CI/CD UX - Team Skill Matrix
As a team, we will use the Skill Mapping process from Nielsen-Norman to baseline our skill levels and see where we want to be in the future.
Once all team members evaluate themselves on skills using the same scale, the individual maps can be combined into a single team map by placing each team member’s map on top of each other. When maps are combined, they show the capabilities of the UX team.
We will use this issue as an async retrospective as we'll discuss our team makeup and opportunities to enable growth in the identified areas.
Process
- Read the NN article about Skill Matrix https://www.nngroup.com/articles/skill-mapping/
- Access your individual Skill mapping template and do a self assessment of your skills by the beginning of next week. Use the definitions below (“customised” to GitLab). We will discuss during our next 1:1.
- Once all individual assessments are done, we will do an async retrospective and discuss findings/opportunities for growth & development using this issue. Due date October 29
- Rayana will present the team findings in the UX Leadership call of November 1st
Results - Team Matrix
The following images are the composite skill map for the whole CI/CD UX team based on individual self assessments.
Current State | Future State (1 year) |
---|---|
- We are a well-rounded team, with advanced skills in almost every category.
- Current state: Our team has current competency in Design Communication, Qualitative Research, and Leadership, with less emphasis on Visual Design, and Quantitative Research skills.
- Several product designers bring strong research skills from previous roles.
- We are comfortable with the technical aspect of the designer role @ GitLab.
- Our strength in Design Communication is a reflection of how well we can work asynchronously.
- Future state: Our team wants to improve competency in Technology, Interaction Design, Qualitative Research, Design communication, and Leadership, with less emphasis on Quantitative Research and IA & Workflow Definition skills.
- Qualitative Research is not a current/future focus area, but that doesn't mean this as a weakness. In the next year, our team simply wants to shift focus to enhance more relevant skills.
- Our team has a localised interest in Visual Design. There is an opportunity to explore that individual skill and interest so that we have a domain expert in CI/CD.
- We have room for improvement in Iteration, specially because the CI/CD UX product designers are very critical on how to think big, ship small, and move fast. Iteration is a key skill to develop and refine. However, Iteration can be uncomfortable, even painful to our team. If you're doing iteration correctly, it should be.
- There is an overall desire for growth in leadership in multiple competencies in terms of coaching others and communicating results across the UX Department.
@rayana)
Next Steps (DRI:Learning Opportunities
Please discuss in the retrospective threads below.
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Definitions used in this activity
Click this to collapse/fold the information used in this activity.
Levels
- Awareness: You are aware of the competency but are unable to perform tasks.
- Capable but still new to the skill: You understand the concept and you can apply it but your experience is limited (you might be new to GitLab or new to quant research for example)
- Intermediate proficiency: You have applied this skill to situations occasionally without needing guidance.
- Advanced proficiency: You regularly apply this skill at an advanced level without needing guidance.
- Advanced proficiency + leader: You can coach others in the application by explaining related nuances.
- Expert: You have demonstrated consistent excellence across multiple projects and are a thought leader across the UX department
Skills
- Qualitative research: Usability testing, interviewing. Creating effective unbiased research plans. Synthesizing data into insights.
- Quantitative research: Understanding when to use surveys and how to use the data, AB testing - when to use and what do do the the data, how to design for an experiment.
- Visual design - UI design, graphic design, illustrations, typography, logos
- Interaction design - Form and flow design, micro-interactions, handling latency and error states, UI copy, page layout
- Leadership: Starting new issues, being a content or design contributor (handbook, Pajamas, YouTube, etc), collaborating with others to achieve big goals, evangelising your teams outcomes or sharing new methods or skills.
- Iteration: Breaking projects down into parts to get results faster - could be smaller studies, smaller design scope. Working with the team to break down a larger design into an MVC. Not refining design work too early, waiting for it to get scheduled for design
- Design communication: Sync or async, the ability to see and quickly understand a design, critique it, share design rationale for the design, get feedback from the right people at the right time.
- IA and Workflow Definition: Organizing large amounts of data or concepts, navigation design, card sort and tree studies, creating workflow diagrams and screen flows"
- Technology: Understand the technology and features of the group(s) you are assigned to, proactively learn others, Git, HTML/CSS, reviewing MRs, developer tools, DevOps.
Edited by Rayana Verissimo