After spending 13 years working in advertising and design agencies in various capacities, and 3 years since we founded Flooid, building apps and websites with deliberation and care, keeping in mind not just users but also business objectives, while also growing a team, I’ve learned a thing or two about what happens in design teams and what makes them tick. If you’re looking for an article that will decisively tell you if a design agency is better than a product company or vice versa, you’re in the wrong place. What’s “better” is ultimately a personal choice, based on what works for you as an individual, at a specific point in your career. I can offer some thoughts though – ways to assess for yourself – which could provide fodder on how to decipher what works for you.
The user (and superlative user experience) is at the heart of virtually everything we design today. With more and more companies understanding and seeking value in building user-centric products, the opportunities and avenues for UX professionals are only growing. Whether at design agencies that service many clients and multiple design needs, or a product company solely focused on building a standalone product.
A design agency essentially functions as a consulting firm to whom various companies outsource their design requirements. Companies like IDEO, Frog Design and Huge Inc come to mind. Agencies design and build brands and products for their clients – companies that are looking to build product offerings, such as a reporting platform for UHNIs or a lending platform for merchants for Pine Labs or a platform for measuring ROI and buying of media, like we did for Moving Walls.
A product company on the other hand, like Quickbooks, Swiggy, Dunzo or Uber to name just a few, focus on solving or addressing a unique problem or proposition for a specific audience by imagining and creating tech-based products. They build UI/UX teams internally to service their design needs specific to the various aspects and features required for that product.
While both teams are actively focused on designing and building for specific needs, they may be different in fundamental ways such as size and structure of teams, workstyles, and company culture.
Lateral variety and vertical depth. Some of the obvious differences that emerge is that as a designer in an agency, you’ll be exposed to a wider variety of projects simply because the average agency services multiple clients across industry segments. You’ll cater to different requirements and design for a range of products, each with unique needs.
This is good for some designers who may be looking for variety, who possibly enjoy straddling 2-3 design jobs within a given period of time, and are curious and excited to learn about various industries and segments through the design function. In a product company, with the sole focus of the entire company being a single, solid product, this diversity is non-existent. While some may have smaller teams focused on smaller elements or parts of the product, for the most part, the entire design function caters to one segment or industry. This is good for designers who may be depth focused and like to go deep within a segment, building for a specific criteria.
So how do you choose? I’m of the opinion that the design function is important and relevant, no matter where you go. Questions of variety and/or depth are probably what you need to ask.
Work with companies that respect the design process. When you’re zeroing in on a company, whether agency or product company, question if it has a strong design background and focus. This will be apparent in the look and feel of the product/s they’ve built. Look at their work, seek out people who could provide details, experience or insights on this before you chase a brand or name only because you think it will look good on your portfolio.
If you’re looking to grow as a designer, to develop your repertoire and portfolio of work, you’re going to want to choose a company that supports that. Working with people who are driven by what users need, teams that care deeply about delightful useful design will matter to you. Take some leading traditional banks, for example, that have unwieldy platforms with close to no UI/UX focus. This is likely because they are built with a disproportionate focus on business, rather than design thinking. Alternatively, products like Swiggy or Uber, immediately show a user-led design focus, and are pushing the envelope all the time.
Work with companies that have other designers. Again, whether this is at an agency or a product company, surround yourself with people who are as well-versed and excited by the craft as you are, if not more. In order to learn, grow and deepen your skills, you’ll want the opportunity to spar with likeminded people who can challenge you often. If learning and continual improvement is important to you, this is a better environment to be in than an organisation set up in a way that makes you report to a sales or a business-driven team or individual.
When you have other designers to share your work with, you’re more likely to make work that is design-focused and that you believe in, rather than a numbers-driven business development team whose focus is likely to get a product running, without a clear view on what a user might really want or appreciate.
My experience working within teams of designers expanded my perspectives, gave me benchmarks to aspire to, while learning from peers and understanding my value and what I can offer to the team.
Merit rather than titles. One of the most important things I’ve learned as a creative is that ideas matter the most. Great ideas are more important than who comes up with them or where they come from. So, environments that allow the freedom to voice your opinions and share your ideas no matter your level or title in the company structure are more likely to help you be a better designer. How many ideas are eventually fully accepted, tried out and whether they are eventually adopted or dismissed may be an outcome of several other factors, but it matters that you had a team and environment where your idea was heard. Larger companies (whether agency or product-focused) tend to be organised in a way that makes it harder for everyone to participate in the design process equally. Very often designers feel like a cog in the wheel, whereas in smaller, flatter companies there is a greater probability of participating and truly influencing the design process and eventual product.
Work with a boss whose aspirations match yours. When you’re studying prospective companies to choose from, or if you have an opportunity to speak with a potential manager or boss, it’s a good idea to ask questions to get a sense about their motivations as a company. What sustains them? What kind of projects excite them? Do they want to be the best design agency? Who are their role models? Do they want to build a world-class, meaningful product? When interviewing potential recruits, I often find it surprising how few designers ask me questions about my approach, my design ethic, the values that guide our culture, etc. Chances are you’ll succeed in a company where your priorities and values – whatever they may be at the time – more or less match those of the companies’.
Whatever your idea of success – whatever your metric – actively seek a company that is more likely to match that. While you may ask about your workstyle, remuneration package and the like, also ask about the culture and focus. A company that offers you a hefty paycheck but that may or may not be satisfying in terms of the kind of design you’re eventually delivering, will leave you wanting more. Ask questions when you can, rather than discover these details once you begin working.
In my years working with product teams as well as building and leading design teams myself, I have found that the people (and consequently, teams) that succeed match on these values, first. When we are on the same page about motivations, values and ways of working and what moves us ahead, we’re more likely to journey forward together. Collectively, as well as individually.
This will take some reflection and understanding of yourself. To know what fuels you and what you’re seeking beyond the obvious givens of a job. Some of us are more excited by the idea of working in teams, while some others genuinely work better when they’re chipping away on something all on their own. Some of us are driven by numbers and monetary incentives more than anything else.
Should you join a design agency or product company? Again, there’s no easy way to pit one above the other. The right/better place for you is the one that matches your needs. There is no good or bad, right or wrong approach, only the approach that matters the most to you.
Perhaps the real question isn’t in an oversimplified view of product versus design. The two aren’t at loggerheads. The design function is central to both, so maybe the question is: how can you evaluate your next career move.
So take some time to understand where you stand, as well as what the company offers. To my mind, this is of paramount importance. Once you have some clarity in the aspects discussed above, you can then choose based on the best paycheck, the most leaves, assurance of work life balance, other perks etc. But my advice: don’t start there. That would be selling yourself, your potential and chance of success very short.