Panel: Collaboration Tools
Summary
We have all heard the old saying “communication is key” but as the landscape of technology widens so do the options we have for communication tools using that technology. To talk about the challenges and opportunities that our organizations face when solving the communication conundrum, we have invited three people working in three different areas where communication is key for organizations with designers: research insights, workflow management and design systems management. Facilitated by Abby Covert.
Key Insights
-
•
Design operations suffer from too many fragmented tools and need unified systems.
-
•
Users want collaborative tools that filter noise and surface only what's important.
-
•
Collaboration in companies requires control mechanisms such as approvals and private comments, contradicting the idea of anarchy.
-
•
Integration between design and development is hindered by translation losses between design and code.
-
•
True agile and cross-functional collaboration are rare due to team turnover and lack of trust.
-
•
Collaborative tools have democratized feedback, increasing ownership across teams.
-
•
Different roles like designers, engineers, and business analysts have distinct needs from design tools.
-
•
Customization of collaborative tools and workflows is essential to fit diverse team processes.
-
•
AI and design systems combined with research can enable automated, smarter design decisions.
-
•
Future collaboration tools should respect users' focus time and reduce constant interruptions.
Notable Quotes
"There are too many things all over the place. I would like to use my magic wand for making them one system."
"A lot of these tools bring more noise into people’s day to day lives. It’s really hard to stay involved and still find time to get your own job done."
"Collaboration is actually not anarchy in companies. There’s always this need for control."
"Translation is a traitor because meaning is lost in translation between design and code."
"The dream of cross-functional agile collaboration is there, but it’s quite hard to realize that because teams don’t have enough time to build trust."
"With collaborative tools, feedback has become a democratic process, and people feel more ownership of the project."
"Design is not only limited to designers. Business analysts and engineers can design too, supported by designers."
"The hardest thing is knowing when to stop talking about something and start building it."
"Eventually, I expect AI to help create designs by combining patterns from meta design systems and research, making design more about crafting experiences."
"I want my collaboration tool to be like the Nest thermostat of my workday, knowing when I’m heads down and when I’m open to communication."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"A lot of my team are introverts; we do daily coffee chats to keep the team connected remotely."
Amy Jiménez Márquez Michael J. Metts Joie ChungThe Atypical UX Manager Path
July 23, 2020
"Anybody making decisions about products should have regular exposure to researchers — Jared Spool’s exposure hours."
Jesse ZolnaInviting the Whole Org to Come See For Yourself
March 30, 2020
"User journeys are the bedrock for deciding which data to collect and measure."
Mackenzie Cockram Sara Branco Cunha Ian FranklinIntegrating Qualitative and Quantitative Research from Discovery to Live
December 16, 2022
"People’s ability to cope with information complexity isn’t increasing exponentially, so we need to find the perfect innovation space."
Kelly GotoEmotion Economy: Ethnography as Corporate Strategy
May 13, 2015
"In early computing, all you had to do was intercept text and put it in braille or text-to-speech, because everything was text-based."
Sam ProulxTo Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
September 9, 2022
"Slowing down is not inefficiency; it is a commitment to dignity and trust."
Rachael Dietkus, LCSWThe power to heal and harm
March 13, 2025
"We connect design decisions back to business performance and risk metrics to answer the concerns of our partners."
Frank DuranPartnership Playbook: Lessons Learned in Effective Partnership
January 8, 2024
"Managing a loud participant is not about dimming their voice but ensuring other voices are heard too."
Taiye Akin-AkinyosoyeAmplifying voices and enhancing user research through group interviews
March 12, 2025
"It's all about balance: being aware of AI’s issues while remaining open to its incredible opportunities."
Rachael Dietkus, LCSW Llewyn Paine Nishanshi Shukla David WomackAI: Passionate defenses and reasoned critique [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 18, 2024
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
How do you reconcile the business realities with your mission-driven work in climate startups?
How can teams create lightweight visibility systems that improve workload transparency without reducing productivity?
What does a successful healthcare UX career look like in terms of accumulating influence and aligning with clinical/business goals?