Read

Listen

image of Managing A Design Team Without Killing Creativity - Mike Townson, Order
Thursday, October 6, 2022
37:43
minutes

Managing A Design Team Without Killing Creativity - Mike Townson, Order

Listen on

Podcast information

Share:

Episode Details

Mike and Aram discuss how to build a design team where designers are focused on jobs to done. They explore what it takes for a team to go from forming to norming, which OKRs designers should and shouldn’t have, how to build a design thinking community in your organization, what designers actually feel when they think they have impostor syndrome, and how to tread the fine line between challenge and overwhelm.

Show notes

The way a design team is managed can fuel creativity or stifle it. What happens when you direct ideas too early? How do you challenge your designers without overwhelming them? Today’s guest built his design team in 4 months, this is what he learned.

About Mike Townson
Mike Townson is the Director of Product Design at Order. When he started at Order, there wasn’t much of a design or product team. It was just him and the VP of product. There, he had to build an internal design team in 4 months. As a leader, he believes that you don’t always have to be right - but you always have to be surrounded by the right people. His approach to building a design team is to set up the team to be self-led and empowered. In another life, Mike would’ve been a tour guide.

Links We Mentioned
Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams https://www.amazon.ca/Org-Design-Orgs-Building-House/dp/1491938404 
Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders https://www.amazon.ca/Around-Story-Turning-Followers-Leaders/dp/1591846404

SHOW NOTES:
00:05 | Who is Mike Townson?
00:24 | What is Order?
01:29 | Becoming a director of product design
05:34 | First reality check as a design manager
07:48 | Do you have to become a people manager to grow as a designer?
10:10 | The most exciting part of management
14:04 | Building an internal design team from scratch OR Building a design team focused on jobs to be done
17:47 | Scaling a design team
20:49 | Why do great designers have impostor syndrome?
23:23 | Objectivity of design: is it real?
26:04 | Best ways to track design metrics
30:42 | Leader-leader method 
33:49 | Fireside: illustration, VR, design meetings, throwaway work

Follow Mike Townson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miketownson/

Work with Crowdlinker:
https://www.crowdlinker.com/contact 

What is Product Innovation Series with Aram Melkoumov?

Product Innovation Series is an in-depth interview series featuring product & innovation leaders from small startups all the way to Fortune 500 behemoths. Our guests share their battle-tested perspective on what prevents teams from shipping a great product. The show is hosted by Aram Melkoumov, the CEO of Crowdlinker.

Related podcasts

January 10, 2023
33:56 minutes
Marlon Hope, head of Product for Netacea, joins Aram Melkoumov to discuss product development principles and key lessons for product success. He also talks about why data is important to measure the success of the objectives of your product. Netacea is agentless Intent Analytics platform.
December 27, 2022
30:36 minutes
Jeroen Van Hautte joins Aram Melkoumov to discuss the process of designing and launching customer-focused tech solutions. He explains how focusing on customer journey and having a customer centric attitude is key to success. User experience rather than features. Throughout the discussion, we explore his journey building TechWolf from determining ROI launching, acquiring the first customers and identifying the gaps to improve his product.
December 20, 2022
37:37 minutes
Sometimes designers do things that aren’t in the customer's best interest. In fact it happens more often than some like to admit it. Monika Ocieczek, the head of product design at Primer, witnessed it many times. She shares her perspective on why designers do it, evolution of product design, what successful designers look like and more. Bonus section: Monika and Aram discuss who should be blamed for the unsuccessful product.
GET IN TOUCH
GET IN TOUCH

Want to learn more?

Let’s start collaborating on your most complex business problems, today.