A virtual C-level officer may not be in the office, still, is responsible for strategic decisions for the company. This outsourcing of strategic decisions might benefit product organizations with budget constraints. I have met up with a few Virtual Chief Technology Officers CTO who with their diverse experience prove to be valuable assets to a growing startup.
Product companies have found great value in having a strategic C-level position for design, the Chief Design Officer (CDO). (My previous blog) Not all Product companies have the bandwidth to engage a full-time CDO, but they can opt for a Virtual Chief Design Officer (CDO)
Advantages of VCDO
- Save Money: VCDO would save some money since VCDO will not be a full-time employee, it’s a shared strategic resource.
- Cloud model over Ownership: VCDO is like a service on demand, the engagement time could vary as per the phase of the company. It’s even possible to stop the engagement as this is typically a Pay per use model.
- Diverse Experience: VCDO is probably consulting more companies, giving a diversity of experience which is super valuable. Might get multi-Industry vertical experience.
- 360-degree view: The person might be able to have both an Outside in and Inside Out view of the organization and their products.
Responsibilities of a VCDO in a Product Company
A Virtual Chief Design Officer (VCDO) in a product development company is responsible for leading the design and overall user experience strategy. They work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that products meet the needs and expectations of customers while also aligning with the company’s goals and vision.
The VCDO may work remotely, and may not work from your office premises. A VCDO should be empowered to take certain decisions, but ‘”With great power comes great responsibility”’
1. Understand Human needs – Technology – and Business
Design Thinking needs an intersection of Humans – Technology, and Business, the Strategic Design position should clearly understand this fact, and should have the ability to understand the domain of your product, and the problem to be solved. Fair understanding of underlying technology magic; and last but not least understanding of the ‘Business aspect of the solution.
2. Strategic Design Vision
VCDO should ideally be building a long-term experienced Design Strategy for the company and its products. Imparting a much-needed ‘Seat on the Table’ to the design team. Futuristic Design Strategy and Formulating the product design policies are the primary responsibility. The Customer Experience Design should also be part of the CDO charter.
Brainstorming solution ideas with Product owners, Conducting Vision articulation workshops before the design and development starts are some of the activities VCDO should take up.
3. Keep updated on the trends in technology and design
The design also means ‘Appropriation of technology’ for the benefit of the users in solving their problems. The VCDO should keep one’s knowledge up-to-date on the Technology trends and probably the ‘technology hype cycles’ in the industry. The VCDO should be knowledgeable about design trends and advancements and help the company stay on the cutting edge.
4. Leading the Product Design methodology
VCDO should be owning the company’s Design methodology, make sure it integrates with the development process and try to make it as frictionless as possible.
5. Collaboration across the teams
Communicating the Design Vision to all the team members including the Product manager, and every engineer on the development team. “Design is too precious to be left to designers” Making sure every person on the team is sensitive to ‘Good Design’ and contributes positively towards making the product a big success is one important task for a VCDO
6. Smart Hiring for the Design team
With the wide ‘Product Design Experience’ THE VCDO MIGHT HAVE, creating the right ‘Skills Matrix’ for the company and hiring the right skill be it UX Design, User Research, UX writing, Visual Design, UX Architecture, Design system specialist and so on, is the most important function of the VCDO.
7. Tactical design decisions for the team
Tactical decisions on the daily chores, Drawing Tools, and Collaboration Tools the design team uses, defining the scope of the design system, Reporting structures, benefits, and responsibilities of the design teams should be influenced by the VCDO
Does your company need a VCDO?
- Does your product or service need a user-centric, empathy-based design approach?
- Is your product very easy to use?
- Is onboarding a new Customer very complex or time-consuming?
- Are you in the growth phase of the product?
- Does your product or service give a smooth customer experience (Read More) from Acquisition to Loyalty?
Most of the above questions are indicators that your company needs a senior ‘design decision-maker, be it an in-house CDO or a Virtual one.
Traits of a Virtual Chief Design Officer
- Highly experienced design leader having product design experience.
- Someone who has been a ‘Hands on Designer’ and has hand-crafted product experiences before.
- Ability to think of complete ‘Customer Experience’
- Design leader who has incubated, Hired, and Mentored large product design teams.
- Someone who is thorough with the design process, and has successfully mapped the same on any ‘Agile Development methods.
Summary:
A Virtual Chief Design Officer (VCDO) in a product development company is responsible for leading the design and overall user experience strategy. They work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that products meet the needs and expectations of customers while also aligning with the company’s goals and vision.