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