Design Thinking in Hybrid & Remote Workplaces

Design thinking methodology encourages consistent collaboration and openness to enhance creativity and innovation in design spaces and across teams. However, with the prevalence of remote and hybrid work, collaborating to the highest degree may seem intangible for design teams. Some may be concerned that design thinking methods and practices are going to the wayside as a result of these workplace changes, but having remote and hybrid work becoming the norm gives design thinking a chance to evolve and thrive as a discipline. 

Fostering autonomy, flexibility, and trust

Allowing employees to “work from anywhere” is in and of itself a human-centered approach to organizing the workplace. Giving employees flexibility in their work location and schedules is incredibly beneficial to anyone who cares for their children or loved ones, may have medical needs to address, or may spend hours on a daily commute otherwise. According to a study done by Owl Labs, 90% of employees who began working remotely during the pandemic reported that they were at the same productivity level -- or higher -- working from home compared to the office. So, employees create better work-life balances through remote and hybrid models while also improving their productivity and performance levels with the work they’re doing.

Tips for active collaboration

Remote and hybrid work models cultivate autonomy and trust amongst team members, so long as everyone is maintaining productivity levels and contributing to the team effort. Here are some tips for engaging with teams and actively collaborating to achieve design thinking-oriented goals.

Stay organized

Organization should play a central role in keeping team members, design processes, tools, and timelines aligned in hybrid or remote workplaces. One way to maintain this alignment is to do weekly team meetings and one-on-one check-ins to ensure transparency and answer any questions or concerns on a regular basis. 

Another organization tip is to track progress. At the start of the week, lay out all deadlines, points of interest, and tasks in an email to all design team members. In the aforementioned meetings, prioritize which points should be addressed more urgently and how team members can work together to complete necessary tasks. Finally, keep track of the completed tasks using Google Sheets so that everyone can reference the most updated information. 

Overall, prioritizing organization for all team members will allow for more seamless workflows and collaboration.

Choose the right technology for your team

It is absolutely necessary for design teams to choose technology that works best for them. Choosing the most effective and efficient tools and updating them as needed will standardize processes and make it much easier for people to collaborate on projects.

Tools and technology go beyond what’s required for successful design itself, though. Having standard apps for correspondence and scheduling, like Slack, Calendly, or Microsoft Teams will help your team with organization and communicating ideas, questions, and solutions in a cohesive way.

Implement team-building activities

One aspect of hybrid and remote work that some people take issue with is the lack of personal interactions and connections made between employees. In traditional in-person office settings, it’s common for people to connect with their peers over lunch, group meetings, and office celebrations. The same connections can be made by implementing team-building exercises. 

Activities like office provided lunches, coordinating a dinner or wine tasting after work, and planning a trip to an escape room are a few examples that can help hybrid workplaces foster more connections between coworkers. For full remote workers, sending daily pictures of pets, virtual art classes, and even immersive events like tiny campfire are innovative ways to engage everyone on your team. No matter what the activity may be, putting forth the effort to connect peers outside of work obligations can go a long way for active collaboration and camaraderie going forward.