Enabling designer growth
Introducing a successful career progression framework to enable individual growth, resulting in R&D-wide adoption of the framework.
As our company expanded, our R&D and design organisation doubled, necessitating a reassessment of our structure and how might we provide a clear career path for our designers. Executive leadership introduced a new structure, prompting a need to align the design organisation titles accordingly. My focus was on providing clarity on career paths for our design organisation in this new structure.
My Role
Product Design Manager
Stakeholders
Design Leadership Product Leadership People Team
Year
2022
Understanding our reality
Reflecting on past setups, we identified shortcomings in supporting various roles, necessitating a redefinition of roles in alignment with current business scale and needs.
Aligning expectations
The design leadership team streamlined roles, merging UI and UX designers into Product Design while keeping user researchers and design engineering roles unchanged. We decided to redefine roles for each design function to address uncertainties arising from this merger.
Exploration
Conducting surveys and one-on-one conversations with the design team, I identified their needs. I took ownership of the problem, prioritising the development of a career progression framework over role descriptions as a foundational solution.
Collecting Inspiration
Researching how others addressed similar challenges, I drew inspiration from resources like progression.co. Recognising the uniqueness of each organisation and team, I combined and built a solution tailored to our needs.
The framework
I developed a comprehensive framework structured around three main areas: Behavioural skills, Business skills, and Professional skills. These competencies were broken down into specific skills for Junior, Mid-level, Senior, and Managerial roles.
Progression approach
Each level requires individuals to own specific skills, serving as baseline knowledge for promotions. To be considered for a position, individuals must deliver on at least 50% of all required skills for a certain level. While the framework guides personal growth priorities, a people-first approach is crucial, relying on conversations between managers and their reports to address unique needs.
Outcomes
The framework was adopted by every design discipline in our organisation.
Designers found clarity in expectations and career progression.
Increased engagement and proactivity in personal development plans led to promotions.
Engineering leadership reached out to learn about our successful approach.
The People Team is currently reviewing the framework for potential company-wide implementation.
Key take aways
People-First Approach – Prioritising individual needs and fostering meaningful conversations proved essential for successful career development.
Adaptability – Navigating through different design disciplines highlighted the significance of flexibility and a collaborative processes.
Cross-Functional Collaboration – Engaging with engineering leadership showcased the framework's versatility and promoted knowledge exchange.
Impact on Culture – Adoption by every design discipline and potential company-wide consideration reflected a positive influence on organisational culture.
© Norbert Dobrotka | 2025