UX Design Managers: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly — Revisited

The Good UX Design Manager is a vital link between the company and the design team. They openly converse with all members of the design team about the project at hand. They have a deep respect for the experience every team member brings to the table. They know that the ability to drive results and take the project in the right direction depends greatly on the production of everyone on the team. The good manager knows how to encourage designers and relate the sheer importance their work impacts performance and strategy. They constantly evaluate the work of their team and then pass on the information they gather.

The Good UX Design Manager knows the design practice. They live, breath, eat and sleep design. They aren’t just semi-retired project managers who want to strike it rich on the UX bandwagon but are truly creatives. They are able to help contribute when needed and provide more depth than simple subjective critique of a design.

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.
— Warren Bennis

The Bad UX Design Manager quickly loses their way and become confused with the process. They stress over trivial matters and soon lose focus on the important design challenges that everyone can see but them. When confronted with criticism they become defensive. They will not accept blame for bad decisions and are quick to place the blame on other members of the team. The bad UX design manager tears their team down instead of building them up.

The Good UX Design Manager knows how to be a strong coach and leader. They know how to give sound direction and use effective problem-solving skills to get their team to realize the best method for product designers to be successful. The feedback they provide is always helpful, supportive, and delivered on a timely basis. They listen to what their team has to say and have a keen understanding of what motivates or discourages each team member. They take on a true mentoring role and suggest pathways for growth and success.

The Bad UX Design Manager fails to manage properly. They are more focused on production than the wellbeing of the design team. When there are issues with quality or a delay in the production process they immediately “snap the whip” and make their team work harder. They tend to jump in an attempt to do it all because they no longer have confidence in their design team to get the job done right. This management style discourages the team and creates an unproductive atmosphere.

Culture, leadership and employee engagement are the essentials for great customer experience.
— Steve Cannon

The Bad UX Design Manager separates themselves from the company and their designers by constructing an invisible wall or barriers between them at all times. Bad UX managers turn major design decisions into major arguments. Instead of helping their team to fully comprehend the organizations goals and objectives, they shed the responsibility and pursue better designs that will acknowledge their creativity. Their focus is blinded by the desire to appear creative instead of looking out for the best interests of the stakeholders and the users. The bad manager is more concerned about their own reputation than the team they are hired to manage.

The Good UX Design Manager takes full responsibility and ownership for the work produced by their design team. They are out to create engaging, useful, and practical solutions and they ensure their team creates designs that are in the best interest of their stakeholders and the users they serve. They make certain that all designers are on the same page with the products that are in development. The good manager goes out of their way to nurture the creative process and the design patterns that represent the entire business favorably. They set the precedence and relay it to the entire team efficiently.

Humans have always been emotional and have always reacted to the artifacts in their world emotionally.
— Alan Cooper

The Bad UX Design Manager takes a narrow point of view when it comes to respecting the entire design community. The idea of poaching fills them with fear and causes them to shy away from the natural competition that exists between other UX design managers and teams. They create an unhealthy competitive environment. It is not that they lack confidence in their team, but more so in their ability to compete effectively in lieu of their fears.

The Good UX Design Manager takes their designs to another level of quality and excellence. They pass the praise onto their company and the design team and share that praise with the design community. They believe in the goals and objectives of their company and they know they owe their success to their design team.

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
— John C. Maxwell

The Good UX Design Manager is committed to all aspects of user experience design and is out to create products that make the world a better place. They are stronger leaders than managers and are just as effective at listening as they are talking. They are unselfish, supportive, and appreciate their position in UX design management.