Reporting on Design is hard - Here is how you can make it happen

Welcome to the world of DesignOps, where creativity meets analytics and aesthetics converges with data-driven decisions!

Often our customers ask us how we should report on design. What are the parameters or categories for reporting design work? Reporting design work is a vital component of any successful design operation, allowing teams to measure their progress, identify areas for improvement, and showcase their impact on business goals.

Based on our experience of working with multiple users & customers, we see the need to report design activities & performance based on the following three broad categories:

1. Design reporting for business

2. Performance Report

3. Financial Report
   
   

Design Reporting for Business

Design Reporting for Business provides valuable insights into the day-to-day operations and processes within a design team or department. They help track the progress of various projects, identify bottlenecks, and highlight areas for improvement.

Projects:

One key aspect of design reporting is tracking project timelines and deadlines. By monitoring how well teams meet their targets, managers can ensure that projects stay on track and are delivered on time. This helps identify any issues or delays early on so that necessary steps can be taken to address them.

For instance,

• What is the status of Project X? Status of activities, timelines & tasks within that project

• % Adoption of Design System & standard design processes

• Level of collaboration for Project X? No. of comments, discussions & review meetings within that project
  
  

People:

Another important metric covered in reporting design for business is resource allocation. It's essential to have an overview of how resources such as designers' time, budget, and tools are being utilized across different projects. This information helps optimize resource allocation, ensuring that each project receives adequate attention and support.

For instance,

• What is design team member Y doing?

• Is the team well utilized? 

• % of utilization spread across a month, quarter or year

• List of activities & tasks performed every week

• Total capacity & bandwidth available 

• List of competencies & skill gaps, If any
  
  

Operations:

From managing day-to-day tasks to ensuring smooth workflows, operations play a vital role in keeping businesses running smoothly. In an operational report, you get a detailed overview of how things are functioning within your company. This includes information on productivity levels, efficiency, business alignment, design tools, etc. By analyzing this data, you can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to optimize your operations.

For instance,

• Is every design intervention aligned with the company goals?

• No. of design processes & best practices defined

• No. of projects following the design process

• No. of design team events - talks, training, workshops, etc.

• New Team members joining & their onboarding time

• The ratio of Designer to Developer, Designer to Researcher, Designer per product

• Diversity of Design Tools

• No. of cases studies/presentations made
  
  

Design Assurance:

Design assurance is a crucial aspect of any operational report. It ensures that the designs of various projects are thoroughly reviewed and validated before implementation. This process helps identify potential risks, mitigates errors, and ensures all project requirements are met.

For instance,

• % of design systems used in wireframes

• % of design projects in Jira based on a design template

• % of tasks/stories referring to a design process

• No. of design reviews or User testing completed

• No. of design bugs identified & fixed

• No. of user experience tickets raised per module/feature

• Number of Positive or negative comments on user forums & summary of feedback
  
  

2. Performance Reports

When it comes to evaluating the performance of a design, one crucial aspect is analyzing performance reports. These reports provide valuable insights into how well a design meets its objectives and can help identify areas for improvement.

For instance,

• No. of design initiatives against product/business goals

• Track Customer Experience/User Experience metrics to measure the impact of design initiatives - NPS

• No. of backlogs & project requests - status & timelines

• What measurable impact has our design had on key performance indicators, such as conversion rates, engagement metrics, or customer retention?

Analyzing performance reports provides an opportunity to fine-tune designs based on real-world results. By examining user engagement metrics, conversion rates, website speed information, and user testing session feedback, designers can optimize success! So don't overlook the importance of diving into those numbers - they are key to unlocking your design's full potential!

3. Financial Reports

These reports provide a detailed analysis of an organization's financial performance, including revenue, expenses, profits, and losses. They are crucial for assessing the financial health and stability of a company.

Two essential factors in financial reports -

• Budget - spent & available

• Measurement of Impact (Revenue, Profitability, Support cost reduction)

Financial reports are essential for internal decision-making processes within an organization but also play an important role in external communications with investors, lenders, regulators, and other stakeholders interested in evaluating its financial standing.

Accurate & timely reporting can be a strategic tool

Reporting design is vital in conveying information effectively to different audiences within an organization or outside stakeholders who need access to accurate data for decision-making purposes. Dashboards can report critical metrics to various stakeholders - its strategic mirror to see the health, operations, and performance.

Internally, effective reporting design ensures teams can access real-time insights needed for day-to-day operations. Whether it's sales figures, project progress updates, or design metrics, well-designed reports allow stakeholders to quickly grasp critical information and take necessary actions promptly.

Remember: design reporting for business focus on the day-to-day tasks and activities of the design team; performance reports track progress towards goals; and finally, financial reports give insight into an organization’s fiscal well-being!

Many of these reports are part of the Cubyts platform. 

Design Reporting on Cubyts

Cubyts empowers you to monitor the status of your designs across different projects. By tracking the real-time status of your project delayed or on time, you can identify potential bottlenecks early on and take necessary actions to keep things moving smoothly.

Cubyts provides a simple interface where you can view the availability status of each team member within different projects. You'll be able to see who is currently occupied with other projects and who has some free time to take on additional work.

This visibility into your team's availability also enables better collaboration and communication within the project. If someone becomes available unexpectedly, you can quickly reassign tasks or allocate additional resources as needed.

Additionally, tracking member availability on Cubyts allows for more accurate forecasting and planning. By understanding how much time each person has available, you can estimate project timelines more realistically and avoid potential bottlenecks.

With this powerful reporting feature that Cubyts offers, managing your team's availability becomes effortless. You no longer have to rely on manual updates or guesswork – it's all right in front of you! 

Stay organized, stay informed – start leveraging the power of design reporting with Cubyts today!