Small, Medium, and Large Teams
Think about sizing more locally. The basic unit of stability I have seen is the group. A group is made up of four or five designers and/or researchers and a UX manager. This group size has several advantages. UX managers can look across the team and ensure reviews are fair, and they can provide senior level coaching. The existence of a manager provides a career goal for some members of the group who might aspire to the UX manager position. A UX manager can serve as the face of the team and, being at least one level up in the hierarchy, can influence across the organization at the management level to advance the UX agenda and be an advocate for the members of the team. Members of a UX team share a similar orientation toward design and commitment to users as well as common approaches to their work. As a result, they enjoy being together, and diverse design and research perspectives help each member of the team produce better work through critiques and collaboration. Having several UX people on a team also gives the manager and the group flexibility when handling the demand for work that might rise or fall over time, and typically gives the manager flexibility to drive initiatives that can provide benefits across projects and releases (e.g., around design guidelines and patterns).
[MK] Sloane
