Reimagining the 1:1
Squaredance
2024
Summary
Role
Senior Product Designer
Duration
1 month
Team
Pauline (Intermediate Product Designer)
To improve 1:1 meetings, a new structure was implemented using Notion, including categories for a partnership agreement, meeting notes, goals, a 'brag document', and learning resources. This structure was designed to make meetings more focused, document discussions and action items, and track progress towards goals. The initiative was positively received and adopted by other managers across the organization.
Problem
Contemplating the 1:1 meeting as I take the next step in my career
The 1:1 meeting is a crucial interaction between a manager and their report. However, reflecting on my personal experience with these meetings throughout my career, I'm convinced there's room for improvement in the way I conduct them with my team.
In the past, I often treated 1:1s as an afterthought. As the work days progressed, these meetings often crept up on me. Unsure of what to discuss, they frequently morphed into design reviews, in which we'd go over my work for the week, despite there being designated meetings for that very purpose.
My experiences with 1:1s are subjective to me. Naturally, I wanted to understand how other designers conducted their meetings, from both the perspective of managers and reports. Tapping into my network, I engaged in conversations with five designers—two managers and three individual contributors.
Research
After speaking with multiple designers about their experiences with 1:1s, there were two main takeaways.
Theme 1: Documentation
Four designers had their meetings documented in Google Docs/Microsoft Word
One designer shared their screen and showed a document totalling over 70 pages mentioning “It’s kind of hard to reference specific topics.”
One designer had no documentation of their meetings whatsoever because their meeting was unstructured and informal
Theme 2: Focus of the Meeting
Three meetings were used as design check-ins where the purpose of the meeting was for the manager to help remove any blockers
Two meetings had no clear objective and were in place as a standing call to talk about whatever topics were relevant for the week
One designer wished their meeting was more focused on their development, with two other designers mentioning they never really talk about career development altogether
Solution
Established distinct categories to help organize information and keep meetings focused on development.
I chose Notion because it's an app I use regularly in my personal life. Not only is it highly customizable, but it's also free, making it ideal for starting and iterating with my team as we learn together. As an initial project, I created the following pages for my team:
Partnership Agreement 🤝
This page helped my report and myself define our expectations from the meeting and from each other. Based on my conversations with designers, many meetings lacked structure and purpose, which I wanted to avoid.
Meeting Notes ✏️
The goal of this section is to address the challenge of navigating through an infinitely long text document. The first section allows my team to input topics they want to discuss before the meeting. The second section captures the discussions during the meeting and can be cross-referenced by date, which addresses the difficulty in locating information. The final section notes any action items and assigns responsibility for their completion.
Goals 🌱
Defining goals helps clarify what team members are working towards. Each goal, composed of actionable steps, shapes their career trajectory. We review these goals periodically during 1:1 meetings to monitor progress.
Brag Document 😎
This page didn't emerge from user interviews. Instead, it was inspired by personal experience. When juggling multiple projects, things can move quickly. It becomes challenging to recall all the excellent work done as the focus swiftly shifts to the next priority. The Brag Document allows team members to record each other's successes. Fast forward a few months or even years, and each team member can reflect on all the remarkable work they've accomplished.
Learning Resources 📚
Information overload is a common problem, especially in an ever-evolving industry. It's impossible to absorb all the knowledge available. However, by sharing the most relevant resources within the team, we can create a shared repository for asynchronous learning and reference.
Outcome
The structure was a hit and ended up being adopted by other managers across the organization.
My team and I used the new structure and made small improvements over the course of a couple weeks. It transformed the 1:1 meetings in such a positive way that I shared it with the wider team during one of our weekly demos. It was immediately received with praise and led to some of the engineering leads implementing it with their respective teams.
Reflection
It's not all about pushing pixels in Figma.
While I love getting lost in the weeds of design problems, I find it equally enjoyable trying to solve unique and interesting problems. I had a lot of fun designing this new 1:1 structure because it allowed me to implement similar principles and strategies but the solution was atypical.
Lacking research to guide me, I relied on my curiosity and discussions with others. I also appreciated the iterative nature of the process and being able to update it in real-time based on feedback gathered during one-on-one meetings with my team.
Case Study Title
Reimagining the 1:1
How an ultimatum sparked innovation
Stamped
Squaredance
May 1993
2024
Mobile & Web
Summary
Role
Senior Product Designer
Duration
1 month
Team
Pauline (Intermediate Product Designer)
To improve 1:1 meetings, a new structure was implemented using Notion, including categories for a partnership agreement, meeting notes, goals, a 'brag document', and learning resources. This structure was designed to make meetings more focused, document discussions and action items, and track progress towards goals. The initiative was positively received and adopted by other managers across the organization.
Problem
Contemplating the 1:1 meeting as I take the next step in my career
The 1:1 meeting is a crucial interaction between a manager and their report. However, reflecting on my personal experience with these meetings throughout my career, I'm convinced there's room for improvement in the way I conduct them with my team.
In the past, I often treated 1:1s as an afterthought. As the work days progressed, these meetings often crept up on me. Unsure of what to discuss, they frequently morphed into design reviews, in which we'd go over my work for the week, despite there being designated meetings for that very purpose.
My experiences with 1:1s are subjective to me. Naturally, I wanted to understand how other designers conducted their meetings, from both the perspective of managers and reports. Tapping into my network, I engaged in conversations with five designers—two managers and three individual contributors.
Research
After speaking with multiple designers about their experiences with 1:1s, there were two main takeaways.
Theme 1: Documentation
Four designers had their meetings documented in Google Docs/Microsoft Word
One designer shared their screen and showed a document totalling over 70 pages mentioning “It’s kind of hard to reference specific topics.”
One designer had no documentation of their meetings whatsoever because their meeting was unstructured and informal
Theme 2: Focus of the Meeting
Three meetings were used as design check-ins where the purpose of the meeting was for the manager to help remove any blockers
Two meetings had no clear objective and were in place as a standing call to talk about whatever topics were relevant for the week
One designer wished their meeting was more focused on their development, with two other designers mentioning they never really talk about career development altogether
Solution
Established distinct categories to help organize information and keep meetings focused on development.
I chose Notion because it's an app I use regularly in my personal life. Not only is it highly customizable, but it's also free, making it ideal for starting and iterating with my team as we learn together. As an initial project, I created the following pages for my team:
Partnership Agreement 🤝
This page helped my report and myself define our expectations from the meeting and from each other. Based on my conversations with designers, many meetings lacked structure and purpose, which I wanted to avoid.
Partnership Agreement 🤝
This page helped my report and myself define our expectations from the meeting and from each other. Based on my conversations with designers, many meetings lacked structure and purpose, which I wanted to avoid.
Meeting Notes ✏️
The goal of this section is to address the challenge of navigating through an infinitely long text document. The first section allows my team to input topics they want to discuss before the meeting. The second section captures the discussions during the meeting and can be cross-referenced by date, which addresses the difficulty in locating information. The final section notes any action items and assigns responsibility for their completion.
Meeting Notes ✏️
The goal of this section is to address the challenge of navigating through an infinitely long text document. The first section allows my team to input topics they want to discuss before the meeting. The second section captures the discussions during the meeting and can be cross-referenced by date, which addresses the difficulty in locating information. The final section notes any action items and assigns responsibility for their completion.
Goals 🌱
Defining goals helps clarify what team members are working towards. Each goal, composed of actionable steps, shapes their career trajectory. We review these goals periodically during 1:1 meetings to monitor progress.
Goals 🌱
Defining goals helps clarify what team members are working towards. Each goal, composed of actionable steps, shapes their career trajectory. We review these goals periodically during 1:1 meetings to monitor progress.
Brag Document 😎
This page didn't emerge from user interviews. Instead, it was inspired by personal experience. When juggling multiple projects, things can move quickly. It becomes challenging to recall all the excellent work done as the focus swiftly shifts to the next priority. The Brag Document allows team members to record each other's successes. Fast forward a few months or even years, and each team member can reflect on all the remarkable work they've accomplished.
Brag Document 😎
This page didn't emerge from user interviews. Instead, it was inspired by personal experience. When juggling multiple projects, things can move quickly. It becomes challenging to recall all the excellent work done as the focus swiftly shifts to the next priority. The Brag Document allows team members to record each other's successes. Fast forward a few months or even years, and each team member can reflect on all the remarkable work they've accomplished.
Learning Resources 📚
Information overload is a common problem, especially in an ever-evolving industry. It's impossible to absorb all the knowledge available. However, by sharing the most relevant resources within the team, we can create a shared repository for asynchronous learning and reference.
Learning Resources 📚
Information overload is a common problem, especially in an ever-evolving industry. It's impossible to absorb all the knowledge available. However, by sharing the most relevant resources within the team, we can create a shared repository for asynchronous learning and reference.
Outcome
The structure was a hit and ended up being adopted by other managers across the organization.
My team and I used the new structure and made small improvements over the course of a couple weeks. It transformed the 1:1 meetings in such a positive way that I shared it with the wider team during one of our weekly demos. It was immediately received with praise and led to some of the engineering leads implementing it with their respective teams.
Reflection
It's not all about pushing pixels in Figma.
While I love getting lost in the weeds of design problems, I find it equally enjoyable trying to solve unique and interesting problems. I had a lot of fun designing this new 1:1 structure because it allowed me to implement similar principles and strategies but the solution was atypical.
Lacking research to guide me, I relied on my curiosity and discussions with others. I also appreciated the iterative nature of the process and being able to update it in real-time based on feedback gathered during one-on-one meetings with my team.
Summary
Role
Senior Product Designer
Duration
1 month
Team
Pauline (Intermediate Product Designer)
To improve 1:1 meetings, a new structure was implemented using Notion, including categories for a partnership agreement, meeting notes, goals, a 'brag document', and learning resources. This structure was designed to make meetings more focused, document discussions and action items, and track progress towards goals. The initiative was positively received and adopted by other managers across the organization.
Problem
Contemplating the 1:1 meeting as I take the next step in my career
The 1:1 meeting is a crucial interaction between a manager and their report. However, reflecting on my personal experience with these meetings throughout my career, I'm convinced there's room for improvement in the way I conduct them with my team.
In the past, I often treated 1:1s as an afterthought. As the work days progressed, these meetings often crept up on me. Unsure of what to discuss, they frequently morphed into design reviews, in which we'd go over my work for the week, despite there being designated meetings for that very purpose.
My experiences with 1:1s are subjective to me. Naturally, I wanted to understand how other designers conducted their meetings, from both the perspective of managers and reports. Tapping into my network, I engaged in conversations with five designers—two managers and three individual contributors.
Research
After speaking with multiple designers about their experiences with 1:1s, there were two main takeaways.
Theme 1: Documentation
Four designers had their meetings documented in Google Docs/Microsoft Word
One designer shared their screen and showed a document totalling over 70 pages mentioning “It’s kind of hard to reference specific topics.”
One designer had no documentation of their meetings whatsoever because their meeting was unstructured and informal
Theme 2: Focus of the Meeting
Three meetings were used as design check-ins where the purpose of the meeting was for the manager to help remove any blockers
Two meetings had no clear objective and were in place as a standing call to talk about whatever topics were relevant for the week
One designer wished their meeting was more focused on their development, with two other designers mentioning they never really talk about career development altogether
Solution
Established distinct categories to help organize information and keep meetings focused on development.
I chose Notion because it's an app I use regularly in my personal life. Not only is it highly customizable, but it's also free, making it ideal for starting and iterating with my team as we learn together. As an initial project, I created the following pages for my team:
Partnership Agreement 🤝
This page helped my report and myself define our expectations from the meeting and from each other. Based on my conversations with designers, many meetings lacked structure and purpose, which I wanted to avoid.
Partnership Agreement 🤝
This page helped my report and myself define our expectations from the meeting and from each other. Based on my conversations with designers, many meetings lacked structure and purpose, which I wanted to avoid.
Meeting Notes ✏️
The goal of this section is to address the challenge of navigating through an infinitely long text document. The first section allows my team to input topics they want to discuss before the meeting. The second section captures the discussions during the meeting and can be cross-referenced by date, which addresses the difficulty in locating information. The final section notes any action items and assigns responsibility for their completion.
Meeting Notes ✏️
The goal of this section is to address the challenge of navigating through an infinitely long text document. The first section allows my team to input topics they want to discuss before the meeting. The second section captures the discussions during the meeting and can be cross-referenced by date, which addresses the difficulty in locating information. The final section notes any action items and assigns responsibility for their completion.
Goals 🌱
Defining goals helps clarify what team members are working towards. Each goal, composed of actionable steps, shapes their career trajectory. We review these goals periodically during 1:1 meetings to monitor progress.
Goals 🌱
Defining goals helps clarify what team members are working towards. Each goal, composed of actionable steps, shapes their career trajectory. We review these goals periodically during 1:1 meetings to monitor progress.
Brag Document 😎
This page didn't emerge from user interviews. Instead, it was inspired by personal experience. When juggling multiple projects, things can move quickly. It becomes challenging to recall all the excellent work done as the focus swiftly shifts to the next priority. The Brag Document allows team members to record each other's successes. Fast forward a few months or even years, and each team member can reflect on all the remarkable work they've accomplished.
Brag Document 😎
This page didn't emerge from user interviews. Instead, it was inspired by personal experience. When juggling multiple projects, things can move quickly. It becomes challenging to recall all the excellent work done as the focus swiftly shifts to the next priority. The Brag Document allows team members to record each other's successes. Fast forward a few months or even years, and each team member can reflect on all the remarkable work they've accomplished.
Learning Resources 📚
Information overload is a common problem, especially in an ever-evolving industry. It's impossible to absorb all the knowledge available. However, by sharing the most relevant resources within the team, we can create a shared repository for asynchronous learning and reference.
Learning Resources 📚
Information overload is a common problem, especially in an ever-evolving industry. It's impossible to absorb all the knowledge available. However, by sharing the most relevant resources within the team, we can create a shared repository for asynchronous learning and reference.
Outcome
The structure was a hit and ended up being adopted by other managers across the organization.
My team and I used the new structure and made small improvements over the course of a couple weeks. It transformed the 1:1 meetings in such a positive way that I shared it with the wider team during one of our weekly demos. It was immediately received with praise and led to some of the engineering leads implementing it with their respective teams.
Reflection
It's not all about pushing pixels in Figma.
While I love getting lost in the weeds of design problems, I find it equally enjoyable trying to solve unique and interesting problems. I had a lot of fun designing this new 1:1 structure because it allowed me to implement similar principles and strategies but the solution was atypical.
Lacking research to guide me, I relied on my curiosity and discussions with others. I also appreciated the iterative nature of the process and being able to update it in real-time based on feedback gathered during one-on-one meetings with my team.