noted

Remote Onboarding

August 2020

Spotify Design Team

Every month we choose 3 Spotify designers to share their thoughts on design, tech, and work. There’s just one catch: They need to do it in (roughly) 3 sentences or less.

What tips do you have for people starting a new job while working remotely?

Ashwini Purohit

Senior Product Designer

1. Schedule shorter meetings for all those introductory one-on-ones — 30 minutes can feel like a long time over video.

2. I like to replicate a commute by taking a long walk at the end of the workday.

3. I can never find the things I bookmark or save, so keeping a simple table with all the useful resources I come across has been super valuable.

Gearóid O’Rourke

Product Design Manager

1. Accept that it will be harder to connect with people — don’t stress if it takes longer than you’d hoped.

2. Be ready to overshare. Being explicit about what you’re thinking and feeling helps avoid misunderstandings. It’s going to feel uncomfortable, but it’s worth it.

3. Set boundaries on your working time. It’s something your team will appreciate, just as much as you “finishing that deck this weekend”.

Mitul Iyengar

Product Designer

1. Reorganize your physical space to give yourself a mental “reset”.

2. Discuss the same topics with different people. It’ll help you absorb the information and give you a broader perspective on how things work.

3. Set up 15-minute one-to-ones where you talk about non-work stuff — it’ll help you get to know each other!

Credits

Spotify Design Team

We're a cross-disciplinary team of people who love to create great experiences and make meaningful connections between listeners and creators.

- Behind The Scenes
Designing a new Foundation: Spotify for Desktop
For these designers launching a new desktop app that replaces one of Spotify’s most loved clients was a daunting but irresistible opportunity.
- Accessibility
Better in Black: Rethinking our Most Important Buttons
If there's one button you use every time you open Spotify, it’s the play button. Today, we’re updating it significantly for better accessibility.
- 3x3
Designing Ad Experiences
This month three Spotify Designers responsible for creating the ad experience for listeners share their approach.
- Behind The Scenes
Growing a Distributed Product Design Team
Senior Design Manager, Pilar Serna, shares how she hired and onboarded a fully distributed team that was able to collaborate efficiently from day one.