ERIGO

Short timelines, tech issues, limited research: Sometimes, design isn’t as smooth as the textbooks suggest.

ABOUT ERIGO

Working on a project basis brings its own set of challenges for me, especially when it comes to time management, team collaboration, and research. Here are some of the biggest challenges I’ve identified and curated along the way.

UNLOCKING NEW SALES LEVEL

As one of the largest fashion brands in Indonesia, their sales rate in the marketplace is also very high. However, at any level, competition exists, and the higher their position, the tighter the competition. Although their digital presence is quite advanced, one area that was overlooked was focusing on customer experience.

When I worked on their project, I identified several gaps, such as the layout of their marketplace store, their website, and the lack of sufficient research.

Scope of Work

I worked within the project scope alongside a colleague (who, unfortunately, decided to leave after a few weeks due to receiving another offer). We worked under one design lead. However, the design lead at that time was focused on project operations and gathering requirements from top management, business, and other divisions.

BIG CHALLENGE

Working on a project basis brings its own set of challenges—very different from working on a long-term product team. Time constraints, team dynamics, and research depth all play out differently. Here are some of the key challenges I’ve curated and considered the most significant throughout this project.

Problem 1

SUPER BUSY

The reality is, we can't expect timelines and situations to always go our way. Design projects come with their own unique challenges.

PROBLEM

When I arrived, everyone was extremely busy. The design team’s request to conduct research wasn’t easy to fulfill, as work conflicts caused delays, and the research process had to wait for quite some time, despite the limited time available.

SOLUTION

In my previous experience, I realized how research can sometimes challenge our egos as designers. In this case, I conducted informal research on my own while waiting for the official research process to begin.

This process took about a week to fully understand what the brand truly needed and how we could align the design direction with those goals.

Problem 2

TECH DECISION

The platform and technology will indirectly impact the design we create. A design that cannot be fully implemented will only create new gaps.

SHOPIFY VS WORDPRESS VS NATIVE

In reality, no matter how great our design is, it becomes useless if it can’t be implemented properly. This almost happened here, where various design expectations had already been set by the design team, but the decision on the platform had yet to be made. This delay in platform determination created a significant roadblock in ensuring that the designs could be executed as intended.

I’m not a very patient person, so I quickly took the initiative to create a table, organizing meetings with all relevant stakeholders to expedite the decision-making process. My goal was to ensure that everyone aligned and made a prompt decision on which platform to choose, avoiding further delays.

Problem 3

TIGHT DEADLINE

Since the work was project-based, deadlines were non-negotiable. However, the greatest challenge we faced was ensuring that the design was implemented as intended. Balancing the pressure of tight deadlines with the need for precise design execution became a constant struggle for the team.

Doesn’t matter much, but pushing for a weekly meeting has been really helpful for me to align or reset expectations.

Maximizing design by conducting competitor analysis as frequently as possible, paired with thorough research and analysis.

Flowcharts are an effective tool for assisting with evaluations, including presentations to users.

Operational optimization is the key factor in handling and executing projects with tight deadlines. A well-optimized workflow ensures that the team has more than enough time to meet deliverables.