LOREM IPSUM
teams is their expert knowledge in
localization topics, such as text input
method, text display, and regional
user behavior. As a company, we
gain diversity and global perspective
through their regional research studies
and participant recruitment for
remote lab studies. Last but not least,
distributed teams usually turn out to
be very keen UX partners. This may
be due to the perception of scarcity for
centralized design resources.
However, collaborating in
distributed teams is not all rosy—it
has its own set of challenges, mostly
related to distance and time-zone
differences. It is more difficult to
establish a satisfying level of rapport
than when working with a collocated
team, because of the lack of face time
and hallway conversation. Project
discussion and negotiation can easily
spiral into a long thread of emails with
diluted focus. Furthermore, one of the
teams may need to meet at an awkward
time, such as early in the morning or
late in the evening, which can affect
attention level.
Given that distributed collaboration
has become popular, if not essential,
for delivering great global products,
how can we amplify the advantages
and alleviate the challenges of
partnering with distributed teams?
I would like to propose seven best
practices that in my experience help
create successful project outcomes in
distributed collaboration projects.
1. The kickoff visit. Every
distributed project should start with a
kickoff visit at the regional site. Think
about some small joint tasks that can
warm up and launch the relationship
with your distributed team. Some
examples:
• Brainstorming core scenarios with
the product team
• Workshops about writing
scenarios, the design process, running
focus groups, or setting survey
questions
• Setting the expectation of
deliverable turnaround times with the
information architecture team
As a stretch goal, try to connect
with people and their passion outside
work. A lunch or dinner gathering is
always a good venue.
2. Recurring visits. After the kickoff
visit, the UX team should set aside a
budget for recurring visits to sustain
Working at Microsoft in UX, I
have many opportunities to work
with different regional development
centers internationally, such as
China and Israel, and domestically,
such as Massachusetts and Utah.
The regional development centers’
programs are locally managed, with
development and testing resources
organized by product. Our UX team
at the headquarters in Redmond,
Washington, and product teams
in regional development centers
collaborate to release multiple
products. Our charter is to drive
Microsoft design principles into
the products, as well as to ensure a
consistent user experience across our
product portfolio.
Why doesn’t each product team
form a UX team in its geographical
location? Having a centralized UX
team at the headquarters allows us to
drive interaction consistency for the
entire division. We can scale out while
remaining a centralized design unit.
Moreover, the studio setup facilitates
designer peer learning as we work
closely together.
An asset of having international
Having strong, close working
relationships with colleagues
in your distributed teams,
particularly developers, is essential
for implementing your ideas when
you are not physically present.
LESSONS LEARNED