The shift to remote, virtual events, and adaptability
News you can use from Design Twitter
Since our last Abstract Overheard post, everything has changed. As schools, businesses, and entire cities shut down, we're all learning how to adapt.
In this difficult and confusing time, we’re seeing a lot of people sharing their fears and anxieties on social media — but the good news is they’re also sharing ways to help and support our local communities. In a time of social distancing, connection feels more important than ever. In this edition, we’re checking in on how Design Twitter is coping.
Designing Remotely
As many companies issue work from home policies and some are experiencing remote work for the first time, we’ve seen great advice on how to feel connected to your team, even when you can’t be together physically.
Linda Eliasen, VP of Design at Help Scout, shares what she’s learned from managing a fully remote design team for the past two years. In this thread, she shares practical advice on a range of topics, including 1-1s with reports, concept brainstorming exercises, ways you can best support your team, and communication.
If you’re used to working with your team in-person, it can be tricky to adapt your processes. PJ is looking for tips on sharing feedback on product design while working from home. Kshitij Bhardwaj points out that many tools can help with this, including Abstract. If you’re used to using Abstract in an office setting, check out this guide on how get the most out Abstract as a remote team.
Time to pivot
In a time of so much uncertainty, businesses have had to rethink their strategies. Aaron Levie, CEO at Box, says the plans you made last year may not be relevant moving forward.
Remote teams like ours know that Slack is a crucial tool — one that allows our team to communicate with each other asynchronously. And as more people need to work from home and stay connected, Slack is in high demand. Co-founder and CEO, Stewart Butterfield, shares a very transparent behind-the-scenes look at the business and operations behind Slack in the last few weeks.
Can we hop on a Zoom?
While we’re all canceling trips and staying home, event planners and conference organizers have had to make tough decisions about upcoming events. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen folks get creative about how to get people together, virtually.
Sketch Ambassador and meetup organizer Silvia Bormüller hosted the first remote Sketch & Design Munich Meetup over Zoom. Silvia shared that 135 people from all over the world joined to connect and learn about Design Systems.
In addition to pivoting events to take place online, there are also new virtual events cropping up to help us feel more connected at this time. Amy Thibodeau, Shopify’s Director of UX for Platform and UX ops, created the UX Check Up, a weekly conversation with leaders in the industry about how they’re coping. If you can’t make the calls, read summaries in the Check Up newsletter archive.
Have you attended any virtual events? What’s top of mind for you when it comes to learning to work remotely? How are you coping and staying focused? We’d love to hear your thoughts on these hot topics or other design trends you’re seeing. Share with us on Twitter at @goabstract.
