It's been a fascinating first year as a fractional design leader, and here's the lowdown on the top insights I've picked up along the way.
Firstly, let's deal with the big question, what is fractional design leadership? It's essentially bringing in a design leadership expert when a company is transitioning to a growth mindset. It’s not in crisis mode, but gearing up for some serious growth in personnel, getting strategically ready for the next phase and needing that extra bit of design magic and expertise to steer things in the right direction.
STRATEGIC VS EXECUTIONAL
Now, let’s talk strategy. A stellar fractional design leader isn’t just about visual design. It's about deep strategic thinking—shaping product vision, building the team, influencing company objectives, and yes, navigating the nitty-gritty of execution is a task, but not the primary outcome. It’s experience and knowhow that’s needed here, in order to succeed.
THE SECRET FRAMEWORKS
Frameworks are our secret sauce, the playbook for success. They're the guiding principles from research initiatives to prototyping methodologies. These frameworks serve as indispensable resources for the team, setting the stage for them to take the reins. Whilst they evolve over time, the initial framework lays the groundwork for achieving world-class standards.
Example - During our collaboration with Coinrule's offsite, we led workshops aimed at shaping their product vision, refining the customer personas, and aligning the North Star Metric. Drawing from our deep experience supporting over 150 tech businesses, we have refined a adaptable methodology that can be customised for any company. As we learn and grow, we share experiences for achieving high-quality results.
DESIGN THINKING FOR DEVS
Design isn't just for designers. Integrating design thinking principles within development teams is a game-changer. It's about collaborating closely with savvy devs, particularly those with a good design mindset. This can lead to reducing build timelines, seamlessly weaving great design practice into the development workflow, and most importantly, empowering development teams to build better.
LESS IS MORE
My mantra? Short, valuable stints of work. The goal is to plug the gap, provide solutions, and then let the team flourish. Short, impactful engagements ensure the team thrives independently, whilst gaining the most balanced with periodic ideation sessions to keep things fresh.
Example - We worked with speed, clarity and experience with Byway Travel. Over a three-month period, we successfully implemented new customer research processes, improved the current product experience, streamlined the hiring process for designers, and recruited designers to kickstart team expansion. Most importantly, our efforts alleviated stress for the CPO.
EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE FRACTIONAL WORM
Fractional design leadership can benefit the world of early-stage startups the most. By embracing iterative design practices and agility, early workshops on feasibility, desirability, and viability become instrumental in shaping the MVP or MLP (Minimal Lovable Product), whilst allowing the team to be adaptable when needed. The fractional design leader provides strategic, high-level guidance while ensuring execution happens with a timely finesse.
Finally, diving into the fractional world hasn’t been without its challenges too. From more clarity on why you're bringing in a fractional design leader, to design being considered more than visuals. There are still plenty more hurdles to jump over…. But, get it right and the results of using a fractional design leader speak louder than words; a positive and instrumental impact on the growth of businesses.
If you're curious to unwrap the potential of fractional design leader, drop me a line at bhav@commonideas.co.
We work with companies as..
◔ An interim Head of Design solution for 1 to 3 days per week
◔ A Design Coach to mentor the team and manage hiring the right designer
◔ A Design Consultant where you can borrow my brain for as many days as you like to help solve your thorny issues
A fractional Head of Design (HoD) offers you the flexibility and scalability needed to take your businesses, startup to the next phase of growth. As a leadership position, the HoD can offer you strategic experience, a business nouse and a leading voice for the product A fractional Head of Design can be perfect for businesses who have not yet fully invested in a product or design function yet or are looking to see how design and product thinking can be integrated into the business.
As a facilitator we help your teams to get stuff done. We help you solve problems and make decisions. We help you figure out what you should do, and how to do it. In real terms, we lead collaborative group sessions to achieve specific business goals. Our wide ranging workshops improve team communication, foster innovation, and boost productivity, which can make them an invaluable asset to startups looking to improve processes, products, and team dynamics.
From brand work to building your MVP, we offer end-to-end services that elevate your product, brand and experience from user-centric research, strategy to visually compelling design work.
Yes. We can work together to see what type of engagement best suits you as a business.
We’ll invoice you every 10 business days.
Nope…
Just joking. We want to our customers to be confident of the value that we provide. If you’re unhappy at any point, talk to us and we’ll work with you to rectify it.
Working with our network of product experts, seasoned growth marketers, and innovative tech leaders means your project will benefit from a diverse range of perspectives and expertise, ensuring the best possible outcomes.
Common Ideas is a new type of design leader, available, experienced all for a subscription.
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