<aside> 👉 Goal: Improve efficiency & collaboration in the design team, and between the design team and other people from the company.

</aside>

Centralized design team = Agency model


Pros:

Cons:

Embedded design team - cross-functional teams with engineers and product managers working on a specific product or feature → Agile process


At Airbnb, each EPD function “is involved and aligned from a product’s inception to its launch.” At least one member from each of the 3 teams is involved with working groups for new features, or in product marketing, or user feedback sessions.

→ Never leave a designer solo on a cross-functional team

→ Organize cross-functional team around: Platform, Feature, Customer experience

Pros:

Cons:

Hybrid - temporary cross-functional team to work on a focused project with a clear deadline + when they’re done, they return to the centralized design team.


→ Distribute the design team, but pull them back together for for design reviews, stand-ups, and fireside chats

Inside The Organic UX Design Process At Slack