When does the product team need to lead cross-department discussions?
Generally, small feature iterations and optimizations are based on a more specific demand background, such as the need for a reminder to prompt users whose credit card is about to expire to update their payment information. These requirements will soon be turn into a task, and assigned to product designers by Product Manager.
However, sometimes there are very vague requirements, such as: How to create a new function that increases user stickiness to the platform? For such requirements that cannot be clearly defined, pre-discussions with cross-department members are needed before executing the design. In addition to understanding the needs and concerns of each department and developing more comprehensive and market-oriented features, it can also ensure that team members have a consistent understanding and are moving towards the same goal.
Although the 5 Days-Design Sprint is a great framework specifically designed to solve these ambiguous problems, it is quite difficult to initiate a meeting in reality (after all, 5 days is too much since everyone is busy…). Therefore, I usually prefer to complete the “Develop” phase first with the product manager, then asking everyone to spend 1–2 hours to define & Ideation.
Below is the usual process I follow:
Develop-1: Quantitative Survey Research
I usually work with the product manager to confirm what data and information we need to define the problem, then plan the survey and conduct the quantitative research.
After collecting the data, we will import them to notion database, We analyze the data to determine what the users really want and to find insights, which will help us identify opportunities for the feature.
Develop-2: Competitor Analysis
Based on the opportunities identified through the survey analysis, we find products that have similar functionalities and directions. We analyze the features and advantages of competing products, as well as their weaknesses and shortcomings. This helps us avoid redundancy and avoid making similar mistakes during the design process. Understanding the products of our competitors allows us to better understand market trends and customer needs.
Define & Ideation: Use Design Sprint frame work to collaborate cross-departments
In this process, we invite representatives from each departments to participate in a product design meeting, using frameworks such as Pros & Cons, HMW, Note-n-map, etc. to define the main problem.
Then, we divide everyone into groups, and each person sketches their own ideas on paper and shares them with the group. Each group then discusses and refines the best idea, and finally, each group takes turns presenting their ideas, and everyone can use sticky notes and red dots to leave their comments (Questions, Likes, Dislikes, Wants) or vote the best one. Finally every team reach a consensus.
Through this process, we can also understand the concerns and wants from different department perspectives. For example, the BD team may be concerned about the promotion strategy and business value, while the Product team may be more interested in the technical implementation of the product. Understanding these can help us make better decisions in product design. It also ensures that everyone participate in design decisions and in the same page.
Qualitative user interviews with low-fidelity wireframes
After the cross-team meeting, we will prepare low-fidelity wireframes to help us better understand the appearance and functionality of the product. Also the designer will work with the product manager to plan the next stage of qualitative user interviews to confirm whether our decision can meet the real users’ needs.
These interviews can help us better understand customers’ views and needs regarding the product and further optimize the product design. After the interview, we will make adjustments to design based on user feedback.
Designing mid-fidelity mockups and confirming with each team
After conducting qualitative user interviews, we will proceed to design mid-fidelity mockups that can more concretely demonstrate the product’s details and features. We will invite representatives from each department again to confirm to ensure that the product design meets each department’s requirements.
Creating a interactive prototype for usability testing
After confirming the direction with each department, I will use the mid-fidelity mockup to create an interactive prototype for usability testing. To make the process more convenient, we usually conduct the test online by sharing the Figma prototype link with users and recording the entire process.
Designing high-fidelity mockups
After completing the usability test, the designer would gradually refine our prototype based on users’ feedback. Finally finishing the high-fidelity mockups and conduct the final confirmation with cross-functional teams.
Handoff to engineers
Finally, we will plan with the engineers and move on to the development stage, confirming the minimum viable product (MVP) functions and processes before making the final handoff.
