Brant & I in 2022
Brant is my husband, and we founded Slide UX together nearly 11 years ago. People often ask me, "How could you work with your spouse for a decade?"
My answer: I didn't work directly alongside him all that much. We would divide and conquer. He would work on the projects I wasn't on, and vice versa. That definitely made it easier for both of us.
While an indirect working relationship has its perks when you're married, distributing UXers across projects can create a challenge for product and UX leaders who want to help their teams level up.
A UX leader asked me recently, "How can I accurately evaluate my UX team's performance when I'm not working with everyone directly?"
I don’t work with everyone directly. How can I evaluate my UX team's performance?
Surveying teammates from other disciplines might muddy the waters, since everyone seems to have their own ideas about what UX should contribute (especially folks from other disciplines).
Here's what I suggest:
Document expectations for each role and level within your UX team. No doubt that this is hard work, but it's your job as a leader, and it's something your team deserves.
Socialize it. Iterate as needed until you've got alignment. Both your team and your organization's leadership must be bought in on the expectations for the system to work.
Establish a 360 survey that is based in expectations for each role.
Survey peers to learn how well your team's performance aligns with your expectations.
Gather input on both the expectations and the survey at least one a year.
When you take this approach, you can:
Empower your UX team with clear expectations. Managers can use this documentation to talk about development opportunities and set individual goals. People who want to grow within your organization know what's expected and can self-evaluate and pursue development against the rubric.
Educate other disciplines about what your organization expects from UX. It can clear up misconceptions that might contribute to stakeholder dissatisfaction.
Get a better picture of performance through peer surveys. 360 feedback is more complete than any one person's opinion, and cuts down on individual bias. Reusing the same survey can create a benchmark to show improvement year over year.
By documenting expectations, establishing a 360 survey, and gathering input regularly, you can give your team what they deserve-clear expectations and accurate performance feedback. This result in a team that is better aligned with your vision and goals, and better off in their long term careers.