inspiration, personal projects, or recent design trends. This keeps the team engaged and inspired, even when working remotely. What strategies have you found effective for managing remote UX teams?

That meeting could have been a Figma file. We’ve all been there—another invite pops up on the calendar to “review designs,” and suddenly an hour is gone with nothing decided. Before you book yet another meeting, try this instead: 📌 Drop the design in Figma and invite comments. You might resolve 10 issues in 10 minutes without a single calendar invite. In fact, I find the old “This Could’ve Been an Email” rule now increasingly applies to design feedback, too. 🧠 Real-time brainstorming? Try FigJam. Staring at a muted Zoom call isn’t collaboration. Virtual sticky notes and freehand sketches get ideas flowing way better than awkward silences and “You’re on mute” reminders. ⏳ Async for the win. Instead of a “quick status check” that eats 30 minutes, keep progress visible in Figma. Stakeholders can review updates on their own time, so you can skip the “any updates?” meeting that somehow turns into a monologue. 🎯 Run interactive design reviews. Instead of screen-sharing static slides, let people click through prototypes and comment directly in Figma. It’s like a meeting that actually stays on topic (miracles do happen). 🎨 More time to design. Fewer meetings = more making. Block off those newly freed hours for deep work (or, you know, actually take a lunch break). Your productivity and sanity will thank you. How do you cut down on pointless meetings in your design process? Share your best “this meeting could’ve been a Figma link” story! 👇 #FigmaFriday #Figma #uxdesign #strategy #collaboration #digital #projectmanagement #designreviews #designtips ---------------- 👋 Hi, I’m Dane—sharing daily design tools & tips. ❤️ Found this helpful? 'Like’ it to spread the word. 🔄 Share to help others (& save for later). ➕ Want more? Follow me for daily insights.