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How to Build an In-House Design Team?

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Having an in-house design team at your disposal is convenient. These experts fully dedicate themselves to the company’s projects and have a deep understanding of its culture and vision. They are always available and can work closely with other departments. For the design team to bring the greatest value, it should comprise the right people and be effectively integrated into the existing company’s structure. Let’s discuss in more detail how you can achieve this. 

Define the Goals of an In-House Team 

Creating a design team simply because it seems reasonable is not a good strategy. It’s crucial to determine why your company needs in-house designers and how these people will contribute to current and future projects. For example, you may need an in-house team to help you create and launch a mobile app for your e-commerce website. The more well-defined the goals and needs are, the easier it will be to choose the right professionals. Thus, a company assessment is the first step to consider.

In-House vs. Outsource

You also need to evaluate the pros and cons of having an in-house team versus an external team. The latter is the best option in the following cases:

  • You don’t have the software and hardware
  • You lack the financial resources to keep the permanent team
  • Your project is short-term and does not require complex maintenance services 
  • You have tight deadlines and expect strict compliance 
  • You need an unbiased view 

Before hiring people, make sure you have the money and infrastructure to sustain it. Think about short- and long-term goals and whether you need an in-house team to achieve them. 

There’s also a space for flexibility when managing in-house teams. For example, in-house employees can collaborate with external specialists on complex projects requiring more human resources. In this way, you can keep your team small and use additional outsource support when needed. 

Building Infrastructure 

If you are determined to hire an in-house design team, you need to do some preparatory work. The goal is to ensure that the newly hired employees fit into the organizational structure and have the required resources to do their job. Specifically, they need technical equipment (hardware and software) and organizational support. The latter implies that every employee is aware of their roles and is willing to collaborate and communicate across departments. 

Organizational preparation is impossible without evaluating the existing company culture and identifying issues that may hamper a smooth introduction of a new team. It is essential to make sure that existing employees do not feel threatened or anxious and that they embrace organizational changes. Otherwise, you may end up running a company where teams are hostile and do not interact effectively. 

Finding Team Members 

Wait, what is a design team in the first place? This term refers to a group of UI/UX designers who work collaboratively on a shared project, each contributing unique insight, and skills. Examples of projects typically performed by design teams include website design, mobile app design, etc. 

The structure of the design team may vary depending on the type of the project, the company’s size, and available resources. It can include the following specialists:

  • User experience designer(s)
  • User interface designer(s)
  • UX researcher
  • UX copywriter
  • Information architect
  • Visual designer
  • Interaction designer
  • Project manager

Seems like a lot? You don’t have to hire narrow specialists to fill the positions. Many professionals can combine roles (e.g., UI/UX designers) due to their extensive experience. You may even find out that your company already has people possessing the required skills. In this case, you can simply rearrange the work process and team structures to utilize the available talent to the maximum. 

Managing the Team 

Creating a team does not end when you sign work contracts. Managing a design team is also an important part of building an efficient, productive, and high-performing team. You need to make critical decisions regarding how the team will be structured and how it will function.

Centralized Structure 

One of the options is to build a team that will work in one location, reporting to a single person. This structure allows for effective team communication and collaboration, but it may isolate it from the rest of the company. Although centralized teams typically work in one office space, they can also work online. The distinguishing feature here is not the location but the degree to which the team interacts with other departments. 

Embedded Structure 

You can also embed designers into multidisciplinary teams, including developers, copywriters, customer support specialists, etc. This structure facilitates cross-departmental collaboration, but it can result in the design process being overlooked at the expense of other aspects of the project. For instance, one designer in a team may lack the influence to promote certain design decisions. 

Adaptable Structure

The flexible, or adaptable, the structure is the middle ground between centralization and embedded design teams. Companies using it can move employees around depending on the goals. In this way, teams can be flexibly rearranged to achieve emerging goals. A flexible structure offers more freedom and allows utilizing scarce human resources more effectively. 

There is no ideal design team setup that works equally well everywhere. Each of the structure types can work effectively if you manage the limitations. Naturally, you need experienced project managers to avoid the traps and pitfalls and bring out the best in the team players. 

Team Restructuring 

Team building is a continuous process. As your company evolves, you may need to add new team members. Or you may notice that some employees do not fit in, so finding more suitable candidates is best for everyone. Don’t be afraid of changing the team structure to meet your company’s needs because stagnant teams can hardly bring long-term value. 

Conclusion 

Don’t expect an ideal design team to emerge out of nowhere. It is usually the result of extensive company assessment, planning, recruitment, and team-building efforts. Moreover, having a good team now does not mean that it will be as effective in the future. It is important to constantly evaluate team contribution, achievements, and challenges to introduce changes if needed.