Hybrid work habits for designers

Combining office with remote work and pandemic habits to make an impact and thrive as a designer.

A couple of years after learning to work remotely, many of us return to the office for at least a few days a week. How can we, designers, benefit from the best of both worlds?

A failed experiment?

When I became seriously ill with double-sided pneumonia in January 2020, little I knew it would take me nearly two years to reunite with my fantastic standing desk in the office. I signed up for the voluntary Return to The Workplace programme when the option became available. And then, on one cold October morning of 2021, I boarded a nearly empty train to Central London. My biggest fear, that I left a half-eaten snack on my desk, which, by now, developed into a fully established intelligent culture, wasn't fulfilled. The facilities team kept the office pristine, and upon arrival, I even received a pack of face masks and a hand gel to make me feel like at home. My desk was still standing. My scribbles on a wall were still there, and printouts of a user journey were still stuck to the wall (well done, Blue Tack!). The place felt eerie, and the strangeness was emphasised by the awkward way of greeting colleagues by touching our elbows. Gone were the hugs, like we used to do. After that day, it took me another couple of months to come back in again. The office didn't feel the same anymore.

In a short period between 2020 and 2022, remote work became the norm, at least in the tech bubble. We embraced it (not that we had a choice) and learned it’s positives and negatives. Today, COVID feels like a distant nightmare from history books. Travel returned to pre-pandemic levels. We still mourn those we lost. Bills and rents keep climbing, and we should still be celebrating the NHS, not because the politicians asked us to, but because in the life of this generation, rarely did so few give up so much for so many. But life goes on, and, in many ways, things feel like they used to. During the first six months of 2023, many CEOs across tech started asking staff to return to ‘normal’ at work. Salesforce’s Marc Benioff believes some employees “do better if they’re in the office,” while Elon Musk uses strong language to argue that people are more productive in person.

“I think definitely one of the tech industry’s worst mistakes in a long time was that everybody could go full remote forever, and startups didn’t need to be together in person and, you know, there was going to be no loss of creativity,” said Open AI’s Sam Altman recently, and adds, “I would say that the experiment on that is over, and the technology is not yet good enough that people can be full remote forever, particularly on startups.”

But even if the remote work during the pandemic was an experiment (which it wasn't - we did it to protect the lives of our loved ones, remember?), I don’t think the situation is as black and white as Sam Altman is trying to paint it.

Let’s stay away from sweeping statements for a moment. We should critically examine what we, designers, have learned from remote working. What is the baby that we shouldn’t throw out with the water? What new habits emerged that we should carry forward?

This blog post was inspired by a friend who recently asked about my top pandemic routine that stuck. Hand washing for thirty seconds, I said. I still wash my hands like it is peak COVID, and I'll do that for the rest of my life. This question led me to examine work-related habits and coping mechanisms I developed during the pandemic. The future of (design) work is not binary: remote or office. It will, inevitably, be a mix of both. What are the pandemic habits to stick to? What should we throw away? What else have we learned?

What are the pandemic habits to stick to? What should we throw away? What else have we learned?

I wanted to form a rounded opinion, so I discussed this topic with a few friends. First and foremost, I would like to thank Sjors Timmer , Jason Mesut , Luká? Marvan , Carmen Brion , Calliopé Georgousi and J.B. Chaykowsky for sharing their thoughts on this topic and contributing to this blog post.

The age of the office

Most of us, designers, spent the majority of our working lives co-located in a workplace: studios, ateliers, and offices. (To avoid doubt, I'll call all these places 'offices' for the rest of this blog post.) We never used to question this, at least not to the extent that it would seriously change anything. Working in the office, with occasional WFH Friday, was just how we did it. The ‘office’ as we know it today originated during the Industrial Revolution, when the co-location of labour was the key to advancements in manufacturing processes. Or perhaps, as Sjors pointed out, much earlier, in monasteries, where monks spent lifetimes preserving and replicating the knowledge that carried us through the Middle Ages.

However, the office is more than a physical location. The co-location of the workforce transpired into the way we work. The workflows, processes, and methods we, designers, apply in our day-to-day jobs originated in offices. The design processes were created by co-located workers for co-located workers and perfected over time. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why taking creative design practices and inserting them into a non-colocated environment without thoughtful change and adjustment doesn’t produce the same outcome.

In 2020, we had to adopt all parts of the cross-functional design process to work remotely. We learned to benefit from remote work. But there always were some parts of our work for which the office is a natural habitat.

1) Facilitation

Before the pandemic stroke, I would facilitate groups and teams almost weekly. Every facilitator can tell how important it is to read the room on a body language level. Seeing people lose or gain energy, finishing the task early, or exchanging glances with a colleague are clear signs that help the facilitator speed things up, slow down, switch activities, take a break, or help where needed.

But there's more than body language. Being in the same physical space allows for wide pallets of workshop exercises, including some that involve physical activities.

There's also the pace: While discussions and ideation sessions in a room feel like table tennis, most videoconference meetings have the pace of a chess game. And that's the best-case scenario. But the Zoom calls can also become a monologue, as some can't stop and are urged to talk forever.

While discussions and ideation sessions in a room feel like table tennis, most videoconference meetings have the pace of a chess game. -Jiri

Bob Marvan also mentioned videoconference fatigue. Before the remote became widespread, he would facilitate multi-day workshops or design sprints. Changes in activities, frequent breaks, lunches spent together or drinks after the intense day would enable the participants to stay concentrated and participate a few days in a row. "Try doing that with a videoconference," he says. "Instead of a three-day workshop, you might be lucky if you get people focused for three hours." And while we run to grab a coffee during our remote Zoom workshop break, the breaks become social opportunities. “Having those breaks builds relationships between participants. It's hard to replicate this online,” explains Carmen.

I won't deny the effectiveness of shorter over-the-videoconference workshops. The digital whiteboard tools have gone a long way since a few years ago, helping us create new facilitating structures. Zoom workshops can be excellent, and I love the format for shorter, faster sessions. (Not to mention that you can easily cover distances and time zones).

Removing distractions and being co-located in one place will always make workshops smoother, more productive and more enjoyable than the Zoom equivalent. Workshops, ideation sessions or design sprints don't require a permanent office, though, and with some planning, teams can choose a location with facilities that perfectly suit the activity.

2) Communication

"Being in the office feels like I could contribute more, " says Sjors. I wasn't entirely surprised by that thought. Communication is usually smoother when coworkers know each other from the physical world. Getting the right 'gut feeling' about someone over Zoom is more challenging than in person. “There's also organisational 'gut feeling' - a synthesis of verbal and nonverbal communication within the organisation,” points out Sjors. This less tangible but essential information layer is easier to recreate with in-person interaction.

"Everything feels binary," says Bob Marvan, speaking about remote-only communication. "You either are scheduling time with someone and dealing with their calendar, or you're not." Although Slack partially mitigates this, instant messaging only works for some. This binary approach is also reflected in what we communicate about. As Carmen argues, in person, we would get to know the more lighthearted side of the person through coffee/tea and lunch breaks. This doesn't happen over videoconference. Some might not feel this is important for work outcomes, but I'm afraid I have to disagree. “A smoothly working team is built not only on professional trust but also on empathy, emotional affinity and mutual understanding,” adds Carmen. This could be achieved remotely, but it requires time investment and extra effort from both sides.

“A smoothly working team is built not only on professional trust but also on empathy, emotional affinity and mutual understanding,” -Carmen

“Individuals think any time not coding or drawing boxes is not 'work', so they choose not to come in. Meanwhile, others come into the office and are still on Zoom all day, negating the reason even to come in and reducing their ability to deliver,” explains J.B., and adds: “We are social creatures. Individuals who view work as transactional will limit the potential for their impact. By knowing each other, we can properly set expectations on interactions and have empathy when things might be a bit off.”

“We are social creatures. Individuals who view work as transactional will limit the potential for their impact." -J.B.

Being deprived of meeting others can put the importance of in-person connection into perspective. When I, after a chain of longdowns, finally caught up face-to-face with J.B., my manager at the time, I felt that in that one conversation, we were able to connect on a much deeper level than in our regular Zoom 1:1s we held almost weekly for the previous year.

I will not recount other aspects of how videoconferencing is less effective than in-person communication, as we all experienced it.

As with facilitation, having a permanent office is unnecessary to create a deeper connection. However, meeting face-to-face regularly and building in-person relationships is crucial for building trust and smooth collaboration.

3) Collaborative thinking

My third point is very design-nerdy. Physical space, a whiteboard, a wall, or even a desk, allows us to directly manipulate information with speed and mental connection that is impossible to replicate over Zoom with Figjam or Miro. When we draw on a physical whiteboard, others instantly see our thoughts and are invited to draw with us. Sketching with thick pens on a whiteboard is, literally, broad strokes thinking. It invites rubbing off, filling in the blanks and developing ideas in seconds. When this flow occurs, it often feels like a brain-to-brain connection. Part of this flow also lies in non-verbal communication. “There are clear signals someone can give in a setting. For example, if you want someone to draw, you can hand them a pen. This is very different in the digital whiteboard apps,” adds J.B.

“There are clear signals someone can give in a setting. For example, if you want someone to draw, you can hand them a pen." - J.B.

I'm a visual thinker, plus English is not my native language. I used to rely on sketching my ideas in a similar way others use hand gestures in a conversation. I am more comfortable explaining my thoughts on a whiteboard than 'just' talking. Despite all videoconferencing platforms having a whiteboard feature, they feel cumbersome, and the instant mental connection between participants doesn't work. I tried sketching on my iPad but missed the expanse of a big wall with write-on paint that is conducive to instant collaboration.

Can this be solved with AR? I’m pretty sure it can. I can’t wait to get my hands on Apple Vision to try this out, and I would be shocked if the digital whiteboard companies are not working on AR-enabled experiences. However, AR tech will take a while to mature and penetrate the market.

What's my conclusion?

Visual thinking and fast co-sketching don't work in a remote setting as much as I'd like. People have to be in the same room for this to work. We, designers, should be conscious of this, as making intangible thoughts concrete through visual representation is one of the superpowers of design.

And design is, of course, not only the output but also the process of getting to that output. How to cope, then? Ensure to meet your thinking partners over a whiteboard when it's possible.

I highlighted facilitating, communication, and collaborative thinking as the top three elements of design work that are better done face-to-face. I agree with Sam Altman’s “the technology is not yet good enough that people can be full remote forever.” But at the same time, this doesn't exclude being remote some of the time, perhaps for periods of time, and flexibly joining coworkers on location when needed.

Finding better ways

Let’s take a look at how remote work improved our work lives. Ultimately, COVID thrust a ton of constraints on us. And we, designers, know that constraints can lead to some fantastic solutions.

1) Collaborative tools

A wall full of sketches and designs, a roadmap, or an experience map would always hang a few steps from my office desk. Colleagues from other teams would see the always-changing physical representation of hot-off-the-press work, which, in turn, provoked interest, opened conversations, and ultimately led to better collaboration.

Without the lockdown, I doubt we would see mass adoption of digital whiteboard tools like Miro, Figjam or Mural. Today, I can't imagine a short, focused workshop without these tools. And although I prefer the in-person facilitation as I described above, there are multiple reasons for loving collaboration on digital whiteboards.

I'm sure you all have used these tools, so describing the benefits would be a waste of space. We all collaborated with team members located in different parts of the country or perhaps on the other side of the world. With digital whiteboards, we don't have to worry that our precious diagram will get rubbed off. We don't waste time taking photos of session outputs, photos that would often sit on shared drives, forgotten.?

I will highlight one aspect of digital whiteboards that is very specific for me and makes my day-to-day job easier. I don't have very good eyesight, so I always had difficulty reading the stickies on the wall unless I squeezed through the front row of participants and read the stickies from a distance of a few centimetres. The digital whiteboards allow me to zoom in as much as I need without being awkward in a swarming room.

Not everything is awesome, though. “Some stakeholders/customer participants outside design don't use Miro or the like. With some, I had to switch to something they knew, ending in slides,” Carmen describes one of the pain points. And while the digital whiteboards are practical, they completely fail to provide the benefit of exposing the work and creating moments of serendipity, as I described above.

My bottom line?

Whiteboarding session on Miro is perfect for shorter workshops with smaller stakes that are a routine part of product delivery. For anything more significant, choose a physical location.

2) Finding work-life balance

When I discussed the topic of work-life balance, someone mentioned to me that for them, it's way more life-work, as in putting their personal life first. Nobody should be shocked that design, despite the fact it is something we love, is a means to an end. Design is a job.

While COVID brought suffering to many, remote work helped me to become a better father. 2019, the year my daughter was born, was a hectic year for me. Most days, I returned home only to see her having dinner or getting ready for bed. This wasn't the relationship I wanted to create with her. In 2020, I gained nearly three extra hours a day I would otherwise spend commuting. Suddenly, I could spend those three hours with my family if I adjusted how I worked as a designer and design leader.

What worked for me doesn't necessarily work for others, however. I talked with many who suffered loneliness and depression and couldn't wait to get the social fix in the office. For Bob, the effect on his parenting was precisely the opposite of mine. "Having a crying child behind the closed door of a home office and being unable to comfort them made me both worse parent and worse worker," explained Bob.

The impact of remote work on work-life balance is still a net positive. Why? Because at least the option to choose emerged. "Some get energy from doing much work, while some get energy from finding a balance between work and life," compares Sjors. This stuck with me. We tried remote work, realised the impact, and now can make a way more informed choice about how to work going forward.

"Some get energy from doing much work, while some get energy from finding a balance between work and life." -Sjors

3) Flexibility

While working around other people's fully booked calendars is no fun, remote work also allows for flexibility regarding individual contributions. I'm most productive in the mornings and late evenings, so I sometimes exchange my working hours throughout the day with the evening. Everyone has their circadian rhythm, and having the ability to adjust the working rhythm accordingly is a huge benefit that wasn’t available in the 'every day in the office’ world.

The flexibility the remote work gave us goes well beyond shuffling working hours. For Jason, remote work opened up many new business opportunities and coaching engagements worldwide. “The same is true for research,” says Carmen. “We can now interview participants from many countries or areas within a country. It increases representation and brings more inclusivity in research.”

Some moved their homes out of large cities or to different countries. Many of us work for companies with teams spread across regions. Remote work gave us flexibility and choices we did not have before.

Habits for Hybrid Work

Most of us will continue working at least partially remotely. Remote work has just way too many benefits to be ignored and scrapped. But of course, as we all know, remote comes with shortcomings. What are some of the top habits to foster so we can thrive at the intersection of remote and office work?

1) Define your rhythm

Much has been written about the separation of work and personal life during the pandemic. Most of us lost the day's bookends: the tube, overcrowded train, jammed motorway or the cycle through the town. And while we used to consider these a necessary evil, they played an essential role in the ecosystem of our days. During the pandemic, many tried to mimic that separation between work and personal life by walking in the park, running, or riding a bike at the end of the working day. But in many cases, these habits disappeared like the facemasks on public transport.

Ensuring we have solid bookends was universally shared with everyone I spoke with. For example, Sjors has a morning ritual of meditation, exercise and journaling, which sets his day. At the end of the day, he consciously plans activities for the next day, so a clear agenda awaits him the next morning. How much we move throughout the day tends to be the other victim of remote work. “When I go to the office, I move much more, even while working. I have evidence as my step count triples or quadruples. This affects my health,” mentions Carmen. For me, the day starts with a run or a fitness class, followed by breakfast and a school run. I aim to finish working around the same time every day, and like Sjors, I plan my priorities for the day ahead.

Define clear boundaries. Develop morning and evening rituals and stick to them. Plan the next day’s work in advance.

2) Create moments to think

A healthy rhythm isn't only about the day's beginning and end. It's also about how we take breaks and create moments for the mind to travel and think. Ultimately, the breakthroughs rarely happen in front of our laptops. In the pre-pandemic world, we would stroll to a cafe or at least take a break to make a cuppa and stare out the office window for a while. This created a pause for us to reflect, subconsciously synthesise, and make connections we couldn't see while in front of our monitors.

These impromptu breaks were one of the COVID casualties. Our living space became our working space, and most of us needed a chance, or strong motivation, to leave the house during the day.

Our days became atomised, as Bob calls it. On our calendars, every 15 minutes is utilised. I tried to cope by blocking off focus time, but this didn't solve for the thinking time that typically is needed ad hoc rather than at a predefined time of the day.

Schedule occasional 60-minute-long thinking breaks throughout the day. You will need willpower to stick to them, though. If you can, leave the house. Change the scenery.

3) Choose space purposefully

"Crafting my space has been incredibly important for me," says Jason. He first set up an office at home, and when the space stopped being suitable, he found an office a short distance from his house. Making the space his own was crucial. Jason brought some of his books, as well as personal objects. A similar approach worked for me. I crafted my workspace in a spare room upstairs. With a desk, IKEA shelves, my design books, some prints hung on the wall, and a few LEGO models, the space turned into a dream workstation.?

"I can choose the right space for the right activity," says Jason. The office used to be the default option for all work activities. We would have to put extra effort and jump through hoops and loops of budgets and approvals to use another space instead. Jason is incredibly prolific as he runs his design consultancy, co-leads the IxDA London chapter, drives events of international reach, coaches, mentors and teaches. Some of his work gets done from his office, some from cafes. He would either choose a specific location or work with clients in their places for workshops. The critical point is that he chooses the location to serve the activity.

"I can choose the right space for the right activity." -Jason

Remote work allows Jason to be much more intentional with where he works. Choosing a location to fit the task also works for Carmen. “I sometimes go to The Hoxton. I get a matcha latte, put music on and work on something for many hours. It depends on what I need to do, but some creative and thinking tasks work well for me in that setting.”

Make a habit of intentionally choosing where to work from. Choose a suitable space for the specific activity.

Bonus: Reward yourself

I never thought about it this way, but it's so true: "Going to the office was, in a way, a reward," points out Sjors. "There was camaraderie and relationships. Occasional cake, coffee, lovely lunch or a couple of drinks with colleagues after work." We lost all of these during the pandemic. At the pandemic's peak, my team was treated to a handful of remote wine and cheese tastings and cocktail masterclasses. Gradually, these rewards disappeared, happy hours got reduced, and remote work stayed.

What remained was the need for a reward. And for the sake of our mental health, each of us should seek out small ways of rewarding ourselves. Perhaps, with remote work, the reward is a lunch with our close ones if we're lucky enough to live together. Or buy a fancy coffee machine for your kitchen. To me, it was physical exercise. I started running, attending an excellent fitness class, and walking way more than before.?

Build a habit to reward yourself. Do a handful of tiny things for you at least twice a week.

What next?

We reviewed three key aspects of design work that lead to better outcomes if conducted in a co-located environment:

1. facilitation,
2. communication, and
3. collaborative thinking.

On the other hand, remote work creates unseen options for

1. Better work-life balance,
2. flexibility, and
3. collaboration across distances possible with the suite of new tools.

We discussed new habits you might choose to foster to improve hybrid work:

1. Define working rhythm,
2. create moments to think, and
3. purposefully choose the space to support the outcomes
4. plus a bonus point: reward yourself!

To wrap up, I'd like to suggest one more thing.

Reflecting on everything mentioned above, remote work seems better suited for convergent, solo design activities. For example, research data analysis, synthesis of findings, drafting of decks and reports, detailed interaction design, prototyping and detailed delivery-level UI work.

These activities match the right side of both diamonds in the Double Diamond.

On the other hand, convergent activities are much better suited for colocated work, as they typically require a much greater level of interpersonal communication. The typical examples would be conducting research, various discovery workshops, ideation workshops and similar. In these situations, context and alignment are being built within the group, and the diversity of perspectives is conducive to more thorough divergent thinking.

These activities match the left side of both diamonds in the Double Diamond.

This gives us, designers, an additional lens that might guide us on when to work remotely and when it’s beneficial to be co-located.

I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts, reflections, and experiences.

As always, thank you for your time!

Jiri