Design System Communications - by Nathan Curtis - Medium

Marketing communications tools aren't new. Yet, for design systems, those tools help us structure our heretofore loose thinking. Zooming out, a ... GetunlimitedaccessOpeninappHomeNotificationsListsStoriesWritePublishedinEightShapesDesignSystemCommunicationsLevelingupadesignsystem’smulti-channelapproachtomessagingdesigners,developersandeveryoneelseOperatingadesignsystemsharesmuchincommonwithoperatinganyproductventure,fromdevelopingtosupportingtomarketingit.Withmarketingcomescommunications,spreadingmessagesfarandwidetoengagedesignersanddevelopershowtheywanttobeengaged.Addressingtheirproblems.Usingthetoolsandplacestheyobserveandparticipatein.Marketingcommunicationstoolsaren’tnew.Yet,fordesignsystems,thosetoolshelpusstructureourheretoforeloosethinking.Zoomingout,adesignsystemcanreviewtargetaudiences,channels,andmessages,composeastrategyusingmessagematrices,andenvisioncampaignstolaunchamajorreleaseormanagechange.Thisstory–andworkshopactivityideas&templatesitincludes–offersalookathowtoputthosepiecestogether.WhyCommunications?Communicationsmatter.Incountlessconversationsovertheyears,systemadoptersandcontributorsinvariablydeclareasystemmustbe:Transparentinitsoperationsothateveryoneknowswhat’sgoingon.Inclusivebyinvitingparticipationatanystepbyanyoneabletodoso.Trustworthyinthatwebelievethatit’sdoingtherightthingstoserveus.Toachieveallthosequalities,adesignsystemmustcommunicatewell.Ifasystemcommunicatespoorlyor—evenmorecommonly—notatall,it’stransparency,inclusiveness,andtrustworthinesssuffer.OutcomesWhilemostwillinstinctuallydiveintosolutions(Sendanemail!CrankoutaSlackmessage!OpenaConfluencethread!),teamsbenefitgreatlyfrombackingupastep.Stop,forjustamoment.Noteverychallengeisresolvedbyreflexivelyreactingwith“Slackit!”Instead,let’stakeamomenttoconsideroutcomes.Foreverycommunicationyouworksohardon:Whatactions,effects,orbehaviorsareyoutryingtotrigger?Whatdoeschangelooklike?Howdoyouwantthistoturnout?Whatdoyouwanttohappen?Fordesignsystems,outcomesthatmatterinclude:AdoptionincrementallydeeperovertimeAwarenessofnew,upcomingfeaturesSatisfactionthroughopenparticipationTrustthroughinclusivenessandtransparencyAlignmentwithotherobjectivesandprogramsFeedbacktoredirectfocusCelebrationofadoptionandcontributionThere’ssurelyplentymoreoutcomesthanthoseabove.Theseoutcomesalsodirectlysuggestopportunitiesformeasurement—evenofsentiments—thathelpusunderstandifourdesignsystemissuccessful.Giventhoseoutcomes,howcanweplanourcommunicationsmoredeliberately?Allstrategiesrequireustothinkaboutwhowecommunicateto(targetaudiences),wherewecommunicatetothem(channels),andwhatwe’retryingtosay(messages).Part1of3:TargetAudiencesTheprimarytargetaudiencesofsystemcommsaredesignersanddevelopers.Thesestaffmembersareonthefrontlineusingsystemtools(likeSketchandcode)thatweavesystemfeatures(likevisualstyleandUIcomponents)intothedigitalinterfacestheybuildeveryday.Nevertheless,adesignsystemprogramcommunicatestoabroaderarrayofindividualsatvaryingfrequencies,including:Practitionersinotherdisciplinesthatparticipateindevelopingexperiences,suchasproductmanagers/owners,brandspecialists,contentstrategists,researchersandaccessibilityspecialists.Thesystemimpactsalltheirworktovaryingdegreesinvaryingways.Leaders,rangingfromdirectorsthroughVPstoexecutives(suchasaCOO),eachthatalsomaybiastowardsaspecificdiscipline(suchasaHeadofDesign).Theyneedtounderstandwhatthesystemis,howitworks,howtheyparticipateinaligningactivity,andwhatbusinessvaluethesystemwillandcontinuestocreate.Takeaway:Communicationsishardbecausetherearesomanydifferenttypesofpeoplewithdifferentneeds,vocabularies,andlevelsofsystemawareness.Theyallseethesameworlddifferently.Therefore,yourmessagesmustbetailoredtohowtheylearnandinteractinchannels—includingface-to-facediscussionsorslidepresentations—thattheyarecomfortablewith.Part2of3:ChannelsYou’llneedtoknowwhereeachaudienceistogetthemessagesthatyou’llhaveforthem.Incommunication,thisisallaboutleveragingchannels:anyway,path,orplacewhereatargetaudiencecanpickupamessage.Indesignsystems,there’sawidevarietytochoosefrom.MessagingAppsAmessagingappsuchasSlackorMSTeamsisessentialforanyprogram.Manysystemteamssetupcommunicationsbytargetaudience,suchas:#system-designHelp,sharingideas,cross-productvisibility,namingthings,meetingminutesofcritiquemeetings#system-developmentHelp,callsforAPI/PRreviews,namingthings,announcing/summarizingworkingsessions#system-generalCatch-allforothercommunications,majorannouncements,sprintreviews,callsforparticipationinplanningTeamsmayeventuallyexpandtootherchannelsforspecificpurposes,like:#system-help(forfocused,threadedconversations)#system-[ambassadors](forasemi-privategroup,suchaskeyadvocates)#system-ux-patterns(fornarrowingdiscussiontoaspecialinterest)NotificationsEmail,Twitter,textmessaging,andevenalertsembeddedinsystemtoolslikeaSketchpluginorcommandlinewarningofadetecteddeprecatedfeature.PublishedContentMorepermanentcontentmaybeauthoredandpublishedinavarietyofchannels,suchas:DocumentationsitehomepageExample:Morningstar’sWhat’sNextFeaturestatusdashboardExamples:ComponentstatusbyIBMCarbonandMorningstarReleasehistoryExample:GithubPrimer’smixofchangelogsandarticlesBlogs,vlogs,andpodcastsExample:USWebDesignStandards’VideoCallRecurringFace-to-FaceMeetingsRoutinemeetingswheresystemteammemberspresentorparticipateareopportunitiestocommunicate.Thesecanincludesprintreviews,critiques,technicalworkinggroups,readoutstoprogramsponsors,andspecialinterestgroups(likeUXPatterns).MilestoneDemos&EventsIncontrasttotheidealroutineasystemachieves,there’salsomessagesthatrequiremoredeliberatepreparation,authoring,review,andpolish.Theseincludedemosofmajorreleases,techtalks,brownbags,andtrainingcurriculum.Usually,slidepresentationsaretheoutput,andteamsareamazedatjusthowmuchtimethissoaksupacrossteammemberstodowell.OtherRandom,InnovativeLocationsMyfavoritecommunicationchannelever?Easy.Onesoftwarecompanypreferredanalog(KanbanwallsofPost-Its,whiteboards,etc)overdigital(Jira,emails,etc)communication.Therefore,thesystemteamborrowedachannelusedbyothergroups:bathroomstalldoorstopostnewsletterstocaptiveaudiences.That’sinnovating.Iloveit!Whatfitsyourculture?Part3of3:MessagesDesignsystemteamsareoftensurprisedandoverwhelmedbythediversearrayofmessagestheycommunicatetodifferentaudiencesthroughdifferentchannels.Afairlyquickwhiteboardexercisecanrevealthecopious,seeminglyrandomarrayofmessageopportunities.Thatsaid,I’vefoundstructureinthislistbyorganizingaroundtwodimensions:timing&regularity.Timing:UpcomingvsAnnouncedThere’sadualityinmanymessages,fromminorreleasesandandpatchfixestosprintreviewsandtrainingsessions:it’seitherupcoming(soonerorlater)orit’sannouncingsomethingthat’salreadyhappened.Therefore,whenplanningsomemessages–particularlyroutineones–we’llbesuretoconsiderhittingonbothsidesofanevent.RoutineMessagesMessagesalsoseemtobeeitherregularorirregular.Mostteamsdeveloparhythmofworkflowstheyrepeatoverandover:sprints,releases,patches,assetupdates.Forexample,aroutinemessagecouldbetheannouncementofanewminorrelease,targetingallsystemcustomersinthe#system-generalmessagingchannelandotherlocations,usingatemplatelike:*NEWRELEASE*[systemname]*v#.#.#*isnowavailable,including:**NEW*[Featurename],including[featuredetails]**NEW*[Featurename],including[featuredetails]*[Featurename]nowincludes[featuredetails]*[Featurename][featuredetails]*Fixesthatinclude[fix],[fix],and[fix]Readreleasedetailsat:[ReleasehistoryURL]MajorMilestones&CampaignsOntheotherhand,othermessagesareassociatedwithamajormilestoneoftheprogram,oftenrequiringuniquelycrafted,customizedmessagesthatrequiremoreeffort.Majorsystemmilestonesemergeduringthelifecyclesofthefeaturesandtechnologiesyouuse,including:AnnouncinganewsystemLaunchinganewsystemRedesigning/upgrading/migratingasystemConsolidatingsystemsShiftingdesigntools(suchasSketchtoFigma)Shiftingorupgradingaframework(Angular,ReactorWebComponents)Replatforming,suchasacontentmanagementsystem(CMS)swapDiagramofacampaignthatrequiresmanycommunicationsovertimeSuchamajoreventrequiresacampaignofcommunicationsasthedesignsystemannounces,approaches,launches,andfollows-upthisevent.OrganizeMessagestoSeePatternsOnceyourteamhasidentifiedarangeofamessages,itcanbehelpfultoorganizethosemessagesacrossthosetwodimensionstolookforpatterns,efficiencies,andpriorities.Thisbucketingwillalsoyieldopportunitiesformessagesthataren’ttimedaroundanevent,suchas:Highlightingfeatures,reminders,andtipsinjectedlightlyacrosschannels.Campaignsthatcallforrequests,contributions,andlevelinguptraining.Organizingmessagesacrossdimensionsofregularity(routine,milestone)andtiming(upcoming,announced)PuttingitTogether:TheMessageMatrixAmessagematrixbringsthesecomponentstogethertoformmessagesthataddressproblemsyouradoptersandcontributorsmayface.Amessagematrixisatableofmessages,itemizingeachhigh-levelmessagewithassociatedproblemstatement(s),channel(s),targetaudience(s)andfrequencybywhichit’scommunicated.Forexample,ifadesignsystemdiscoversacriticaldefectthatimpactseveryone,adoptersneedtoknow,FAST!AmessagingtoollikeSlackistheproperchanneltogetoutthewordsofwarningtoeveryone,andthenSlack,areleasehistory,andotherchannelsshouldbeusedtospreadthewordthatthefixisavailable.MessagematrixAmessagematrixenablesthosenotsteepedinmarketingcommunicationsloretoplanmessageswithstructure.Thematrixisn’tmeanttobeformallymaintainedovertime.Instead,thematrixaidsindividualsandteamsplanningtogetherandhelpsauthorsidentifytaskstocomposeanddistributemessagesovertime.Takeaway:Challengeyoursystemsteamtorelatethemessagestheyprojecttotheproblemstheirconstituentsface.Byconstructingamessagematrix,youcanprioritizeandreorientinvestmentstowardsmessagesthatmatter.Additionally,thisstructureisusefulwhenoverlayingcommunicationsthinkingontosomethingasbigasplanningamajorreleasecycleorasnarrowasdiscussinghowtohandleacriticaldefect.CalltoActionRecallthateverymessageneedsapurpose,drivingreceiverstoadesirableoutcome.Somemessagescarryamorepassiveintentofinformingandeducating.Othersintendtodrivereceiverstowardsovertaction,suchas:SubmittingadefectGivingfeedbackUpgradetoanewreleaseDownloadinganupdateProposingacontributionRequestingafeatureGettinghelpTakeaway:Tobesure,designsystemscan’tbeallupinyourfaceallthetime.However,adesignsystemmustmaketherightthingtodothesimplethingtodo.Therefore,ensurethatcommunicationsdrivecustomerstoact,flowingthemintoworkflowsandbehaviorsthatmattertothem.WhoDoestheCommunicationsWork?Ohmygoodness,allthemessages,allthechannels,allthepeople,allthemonotonousworkflowdrudgery!Can’tIjustgetbacktoSketchormycodeeditor?Nodoubt,designersanddeveloperspursuecareerstodesignanddevelopthings,notbecomemarketingspecialists.Sowho’sgonnadoallthiswriting,reviewing,publishing,andmonitoring?Turnsout,differentteamsapproachthisindifferentways.Model1:Balanced,Ad-HocAcrosstheTeamSometeamscanbepassionateabouteveryonecapableofdoingeverything,spreadingouttheloveofcommunicationacrossallteammembers.Pros:Thismodelleadstoasharedteamunderstandingandawarenessofissues,connectsindividualsinthinnerslicestodesignanddevcommunities,andcultivatesindividualcommunicationsskills.Cons:Managementisaheadache,tossingcommunicationsaroundlikehotpotatoeseverytimeanopportunityarises.Who’sdoingitthistime?Who’sreviewingit?Ohthetediouslackofclarityandresolvingwitheachgoaround.Plus,messageconsistencytakesahit.Model2:ConcentratedonLeaders(orOthers)Otherteamsconcentratecommunicationeffortsintospecificteammembers,oftenproductandprojectmanagerscombinedwithdesignanddevelopmentpractitionerswithstrongercommunicationskills(often,leaders).Pros:Easiertopredictivelymanage,andmessagesaremoreconsistent.Cons:Thosecommunicatingcangetabitmoreburnedout,andthose“notcommunicating”(atleastformallythroughthesemeans)feelleftout.Plus,ifit’stheleaderscraftingallthemessages,thatmaydisconnectthemmorefromparticipatinginhowfeaturesgetmade.Takeaway:Decidingwhocommunicateswhatputsteamvaluesinconflict:consistencyvsinclusiveness.Managementclarityvsskilldevelopment.Discussthesecompetingforcesasagroup,anddoyourbesttocreateopportunitiesforthosewhowantavoice.CommunicationsWorkshopActivities&TemplatesTohelpdesignsystemprogramszoomoutandplancommunications,I’vecraftedafewmessagematrixtemplatescenteredondifferentscenarios.Icouldimaginethisactivitybeingparticularlyrelevantforathree-,six-ortwelve-monthplanningsessionconductedbythedesignsystemprogram.Theformatorganizestablesoffourtosixworkasagrouptocompleteamatrix,andthenshareresultswithothertables.Iterationspansrounds,suchasstartingwithRoutineIteration,iteratingthatmatrixifnecessary,thenlettingthetablebrainstormonamajormilestoneorPRcrisis.TheRoutineIterationNoteverysystemteamrunsapredictablecadenceoftwoweeksprintseachthatresultindemosand,usually,minorreleases(althoughsomethatIworkwithdo).Thatsaid,everysystemhassomekindofcadencetoplan,work,critique,demo,andreleasethings.Howmightaninterval-basedmessagematrixgetyourteamthinkingabout:Engagingdesignanddevcommunitiesforfeedbackduringcritiques?Projectingprogramprogressduringroutinedemos?Announcinganddescribingongoingupdates?Reiteratingupdatesthroughasynchronouschannelsforthosedesignersanddevelopersthatcan’tattendalivecritiqueordemo?TheMajorMilestoneIt’scommonforadesignsystemprogramtobepreppingforthenextbigthing:aswitchtowebcomponents,ditchingSketchforFigma,whateverthehottopicmightbe.Shifttheteam’smindsettothatofamarketingcampaign:aplannedcollectionofmessagesspanningtheeffortbefore,duringandaftertherollout.Arethereperiodsofcommunicationtoensurethestrategyorapproachissoundbeforeyourteamdivestoodeepintothework?Howwouldcommunicationsintensifyastheeventapproaches?Howmightyoufollowalaunchwithfurtherremindersortraining?ThePRCrisisIthappens.Thedesignsystemteamsolicitsinput,chartsacourse,andbeginsthework.Andthenthemutteringshappen.Forexample,asubgroupofdevelopersrepresentingacoupleflagshipproductsdon’tlikethetechnicaldirection.Rumorsabound.Whispersevenhintatforkingthesystem!Avoidpublicrelationscriseslikethese.Yet,iftheyhappen,bedeliberateaboutcommunications.Overevenatwoorfourweekperiod,howmightamessagematrixhelpyou…Widenandparticipatemoreinopenchannels?Createopportunitiestocollaboratewiththoseconcerned?Engageleaderstoclarifydirectiontoyou,them,andeveryoneelse?--1MorefromEightShapesAcollectionofstories,studies,anddeepthinkingfromEightShapesReadmorefromEightShapesRecommendedfromMediumMaartenDalmijninSeriousScrumIntroducingScrumatacompanywhereeveryonehatesScrumMarkModestiinTheStartupProjectManagementAndTheArtofStoryJoeWardonMediuminThoughts&OpinionsStrategicResiliencyinLargeCorporationsUrviMishraProductJourneywithDoyle’ssenseofadventureRaveenBeemsinghinMakeMySummaryProductUpdate—May2021UserpilotTeamWhatIsASaaSProductGrowthStrategy?[ExamplesIncluded]UserpilotTeamTheUltimateGuideToNewFeatureAnnouncementInSaaSKapilinUXCollectiveUnderstandingcustomerneedsthoughJobstobeDoneAboutHelpTermsPrivacyGettheMediumappGetstartedNathanCurtis22KFollowersFoundedUXfirm@eightshapes,contributingtothedesignsystemsfieldthroughconsultingandworkshops.VT&@uchicagograd.FollowMorefromMediumPriyankaJinUXPlanetDesignSystems — BuildingwithSystems,PurposeandPrinciplesPatriziaBertiniinUXCollectiveApplyingDesignOpstoproductteamsKarlWiegersinExperienceStackAFundamentalDesignPrinciple:MaketheProductEasyandObvioustoUseCognizantSoftvisioninProductTipsWhyyoushouldcareaboutproducttechnicaldebtHelpStatusWritersBlogCareersPrivacyTermsAboutKnowable