Design Team Collaborations during the Pandemic

The economic and social repercussions of the pandemic have left most of us feeling anxious not only about the future but about the present itself. In a time of no clarity, all of us are now taking things one day at a time. The pandemic has also completely changed the way we approach our life and the one aspect which has been impacted almost universally is people’s way of working. There are only a select few people you may (or you may not) know whose working conditions are unchanged. We are all navigating through the space of what might be the new normal – working from home. We thought it would be pertinent to see how an industry like design, which heavily relies on team collaborations to move forward- is impacted.

It’s not easy to replicate the same results you would get from brainstorming sessions, ideating, and trial-and-error creative processes while you attend Zoom meetings and interact with clients and fellow designers over video calls. That’s something all designers would probably nod their heads in agreement on.

One of our designer’s told us how working from home during the pandemic has caused a shift in his work life.

“Working from home in this pandemic is definitely big a shift in the way we all used to work. The biggest challenge is managing your personal time along with work when both of them are intersecting. At the end of the day I often feel like should I feel bad for not working much or not taking care of myself enough?”

Almost everyone is grappling with issues along the same lines. When you are working from home and your room doubles as your workspace, where do you draw the line between your work and personal life? Additionally, because of the economic ramifications of the pandemic, many people are working extra hours without speaking out over fears of unemployment. To some extent, this shift of working from home has actually unveiled how unbalanced many of our work schedules are. How does one collaborate creatively and ensure that their personal life also holds a priority?

The answer to that question lies in an approach which keeps the welfare of the employees at a top priority along with keeping work on track. Planned agendas for meetings, clear communication, set deadlines with achievable timelines, and making video calls the “new normal” are a few things that we all have to embrace with open arms. Since we are losing out on informal time with our fellow colleagues, such as taking a break with them or having lunch together, taking some time off to have a call for informal conversations or maybe just to blow off steam, will also break the monotony of team collaborations only for work.

Whether this threat is short-term or long lasting, companies who can enable a virtual workforce, especially design agencies who thrive on team collaborations to get the work done, will have a significant competitive advantage in the long run.