Go from just hired, to Minimum Viable Design Team in five weeks
First Designer In isn’t yet another design book, it’s a hyper-practical guide to all the non-design work the role entails.
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YD
A practical guide for designers moving into leadership
I read this book at a time when I was transitioning from an individual contributor at a large company, to a product owner on a much smaller team in a startup. It helped me build confidence in myself that I made the right move, and that it was the right time to make that move.
David H.
What Do You Do?
This book answers the question, "What do you do...when you're the first designer in. I highly recommend it.
Yinjian H.
It's so useful for the first designer in the company!
This book is so helpful for the first designer in the company! I found this book after I joined a startup as a first designer, and I hope I could read it earlier….
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a first designer in the company, going to be/interested in being a first designer, or any designer that wants to be a generalist.
Nicole
FAANG product manager
I found this book useful as a PM at a FANNG company for thinking about teams that run lean compared to their impact. In particular the ways that I can fill in where we lack designers and prioritize the most important work.
Shuichi S.
Great read before starting a new role
This book came at a great time for me: 2 weeks before joining a team as the only UX Designer.
It helped me shape my mindset and initial goals for this new role - giving me more confidence from day one.
kosiec123
Essential Reading For UX Professionals
The five-week outline on how to organize your design work at a new company features excellent detail as well. Something sure to feel invaluable to any designer.
This vital guide will prepare you for the harsh (but fabulous!) reality of being the first design hire tasked with creating the design function within a company.
What’s In the Book
The book is broken down into three sections, plus an addendum. Here’s exactly what’s in each:
Section 1
Making Space For Design
Setting the Design function up for healthy success.
Minimum Viable Design Team
Two types of design teams
Six design skills of a generalist
Design business metrics
Design's place in the company
Drafting a master plan
Section 2
The First Five Weeks
An action packed plan to get on-boarded.
Audit of the current state
Identify the real stakeholders
Set fundamental expectations
Take benchmark measurements
Set up proto-personas
Deliver. Deliver. Deliver.
Section 3
Looking Forward
These topics fill entire books. We’ll focus solely on bootstrapping them into existence.
Seed a design system
Getting a components library built
Seed research operations
Measure design org maturity
Prepare yourself to hire a team
Bonus
Swipe Files & Resources
Downloadable files, free forever for folks who’ve purchased the book.
The Action Plan (Summary)
Readiness (Checklist)
Design Levels Matrix (Spreadsheet)
Research Projects vs. User Studies (Swipe File)
Reading list of all books and articles (Link List)
As the first UX design hire at a startup, you’re flying solo… but you don’t want to stay solo forever. First Designer In is your guide to growing design as a function.
About Me
I’ve made a career of being the first designer hire, then building up a team from scratch.
In over a dozen years in the business, I’ve founded three of my own companies, sold one, been the first hire at multiple startups, and worked in large multinational companies.
I’ve worked on products ranging from SMB to enterprise; delivered via SaaS, distributed via channel partners, or embedded in physical appliances. I’m part of the 500 startups network, member of the UXPA, and an active mentor in the UX design community.
There’s a wealth of knowledge locked away in our industry. It needs to be shared back to the community.
Excerpts From the Book
I Suppose I Should Introduce Myself
Hi, I’m Tara, and I wrote First Designer In. If you’re wondering why I did so - below is a summary loosely lifted from the book itself.
Minimum Viable Design Team
As the First Designer In (FDI), you’re not just building a Minimum Viable Design Team, you are the Minimum Viable Design Team.
Are You Ready to Be the First Designer In?
Starting a UX design team from scratch is challenging, exhilarating and, frankly, not for everyone. I've compiled some information that will help you decide if you're ready to take on the challenge.
What About The Other Design Books?
“First Designer In isn’t yet another design book, it’s a hyper-practical guide to all the non-design work the role entails.” Let’s dive into that a bit, shall we?