Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 11

Being big and visible

At a previous consulting firm I worked at, you’d often hear people say, “be big and visible.”

We had a formal definition: Be transparent and clear. Radiate information about project progress, problems, and performance.

In practice, being “big and visible” looked like product teams huddled around the same workstation. Sometimes there would be a television overhead broadcasting the status of our build pipeline.

If we had remote team members, the screen would be arranged Brady Bunch style with different video feeds so everyone knew who was away, working, or available.

Often a nearby whiteboard would display our Kanban workflow or a story map. We’d plaster UX artifacts around the space, keeping them handy to add context when teams discussed stories in the backlog.

You’d also find a value story, a simple sentence crafted by the team to remind them of how their work solves a real business problem for the client.

This was all pre-pandemic.

One benefit to this practice was everyone had the same information.

Now, in our more remote-friendly work culture, digital tools largely replace the physical space. But our thinking and communication risks becoming nearly invisible, tucked behind tabs, privileged access, and direct messages.

One way I combat this is to use a board – either tapping into one used by a product team or spinning up my own to track my UX work.

Why? Primarily, it keeps me organized. But also: accountability.

A board lets me break down big tasks into daily actions. I can show what I’m working on and how it ladders up to the bigger picture. It also helps forecast when something will be done.

In the past, using a board has helped dispel misconceptions about UX work. It’s also been useful for connecting UX work to development stories in the pipeline.

UX is already in a period of flux. When UX designers and researchers are asked to do more with less, hiding our work only makes it easier to overlook.

How can you be more big and visible?