Moving from design agency to design career in tech: What do I need to know?

New
bclE51

New

bclE51
Jan 31 6 Comments

What sort of things are different from design firms to in house at a tech company? Both interview and once you’re in the job.

Thank you!

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TOP 6 Comments
  • New
    SrUt12

    New

    SrUt12
    It really depends. Some design agencies have no rigor and are just implementors. Some do research and follow or create best practices. Same for inhouse. It’s very important to investigate the culture and practices ahead of any commitments. Ask what % of the time they get to do research and whether recommendations are implemented. Ask how they implement standards and do reviews. Ask what design subdisciplines exist in the org and how they are allocated to projects. Or are people expected to frequently be a team of one?

    However one thing is almost always different. Design is a revenue center for an agency. Selling in more work is a goal. So getting the client to do more research or evaluate their customer journey is “yay!” Internally, depending on the company’s values, more design investigation and iteration might run up against more obstacles.
    Jan 31 1
    • New
      bclE51

      New

      bclE51
      OP
      Very helpful, thank you!!
      Jan 31
  • Amazon
    AISI08

    Go to company page Amazon

    AISI08
    There were two big differences for me going from agency to tech. I was at a human centered design agency where design called all the shots - PMs existed to codify the design requirements into business requirements. In tech, product tends to drive almost everything.

    The other was scale. In agency, we could safely design for a 99% use case. In my product today, that 1% is millions of people. It’s just a totally different level of responsibility and the depth you need to design to is much greater.
    Feb 1 0
  • Fuze
    OFKg25

    Go to company page Fuze

    OFKg25
    When you interview, look for a manager that has helped designers make the transition before, or has done it themselves. 4 designers on my team did this, some were super seamless and others struggled a little more (but we got there, they are now flying!)

    Here are a few common hurdles:

    1. Remember your “customer” is the user, advocate for them always.
    2. You are the expert: Recommend a path. Recommend a design. The days of showing “options” and the client being right all the time are over. Keep your options in your back pocket (and collab with other designers on them), but show one you believe in and iterate on it. Your PM/eng team does not want to see all your work. They want you to be the expert.
    3. Usability over aesthetics, create a solid foundation first. Show your work, just being shiny and getting out the door is not enough. Take the time to test. You have the support now!
    4. Collab with engineering early about feasibility and use their feedback all the way through. Don’t just throw design “over the wall”. Follow through with engineering and hold them to a high standard. Your voice matters as much as theirs.
    5. If you worked in a high stress agency setting where you worked insane hours, set up some boundaries. Agency life makes diamonds for sure, but the insane expectations that made you don’t need to follow you the rest of your career.

    Some of the best Product designers I know came from agency and found a forever home in Product. Good luck!
    Feb 9 0
  • Were you doing creative work at the agency? If so you might be bored to death in the tech product world.
    Feb 3 0
  • Verizon Media / Eng
    fizzyzizzy

    Go to company page Verizon Media Eng

    fizzyzizzy
    Investigate why you want to make the switch. Why do you hope to gain from a career in tech?
    Feb 1 0