Here is the list of meetings I’m in weekly/bi-weekly and what value I bring to that specific meeting as a Product Designer.
Team Standup (daily)
Our Tech Department is divided into different teams. For example, Web Team, App Team, and Promotions Team. Each team has a designated PM, designer, FE and BE dev., etc. During Team Standups, the team lead will share screen to show everyone the list of projects (we use Jira) of that Sprint and go through each card to make sure someone is working on it and that if there is any blocker/issue.
My responsibilities: Answering any questions the Dev. team might have and make sure all the Figma Links to our Design files are correct!
Design Standup (daily)
As mentioned above, we have different Designers working with different teams. However, every morning, all Designers will meet shortly to let one another know what he/she is working on that day and if he/she needs any help. If there is a new component needed to be made, we will make sure to communicate that during Design Standup as well.
My responsibilities: Letting the team know what I’m working on, what might block me from finishing a specific project, and if I need help with anything!
Backlog Grooming (weekly)
To prepare for the upcoming sprint, we have a weekly Backlog Grooming where we go through all the cards in Jira’s backlog and decide which cards will be worked on. Backlog cards are mostly ideas, bugs, or feature requests.
My responsibilities: Cards I create can be either for feature updates or bugs that only the PM is aware of. That’s why it’s important for me to be in Backlog Grooming so I can further explain the details so everyone can vote on prioritizing it for the upcoming Sprint.
Sprint Planning (every 2 weeks)
As part of the Web team, every two weeks we have a Sprint Planning where we look at all the Jira cards and make sure all user stories look good, and that we have the right Figma Links, Analytics, and other necessary information for the Dev. to start working on. The Dev. will then vote on each card to see how complex that card is. It’s important to have a groomed backlog available for each Sprint Planning meeting.
My responsibilities: Preparing to share my screen and show the Dev. my designs as for most of them, this will be their first time seeing these designs. If complex interactions are involved, I would play the prototypes to make sure the Dev. understand how they work and also have a general idea about the scope of work (how long it will take, how many people they will need to work on that card, etc). Other than that, I also need to make sure all the Figma Links are correct and answer any question the team might have.
Design Review (weekly)
Once a week, all designers get together and showcase their progress with the projects they work on so far. This helps designers from each team stay connected and encourages every design to speak up and get feedback from others. At the end of the meeting, we will also have the general idea of who will present what at Design Critique later that week!
Since Design Review meetings are only for Designers, it’s also a good chance for all of us to review Components in UI Library, educate one another on Figma tips & tricks, helpful plugins, etc.
My responsibilities: Presenting my work in a less formal way. The majority of the time, Design Review’s work is still in Discovery/Exploration phase and needs a lot of feedback/ideas/discussion. With that being said, we don’t have to make fancy presentations/prototypes but just share Figma Links and everyone jumps on Figma board and brainstorm/leave comments/work together.
Design Critique (weekly)
After Design Reviews, I would put down an Agenda for Design Critique. Besides all Designers, Design Critique meetings also include other stakeholders like PM, Manager, Creative Director, Graphic Designers, and Interns. We used to just have each designer shares screen and present then having the rest of the group give verbal feedback. However, to maximize the time and the outcome of the meeting, we have moved to a more structured Design Critique with silent feedback using FigJam.
My responsibilities: Prepare the Design Critique Template, fill out the information about what I’ll be presenting today, the constraints I’m dealing with, and what feedback I’m looking for. During my presentation, I would then go over all information above, present my designs (which are all included in the Design Critique Template), then give everyone 10 minutes for silent feedback.
