A Lead Designers to Improving Cross-Functional Collaboration & Ways of Working

This guide is to help you navigate when your stakeholders struggle to understand the value of design when there are clear pain-points from both sides with the current ways of working.

Leading or working in a design team with a strained environment requires a mix of diplomacy, structured research, and a clear path toward alignment. This is how I’ve approached the situation and seen positive results.

✅ What this guide will help you do:

• Identify and address common collaboration breakdowns between design and other functions
• Diagnose the root causes of friction in your team’s ways of working
• Communicate the value of design in a way that resonates with cross-functional stakeholders
• Facilitate alignment without forcing consensus or overstepping
• Establish shared rituals, artifacts, and expectations that improve collaboration over time
• Take a strategic, step-by-step approach to improving team dynamics and delivery

🙋 This is for you if:

• You’re a lead or senior designer tasked with improving collaboration across product, engineering, or other functions
• You feel stuck in a cycle of unclear ownership, misalignment, or reactive design work
• You’ve tried suggesting changes but face resistance or lack of follow-through
• You want practical tools, not just theory, to navigate messy team dynamics
• You’re ready to take initiative but aren’t sure where to start or how to make change stick

🧩 What you’ll get:

• A step-by-step framework for diagnosing and improving collaboration between design, product, and engineering
• Stakeholder interview guides with tailored questions for designers, PMs, and engineers
• A repeatable process for uncovering team pain points and hidden tensions
• Tips for framing design’s value in a way that resonates with cross-functional peers
• A structure for turning feedback into clear, actionable solutions
• Guidance on presenting your findings constructively to drive alignment
• A playbook for piloting process improvements and building long-term trust
• A Notion template you can duplicate and adapt to your team’s context

Hey I'm Miranda from UX Survival Guide 👋 here are a few more ways I can help you:

1. I’ve created quite a few resources for UXers, take a look.
2. Bring your burning product & UX design questions over to one of my regular Live AMAs and get my professional advice on the spot.
3. Follow me on Tiktok or Instagram for critiques, advice, & how-to's focused on helping you grow in your career and land a job in this difficult market.
4. Join me over on LinkedIn for personal experience stories and targeted tips for experienced designers