Collaborating with others on a project can be a rewarding experience and a great learning oportunity, but it can also present challenges. With a little planning and preparation, you can set yourself and your team up for success.
This handbook is designed to help you and your team work together seamlessly and navigate the complexities of group work, from organizing and communicating effectively to problem-solving and staying on track.
If you run into any roadblocks along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Many of us have been in your shoes and are happy to offer guidance and support.
So grab your UX survival kit and let’s get started! And be sure to stick around for the bonus track at the end.
1. Document everything!
When it comes to group projects (or any personal project), one of the most important things you can do is document every step of the process. This means keeping a record of everything from the initial problem definition to meetings with your team and sketches of your ideas.
Here are a few reasons why documentation is so crucial:
- It ensures that everyone on the team is on the same page and knows where decisions come from.
- It allows you to access important information quickly, speeding up the pace of work.
- It provides a valuable record of your process that you can use to tell the story of your project once it’s completed.
By documenting everything from the start, you can set your team up for success and ensure that your group project goes smoothly from beginning to end.
2. Start with the problem, not the solution
When starting a project, it can be tempting to jump straight into brainstorming solutions. But before you do that, it’s important to focus on defining the problem you want to solve. This will ensure that you are investing your time and effort in something that is important and desirable to the people who will use it.
💡 Don’t discard your first ideas! Sometimes it’s good to revisit them later in the process.
To understand the problem you are trying to solve, you need to conduct research. This involves learning about the people who will be using your solution, what problem affects them, what they need and value, and why they encounter this problem. By gaining a deep understanding of the problem and its impact on users, you can identify opportunities for improvement and create a solution that truly meets their needs.
You can’t know everything from the beginning, so it’s a good idea to start with a hypothesis or assumption about the problem and validate it with potential users.
For that, you can use this chart:
In this chart, you can fill in the problem you are working on, the people who have this problem, and any limitations you are currently facing. Then, you can use open-ended questions to validate your assumptions and gather valuable insights from potential users.
Here is an example of how you could complete it:
This way, you can ensure that you are focusing on the right problem and creating a solution that truly meets the needs of your users.
3. Use a project management tool
One of the keys to successful group projects is effective communication and collaboration. And one of the best ways to facilitate this is by using a project management tool.
Whether you use Trello, Asana, or another tool, a shared project management platform provides a centralized place for your team to view project status, deadlines, and assigned tasks. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and can stay on top of each other’s progress.
In addition to facilitating communication, project management tools also make it easy to track progress and identify potential bottlenecks. For example, if you see that someone on your team has a lot of tasks left to do, you can communicate with them to see if they need help or if there is something impeding their progress.
4. Synchronous and asynchronous work
When working on a project, it is important to have both synchronous and asynchronous work time with your team for several reasons:
- Synchronous work allows the team to align their efforts and avoid rework by ensuring that everyone is working towards the same goal.
- It can be a more efficient use of time, as team members don’t have to wait for each other to complete tasks or catch up.
- It also provides an opportunity for the team to exchange ideas and opinions, which can help build confidence in decision making and make problem solving easier.
On the other hand, it’s also possible to work with asynchronous communication. This can include daily or weekly check-ins. This can benefit your team because:
- Asynchronous work allows teams to work at their own pace, enabling them to adjust their schedule to accommodate other commitments such as family, work or school.
- You and your teammates will be able to focus on your tasks without interruption
- You’ll be able to develop your own ideas and research, and use the sync time to discuss them with your team.
The important thing is to make sure everyone is on the same page about when and how often communication will occur.
5. Divide the roles
A well-developed project plan with concise roles and duties for each team member will help you ensure that everyone is aware of their personal contributions.
For example, if you are creating a project to improve online education, one person may be responsible for researching existing analog solutions, and another person may be tasked with interviewing potential students.
Assigning deadlines for each team member can also improve your collaboration. This way, everyone can focus on their individual tasks and know when they need to finish. With deadlines in place, the team can stay organized and on track.
6. Don’t take yourself too seriously
Patience and a sense of humor are both essential when working on any project, but especially on a group project. Design can be a stressful and challenging process, so it is important to be able to laugh and take things in stride.
In any group project there will be problems, conflicts or difference of opinions, so it’s important to be able to work through them and keep the good vibes going.
It’s important to be patient with your team. Remember: making mistakes is part of the learning process!
Bonus track — Toolkit
Some tools I think could help you and your team. Not sponsored (but open to be sponsored! Feel free to reach out)
- Trello — Project management
- Doodle — Coordinate meetings with different people
- Figma — Design and visual collaboration
- Figjam — Digital whiteboard
- Type Scale — Font and line height calculator
- Iconify — Icon library (I STRONGLY recommend using all icons from the same library)
- Stark — Check your designs for accessibility (please use this plugin or any other of your choice)
- Landingfolio — Landing page benchmarks
- Figma Community — ALMOST anything you could need for Figma and Figjam will be here
- Notion — Collaborative documentation
Closing words
Personal projects are challenging, there’s no way around it. But with the right tools, processes and mindset, I’m sure you’re gonna have a great time and learn a lot!
If you ever need help, you can find me on twitter.
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