How We Onboard Other Designers Into A New Project

At OOZOU, many clients' projects grow larger over time, and almost all of them require their specialised workflow to accommodate the ever-changing scope of requirements. Therefore, the design team members would have to be aware of their workload and adjust their work trajectory based on a sprint. When the project scope increases, the team lead would often shift team members to where they're needed the most, leading to the need to simplify the handover process and make sure that everything goes smoothly.

As a flat hierarchy design team, assigning a designer to any project would need the permission of all parties -- be it the client, the team, or even the person being switched. To be assigned and work in a comfortable environment is a critical part to prevent designers' burnout.

OOZOU has a tool called people planner (yes, we deliberately avoid the term 'resource'), which the design lead will use to accommodate any changes in personnel with a handover estimation overhead. The period varies depending on the complexity and delivery window of both projects. This transitioning period will then allow designers to have comfortable offboard and onboard processes between the team.

We have an extensive design playbook that helps us undergo the process, alongside the session set out by the current designer that has to provide a walkthrough with the newly joined.

When started on the project, designers will be invited to a quick introduction call and receive links that include requirements and insights. They will have a comprehensive walkthrough of the current design files with the team (with additional documentation if needed). This will ensure that the handover process goes smoothly and remains frictionless throughout.

One of the vital aspects of our team is that when designers hit a wall, someone from the design team (or anyone for that matter) can jump in and help you out regardless of the project they're on. Anyone involved in the project can improve its process; designers are free to raise it by their subsequent discussion with the team or even call for a quick workshop to review and brainstorm those ideas!

As an ever-growing design team, we're always open to changes. There is no sacred cow on any project. If it's better than the current standard we have, you can communicate to the team and try it out (and even get other projects to follow your newly introduced method as well!)

We also value time constraints and often go out of our way to make sure you have sufficient time to adjust to the project and its workflow. People learn and adapt to things at a different rate, so is our adjustment time with each project.

When changes are underway, we don't just sit idly by and wait for the problem to arise. We also have a weekly design retrospective as an open space to discuss and brainstorm for solutions that we could do to improve our design process for each project.

Each team member would evaluate these ideas together and created a blueprint (or template) to experiment with new methods and see them through together as a team. If something is solid enough for us to standardise, it will be put in our team playbook for better and faster onboarding when a new designer joins the team.