Unlocking designers as effective managers

Written by: Abhash Bikram Thapa , Director of Design

Can we integrate the 5-step design thinking process into a comprehensive management strategy?

Design Thinking has long been celebrated for its people-centered problem-solving approach. Yet, its potential in building and managing exceptional teams is often overlooked.?

With designers taking on significant roles in the tech industry, we’re forced into wondering if designers can transition into effective managers— given their shared traits with managers.

In this read, we’ll explore the parallels between design thinking and management and how we can harness this framework to shape the future of design leadership.

Demand for design-driven leadership

Let’s begin by considering how a manager from a similar background, who has faced the same challenges as their team members, can empathize better and set the base for human-centered management.

As we welcome more designers into the industry, we tend to focus more on skills and trends than management of skills and designers as a whole. And when we throw a non-design leader into the mix, some designers can be left unchecked, their potential hidden behind layers of Figma and Illustrator.

This need calls for an untapped potential within the design community— a generational shift where we call on designers to step up as the next wave of design leaders.

What is holding designers back?

So, why aren’t all designers good managers??

After conducting surveys, working closely with 75+ designers, and interviewing 100+ candidates, I’ve discovered that most designers lack two crucial skills that are needed to be a manager.

1. Handling criticism
2. Effective communication

While it’s important to reflect on and acknowledge one’s progress and achievements, designers tend to fall in love with their designs— a mistake I’ve made early on in my career too.?

I recall being responsible for designing an advertisement for an educational institution on the front page of a leading daily newspaper. When I received the freshly printed copy in the morning, there was my first mistake splashed across the front page in big bold letters: a typo.

This oversight was embarrassing, especially for a designer who follows an iterative process. But it served as a valuable lesson as I am more mindful of typos in the designs that I do or come across.?

At the risk of stereotyping all designers, most of us tend to be reserved and have an empathetic personality. These traits sometimes hinder us from making tough decisions such as addressing performance issues, layoffs, saying no, or making high-stake decisions.

Despite these hurdles, with proper guidance and mentorship, we can fully explore our potential in managerial roles by strengthening our inherent qualities.

Design and management: Common traits

We discussed what designers need to improve or not back off to become good managers.

Now, we will talk about the traits a good designer already has or has been practicing.

Once they work on their shortcomings, and embrace and enhance what they already have, they will be in a good position to be a manager.

Teamwork: Both designers and managers seek collaboration and teamwork at the heart of all tasks rather than working alone as individual contributors.

Empathy: Both deal with people and their problems, making empathy a non-negotiable skill.?

Efficient problem-solving: Managers aim to streamline work processes and solve problems within the team. Meanwhile, designers do it in a more human-centered way.

Fail faster mentality: They keep the concept of failing faster at the core of their work as they iterate towards efficient solutions or growth.?

Aligned to a vision: Both designers and managers are aligned with product vision and organizational goals respectively.

How does the Design Thinking framework help?

Regardless of conventional practices, the Design Thinking framework extends beyond product or design problems. This framework can be utilized to manage and solve a team’s problems.?

Before we dive into the process, let’s carry out two crucial short tasks.

Task 1

Usually, designers provide services by keeping the end users and other stakeholders in mind.

In our situation, let’s assume,

• Design Team’s Members as Users of the product/services
• The manager as a designer

Task 2

Like how we set a vision for products before we proceed, let’s set a vision for our design team.

A generic example here would be: Become a world-class design team.

Now, the actual comparison.?

Let’s match the steps of Design Thinking with team management. All the practices, techniques, and mantras of the Design Thinking framework can be kept intact, however, only the context to use it differs.

Design Thinking vs Management

Intent 1: Building relationships and knowing your team members.

Intent 2: Being democratic helps to reduce forced goals on your team members.

Intent 3: Teams’ ownership is heightened as they come up with the ideas.

Intent 4: Makes team members feel that we are all in it together.

Intent 5: Iterate, evaluate, learn, and grow.

This approach positions designers as the 'users' of the management 'service', emphasizing a user-centric and empathetic management style.

The future of design leadership

When designers become managers, it's not just a simple job change— it's a chance for them to grow personally and professionally at work.?

The blending of these two roles offers creative people an opportunity to lead teams with empathy and prioritize people-centric approaches in management.?

Equipping designers with managerial skills is crucial in this fast-paced world where design influences everything from the things we use, and the services we enjoy, to the experiences we have.?

By preparing more designers to become leaders, we can make sure that creativity and smart planning go hand in hand to make great things happen.

Note: This blog is based on a session delivered by Abhash Bikram Thapa during Design Disco 2023.

All images are generated using Stable Diffusion XL 0.9 and Adobe Photoshop generative AI. Abhash chose these tools to align with Design Disco 2023's theme that was centered around AI.