Design Roles at MSL

Situation

When I joined Michigan Software Labs, the company lacked clear definitions for design roles. This absence of structure led to confusion about expectations for designers working on projects. The design team consisted of both experienced and novice designers, and at the same time I was introducing the concept of product design to the organization.

Traditionally, designers were responsible for both product design and UX design tasks. This required frequent context-switching throughout the day. While experienced designers could manage this effectively, less experienced designers struggled with the ambiguity and role overlap.

Recognizing the need for clarity, I set out to create comprehensive role definitions that clearly distinguished Product Design and UX Design while aligning with how the organization actually worked.

Task

My goal was to establish clear role definitions outlining what, how, why, and when designers should perform specific tasks on projects.

These role definitions were intended to:

1. Improve operational efficiency
2. Enhance collaboration within the design team
3. Improve interactions with project managers, engineers, and stakeholders

Ultimately, I wanted to give designers a clear roadmap for decision-making and accountability.

Process

Consulting the Design Team

I asked designers to document what they believed should be expected of them on a project. This surfaced inconsistencies, assumptions, and gaps in understanding.

Engaging Project Managers

I worked closely with project managers to:

• Understand how they viewed design within project execution
• Identify mismatches between expectations and reality
• Surface areas where clarity would improve delivery

Collaborating with Software Engineers

I met with engineers to:

• Understand their expectations of design
• Identify friction points between design and development
• Improve collaboration and handoff clarity

This multi-perspective input ensured the role definitions worked across disciplines, not just within design.

Results

After synthesizing the input, I defined distinct responsibilities for Product Designers and UX Designers.

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Product Designer Responsibilities

Setting Design Direction for the Product

With input from the Design Manager, this includes:

• Understanding project goals, audience, and business objectives
• Conducting research into industry trends and competitive products
• Collaborating with stakeholders to align on vision and requirements
• Defining guiding design principles
• Developing a design strategy that balances usability, accessibility, branding, and innovation
• Communicating and documenting design direction through briefs, presentations, and style guides

Design strategy and briefs lived in Confluence. UX decisions, visual direction, and design systems lived in Figma.

Impacting the Product Roadmap

In partnership with project leadership:

• Building a user-centered design roadmap
• Empowering cross-functional collaboration and shared product vision
• Adding design context to Features and Epics
• Advocating for ambitious and creative solutions
• Introducing and defending new design patterns using research and rationale

Impacting Project Execution

In partnership with the project team:

• Supporting Epics and user stories with design perspective
• Identifying opportunities for early user feedback
• Leveraging (or intentionally breaking) platform conventions
• Coordinating design efforts within sprints
• Monitoring implementation for design integrity
• Providing guidance and feedback to designers and developers
• Fostering cross-functional collaboration
• Advocating for iteration, testing, and refinement
• Acting as a communication bridge between design and stakeholders

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UX Designer Responsibilities

Producing High-Quality Designs

This includes:

• Conducting user research and competitive analysis
• Creating information architecture and navigation systems
• Designing user flows
• Wireframing and prototyping
• Producing high-fidelity designs and specifications
• Ensuring accessibility compliance
• Collaborating with stakeholders
• Measuring post-launch success and iterating
• Maintaining thorough documentation
• Demonstrating high attention to detail
• Producing consistent, roadmap-aligned work
• Managing tasks and timelines effectively

Continuous Craft Development

UX Designers were expected to:

• Stay current with UX/UI trends and research
• Practice across varied projects
• Participate in critiques and peer reviews
• Learn directly from users
• Maintain mastery of tools
• Understand business and marketing fundamentals
• Advocate for accessibility and inclusion
• Remain curious and reflective
• Explore emerging technologies
• Advocate for user needs within the organization

Advancing the Product Strategically

This includes:

• Understanding business goals and product strategy
• Participating in planning and strategy sessions
• Communicating design rationale clearly
• Proactively proposing improvements
• Collaborating cross-functionally
• Adapting designs as strategy evolves
• Presenting work for review and incorporating feedback

Outcome

The rollout occurred in several phases:

• Initial design team review and iteration
• Stakeholder feedback from project managers and leadership
• Finalization and approval
• Company-wide presentation and publication in Confluence

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Designers appreciated having clear expectations, and non-design teams gained a stronger understanding of how to work effectively with design.

The initiative significantly improved cross-functional collaboration and validated the value of clearly defined design roles within a growing consultancy.