Driving Team Alignment Through an Interface Map
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Timeline:
Over 2 Months
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Years:
2023
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Role:
Product Design Manager
When I joined MetaMask, the design team direction was fragmented on one of the core screens. Four different designers were working on overlapping components for the main wallet interface. Each designer was focused on new features, leading to inconsistent updates that risked making the wallet screen feel like a patchwork of styles. Compounding the issue, designers were unaware of how their work intersected with others, resulting in overlapping efforts and inefficiencies. It was clear that alignment was needed across the team so that .
Building Awareness and Communication
My first priority was fostering a culture of sharing and awareness among the designers about each other’s work. To do this, I leveraged Figma comments. By tagging relevant designers in files where I noticed overlaps, I initiated direct conversations and encouraged collaboration. This simple intervention created immediate results—designers began providing feedback to one another, identifying redundancies, and aligning their efforts organically.
While this might seem like a small change, it was a critical first step. Sometimes, the simplest solutions can have the biggest impact, and this set the foundation for more structured collaboration.
Establishing Component Ownership
The next challenge was clarifying ownership of the different component of the interface. Designers needed to know who was responsible for each part of the wallet screen to prevent establish ownership and accountability.
I started by mapping all the wallet screens into a FigJam file. Using color-coded overlays, I delineated areas of responsibility based on my understanding of the team’s structure. This visual representation immediately highlighted gaps and overlaps in ownership. Additionally, I proposed a vision for the future state of the wallet interface, ensuring it aligned with the product’s strategic goals.
I presented the ownership map and future vision to Design and Product leadership. After their endorsement, I conducted walkthroughs with each team to explain the ownership structure and the proposed direction. This step was crucial for gaining buy-in and ensuring that every team understood and supported the changes. By the end of this process, all teams were aligned on their responsibilities and shared a unified vision for the wallet screen’s evolution.
Impact
- Streamlined Collaboration: Designers moved from working in silos to collaborating effectively, reducing redundancies and improving consistency across the wallet interface.
- Defined Ownership: Clear ownership of components empowered designers to take accountability and reduced confusion about responsibilities.
- Unified Vision: By aligning teams on a shared roadmap, we established a cohesive direction for the wallet screen’s future, setting the stage for a more polished and user-friendly interface.
- Increased Efficiency: The reduction in overlapping work saved countless hours of design and iteration, allowing teams to focus on delivering high-impact features.
This initiative not only resolved immediate issues but also laid the groundwork for sustained collaboration and design consistency across MetaMask’s wallet interface.