Design Workflow

A Proven Process to Drive Efficiency and Quality in Design Projects

Article

Design Workflow

A Proven Process to Drive Efficiency and Quality in Design Projects

Article

Design Workflow

A Proven Process to Drive Efficiency and Quality in Design Projects

Article

As the Head of Product Design, one of my key responsibilities is to create a structured, efficient workflow that ensures our team can deliver high-quality designs consistently. A well-defined workflow doesn't just increase productivity; it also fosters collaboration, promotes iterative feedback, and ensures that every project is aligned with business goals. In this article, I’ll walk through the workflow we’ve developed for our team and explain the reasoning behind each step.

As the Head of Product Design, one of my key responsibilities is to create a structured, efficient workflow that ensures our team can deliver high-quality designs consistently. A well-defined workflow doesn't just increase productivity; it also fosters collaboration, promotes iterative feedback, and ensures that every project is aligned with business goals. In this article, I’ll walk through the workflow we’ve developed for our team and explain the reasoning behind each step.

The Design Workflow Breakdown

The Design Workflow Breakdown

Design Request: The Starting Point

Design Request: The Starting Point

Design Request: The Starting Point

Every design begins with a clear request. The Product Owner (PO) adds a design request in Jira as a task in our backlog. This request includes initial details and the vision for the feature or improvement. Once the task is created, the design team manager works with the PO to prioritize the task and schedule it into an upcoming sprint.

A crucial part of this process is the kickoff meeting between the designer and the PO. During this meeting, the designer gains a better understanding of the requirements, the problem to solve, and the desired outcomes. This ensures that everyone is aligned before moving forward.

Every design begins with a clear request. The Product Owner (PO) adds a design request in Jira as a task in our backlog. This request includes initial details and the vision for the feature or improvement. Once the task is created, the design team manager works with the PO to prioritize the task and schedule it into an upcoming sprint.

A crucial part of this process is the kickoff meeting between the designer and the PO. During this meeting, the designer gains a better understanding of the requirements, the problem to solve, and the desired outcomes. This ensures that everyone is aligned before moving forward.

The Design Process: Turning Ideas into Reality

The Design Process: Turning Ideas into Reality

The Design Process: Turning Ideas into Reality

During the design process, collaboration is key. Designers regularly consult with the design team manager and the PO to ensure that the direction remains consistent with the overall product vision. We divide the design process into two main categories: New Features and Improvements.


New Features: We start with a competitive analysis to gather insights and understand what competitors are doing in similar areas. From there, designers may create flows to map out the user journey (this step is optional but encouraged).

Once we have the groundwork, we progress to low-fidelity designs, which offer a basic visual representation of the feature without too much detail. These low-fidelity versions may go through usability testing, depending on the project’s complexity and timeline. After feedback and iterations, we move to high-fidelity designs, ensuring everything is pixel-perfect and ready for handoff.
Improvements: The process for improvements is similar but often more streamlined. It starts with optional low-fidelity designs for initial testing and review, followed by high-fidelity designs based on feedback.

Throughout both processes, usability testing is an optional but recommended step to ensure the designs meet user expectations and needs.

During the design process, collaboration is key. Designers regularly consult with the design team manager and the PO to ensure that the direction remains consistent with the overall product vision. We divide the design process into two main categories: New Features and Improvements.


New Features: We start with a competitive analysis to gather insights and understand what competitors are doing in similar areas. From there, designers may create flows to map out the user journey (this step is optional but encouraged).

Once we have the groundwork, we progress to low-fidelity designs, which offer a basic visual representation of the feature without too much detail. These low-fidelity versions may go through usability testing, depending on the project’s complexity and timeline. After feedback and iterations, we move to high-fidelity designs, ensuring everything is pixel-perfect and ready for handoff.
Improvements: The process for improvements is similar but often more streamlined. It starts with optional low-fidelity designs for initial testing and review, followed by high-fidelity designs based on feedback.

Throughout both processes, usability testing is an optional but recommended step to ensure the designs meet user expectations and needs.

UI Self-Review: Ensuring Quality and Consistency

UI Self-Review: Ensuring Quality and Consistency

UI Self-Review: Ensuring Quality and Consistency

Before moving forward with a design, we’ve established a crucial self-review process for each designer. This ensures that designs are as polished as possible before reaching the review stage. Designers are expected to:

• Name the screens and sections properly for clarity.

• Review and improve all text and content within the screens.

• Reuse existing components where appropriate to maintain consistency.

• Clean up the file by removing unwanted elements and organizing it in a horizontal layout.

• Check and enforce consistent spacing between design elements (following a grid of 32/24/16/8/4/2).


This step is key to maintaining a high standard of quality and ensuring that designs are easy to understand and modify later, if necessary.

Before moving forward with a design, we’ve established a crucial self-review process for each designer. This ensures that designs are as polished as possible before reaching the review stage. Designers are expected to:

• Name the screens and sections properly for clarity.

• Review and improve all text and content within the screens.

• Reuse existing components where appropriate to maintain consistency.

• Clean up the file by removing unwanted elements and organizing it in a horizontal layout.

• Check and enforce consistent spacing between design elements (following a grid of 32/24/16/8/4/2).


This step is key to maintaining a high standard of quality and ensuring that designs are easy to understand and modify later, if necessary.

Review and Feedback: Refining the Final Product

Review and Feedback: Refining the Final Product

Review and Feedback: Refining the Final Product

The review process is a vital part of ensuring the design aligns with both user needs and business goals. We have two primary rounds of review:

Manager Review: The design manager reviews the work and provides feedback. This step ensures that the designs follow the vision and quality standards.

PO Feedback: Once the design manager’s feedback has been implemented, the PO reviews the designs. This final round of feedback focuses on ensuring the designs align with the original business requirements and user stories.

Designers make adjustments based on these reviews, ensuring that the final product is as polished as possible before handoff to development.

The review process is a vital part of ensuring the design aligns with both user needs and business goals. We have two primary rounds of review:

Manager Review: The design manager reviews the work and provides feedback. This step ensures that the designs follow the vision and quality standards.

PO Feedback: Once the design manager’s feedback has been implemented, the PO reviews the designs. This final round of feedback focuses on ensuring the designs align with the original business requirements and user stories.

Designers make adjustments based on these reviews, ensuring that the final product is as polished as possible before handoff to development.

The Visual Workflow

The Visual Workflow

To further illustrate this workflow, here is the visual breakdown of the process. This flow helps our team stay aligned from the moment a design request is made until it reaches the final review stage.

To further illustrate this workflow, here is the visual breakdown of the process. This flow helps our team stay aligned from the moment a design request is made until it reaches the final review stage.

Conclusion

Conclusion

Implementing this workflow has had a significant positive impact on our design team. By providing clear steps, setting expectations, and incorporating regular feedback loops, we’ve been able to streamline our processes and enhance the overall quality of our outputs. This structure not only ensures efficiency but also promotes creativity and collaboration, allowing our team to thrive while meeting project deadlines and business goals.


As we continue to iterate on this workflow, we remain committed to improving both the process and the results, ensuring that our designs are user-friendly, visually appealing, and aligned with the broader product strategy.

Implementing this workflow has had a significant positive impact on our design team. By providing clear steps, setting expectations, and incorporating regular feedback loops, we’ve been able to streamline our processes and enhance the overall quality of our outputs. This structure not only ensures efficiency but also promotes creativity and collaboration, allowing our team to thrive while meeting project deadlines and business goals.


As we continue to iterate on this workflow, we remain committed to improving both the process and the results, ensuring that our designs are user-friendly, visually appealing, and aligned with the broader product strategy.