How to be a strategic UX partner in new and mature teams

Different levels of maturity will entail different approaches to processes, communication, and engagements to partner more effectively with your stakeholders.

Let me kick off this article with a personal story.

When I started my career as a UX Designer, I was thrown into a chaotic project: creating a new tool from scratch within a brand new team. The project needed to integrate seamlessly with our existing suite of products and was constraint to tight shipment deadlines. A mix of Project Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and a Designer (me!) that had never worked with each other before.

The project started with lots of chaos. My PM was giving me verbal, vague asks, I had pressing demands from engineers, etc. When I looked around on my design org, I saw my peers smoothly integrated into well-structured teams with much more clear direction — it seemed so unfair I was given so much ambiguity on my first project.

After some tumultuous weeks, I decided to seek advice from my senior lead. And after my rant, she replied:

“Have you told them what you need?”

That took me by surprise. I felt I was just lucky to be in a company that that been around longer than myself, and it hadn’t occurred to me that I could voice my needs and create cross-discipline systems. This was a pivotal realization for my career. Understanding your own power to establish work methods is crucial, irrespective of your role or level. I rushed to my desk and wrote down what I wanted: clear specs, defined timelines, regular team syncs, weekly check-ins with my PM…

Taking a deep breath, I communicated my needs to the team, and to my surprise, all my wishes were granted. That project was not an easy ride, it hit multiple roadblocks, but we shipped it on time, and got several praises. The working processes I put in place were also recognize by my team and leaders — they were appreciated as they helped us move forward and partner more efficiently.

Over the years, I have become the Mary Poppins of UX. I’ve enjoyed fixing relationships across product teams, and I have been assigned to restore relationships with teams considered “difficult to work with.” and once I stabilize the team, I tend to be reassigned to a new one. It’s been interesting to find trends in effective partnerships, and I particularly realized that team maturity really impacts how you should collaborate with others. Systems and processes that work with new teams often don’t suit mature, well-established ones. Let’s dive into best practices for any partnership and discuss strategies that work best for new vs. mature teams:

Some general partnership best practices:

1) Do not assume what others know about your role.

Always over communicate without making assumptions at the start of every new partnership! Even when partnering with stakeholders familiar with UX, it’s crucial to introduce yourself and explain the way you work. Every designer is unique, so setting expectations from the beginning ensures a fruitful and productive partnership. I like to start by sharing a bit about myself, discussing previous work at the company (this helps find common ground and opportunities to leverage resources), and explaining how I organize and hand off my Figma files.

2) Use predictability to build trust.

When I create systems, whether it’s a recurrent meeting cadence or a prerequisite requirements document for UX engagement, I aim to foster clarity and trust. Bringing these qualities to the table has consistently strengthened my partnerships. Clarity helps work with ambiguity, and keeps us focused and aligned on our goals, while trust enhances collaboration and empowers everyone in their respective domains. Combined, they create a powerhouse team.

3) Retrospect and adapt with flexibility.

Every system has its shelf life, affected by the rhythm of business, organizational changes, teams scaling, product maturity, and more. Regularly evaluating the positives, negatives and neutrals is crucial. Create a forum where all voices are heard: Plan a retrospective at a predictable cadence (perhaps every 6 months?) to discuss improvement areas and create actionable plans to implement necessary changes on the team.

4) Celebrate others.

Do not underestimate the power of a praise. It builds trust, breaks down impostor syndrome barriers, and fosters a positive team culture. Studies have shown how receiving praises releases dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ chemical associated with reward and pleasure. (The same one you get when you smell freshly-baked cookies!). Giving praise is free and easy — do it often and sincerely. A few methods I like include sending a quick thank-you message after a helpful contribution in a meeting, acknowledging the team after a big release via email, using “Us” over “I” when presenting teamwork, and mentioning contributors by name to show appreciation.

Partnering with mature teams

Ever been in a team that’s been working together long before you joined? You might see areas for improvement right away or want to incorporate methods you’ve learned from past experiences. It’s tough knowing when it’s the right time to influence a well-established team without seeming disruptive. When stepping into mature teams, building trust is imperative before introducing any changes. This ensures your suggestions have a higher chance of acceptance. Here’s what I’ve found to be helpful:

1) Learn what’s already in place

Once you’re in a mature team, the first step is to observe and absorb. Peek into their processes, ways of working, culture, and communication styles. It’s equally important to understand your role, the problem needed to be solved, your users, scenarios, capabilities, roadmap and more. The temptation to chime in with improvements will be there, but unless it’s urgent, it’s better to establish trust first.

2) Secure trust through small, tactical wins.

I like to build trust quickly with small, tactical wins. They’re not too controversial or resource-heavy, but they allow me to demonstrate my value and competence. You might feel tempted to tackle the big, complicated issues first to show great value, but this can be risky due to your lack of context or experience in the team. Start with small, impactful enhancements and stack them up fast. As I mentioned earlier, another trust-building method is to bring clarity. This can be as simple as sending clear post-meeting summaries, creating meeting agendas or clarifying asks with the larger group.

3) One change at a time.

Once you’ve established trust, it might be tempting to bring up all the changes that have been on your mind. But patience is key. Focus on one change at a time. Imagine you identify that your team needs better communication channels, because peers are not talking to each other enough. If you propose too many solutions at once (A chat, a new meeting cadence, a newsletter) it will be overwhelming and not received well. Start with the easiest idea, explain its benefits and be open to feedback. After all, long-standing members might have invaluable insights, maybe even tried-and-failed experiences with your suggestions. Once implemented, monitor reactions, praise your peers for using it, and be open to modifications.

4) Challenge old assumptions with new techniques.

Being a new member of a team comes with the perks of playing the “new person” card. You have the excuse to shake things up a bit. It’s your chance to question old assumptions and introduce fresh perspectives, which will give you additional context to later propose effective changes. I like to bring to the table new techniques like workshops, retrospectives, or vision boards to help established teams to think outside of the box.

Partnering with new teams:

Perhaps, like me, you have been added to a new team with no history of working together, no systems in place, and no concrete action plans. While the ambiguity might seem overwhelming, it’s actually a golden opportunity to cultivate ownership and extend your influence and leadership! Here’s some of my favorite strategies:

1) Understand the context first.

It might feel like there’s a mountain of work ahead and is tempting to dive right in, but it’s crucial to first build a strong knowledge base around the problem, the users, and your new colleagues. Just like with mature teams, a solid understanding is key to understand the problem and how to approach it. Schedule 1:1s with everyone to understand them on both personal and professional levels, and dive deep into the product to build a strong foundation.

1) Craft a clear, collaborative system.

Every team needs a system, and when there isn’t one, it’s crucial to create it. Start small, aiming for clarity and predictability. I usually kick things off with a meeting cadence that suits everyone, providing a regular touchpoint for questions and discussions. Foster an environment of clarity where teammates have protected time to discuss blockers and seek help. A roadmap should also be established early on; start with overarching themes and break them down into smaller asks or features.

2) Build energy and create a positive culture.

As vital as systems and trust are, so is cultivating a positive team culture. Generate energy by staying positive while working through ambiguity and challenges, celebrate fresh ideas and creativity, and value colleagues sincerely both professionally and personally. Avoid condoning and retaliating for mistakes; instead, encourage a supportive and open environment. A positive culture is contagious and propels the team to work towards their goals.

3) Set timelines and celebrate small victories.

Break work into smaller, more achievable features and set timelines for them. Small wins add up and should be celebrated. This will help your team to stay on track and move towards bigger challenges. Give credit where it’s due, and encourage your team to praise others as well.

And that’s a wrap!

As UX professionals, we spend way more time working with others than actually designing. If you made it this far, I am excited to see your commitment for deep diving into interpersonal relationships, and I am positive this will have a tremendous impact in your career! I invite you to have fun with your product teams, building a culture of trust, clarity and respect and to invite roadblocks and mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow.

Here are a few good reads about this topic:

Learn more about my system to build trust through my Figma files:

I loved this article about UX Leadership by Jared M. Spool:

Checkout this case study about the learnings of a partnership by Katherine Meeks: