CRISTEN TORREY is the Director of Research at Figma, “the design platform for teams who build products together.” Cristen leads the research team at Figma to produce a report that underscores the must-haves for better team collaboration. In this interview, we talk about the components of good collaboration and why it’s so hard for teams to achieve.
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The 5 behaviors of good collaboration
“When we say we are “collaborating,” what we actually mean is we’re performing a variety of synchronous and asynchronous acts that are in tension and harmony with each other.”
In their Collaboration Report, Figma found five statistically significant behaviors of good collaboration:
- Co-creation: simultaneously working in the same file while bouncing ideas back and forth.
- Rapport: Building a sense of camaraderie, knowing one another beyond the work.
- Role clarity: Understanding who needs to be involved in making decisions.
- Feedback: Comments and discussion on design work that supports iteration.
- Reflection: Time to discuss what is and isn’t working and make adjustments.
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Podcast production by Podcast Monster
Graphic design by Alfred Boland
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