How To Get Designers To Show Up For Development Rituals?

The two-day class, held at Microsoft and SAP Labs, focused on team rituals and their role in fostering connectedness and belonging in remote work. Participants were introduced to the concept of Intervision, a weekly meeting where they discussed ongoing design work. Team rituals are not a cure-all for remote work issues, but they can help bring back connectedness and belonging. The class also explored the importance of meeting cadences, rituals, and culture-building exercises in the product design team’s day-to-day work.

The article explores five popular design team rituals, including creating safe spaces, iterating with intention, passing the baton, finding a partner to jam with, prioritizing quality over quantity, and not forcing it. It is crucial to ensure that both presenting and giving feedback at open critiques is optional, having a regular time on the team calendar, and addressing behaviors that hinder goal achievement.

The primary purpose of these meetings is to provide a status update on each designer’s project and identify any obstacles or blockers. Daily reflection is also essential, with regular design reviews scheduled. User feedback is also a valuable tool in fostering a culture of collaboration and communication. The five most common rituals are planning, daily stand-up, backlog refinement, review, and retrospective.