Creative disciplines present unique challenges for remote collaboration. The visual interaction and open environment needed for creative work can be tricky to achieve in virtual settings. Some design teams can't imagine remote scenarios fitting their culture. But effective remote design collaboration is possible.

1. Long-Distance Relationships That Work
DESIGNING WITH
REMOTE TEAMS

2. @JimKalbach
CONSULTING & EDUCATION, Mural.ly

3. Agenda
REMOTE WORK
4 FACTORS
+ DEMOS
Q&A

4. TWITTER QUESTION
What are your biggest challenges
when trying to do creative design
work with remote teams?
#remotedesign
@mural

5. Work Anywhere
REMOTE WORK IS
ON THE RISE…
...BUT CREATIVE
DESIGN MUST GO ON

6. 4 Factors
1. PEOPLE
2. WORKSPACE
3. PROCESS
4. RESULTS
THINK: “Digital First”

7. 1. PEOPLE: Remote Team Situations
1. SPLIT TEAM
2. MIXED TEAMS
3. ALL REMOTE
There are three main
settings for remote
collaboration.

8. 2. Digitally-Defined WORKSPACE
WEBCAMS
AUDIO
SCREENS
FILES
EMAIL
CHAT
The digitally defined
workspace consists of an
ecosystem of tools.
Typically tools include some
combination of audio,
webcams, screensharing,
chat, email, and file sharing.
What’s missing is a virtual
whiteboard...
COLLABORATION
ECOSYSTEM

9. 2. Digitally-Defined WORKSPACE
Add a virtual whiteboard to your ecosystem of tools.

10. 3. Digital First PROCESS
Design consists of
divergent and convergent
thinking.
However, some offline
exercises will NOT work
well online, e.g., breakout
groups. Change your
process to be digitial first.
Use multiple devices to
involve others, and
leverage being online.

11. 3. Digital First PROCESS
Working digitally provides
more opportunities for
asynchronous
collaboration.
Templates let others
contribute at any time from
any place.
Assign pre-work and post-
work to keep the conversation
going.

12. 4. RESULTS: Benefit from flexible structure
● You can do the analysis
in same place
● Copy notes for
alternative clustering
● Use voting for group
consensus

13. Summary
1. PEOPLE
2. WORKSPACE
3. PROCESS
4. RESULTS
Be aware of different remote settings
and how people will engage
Add a visual whiteboard to the
collaboration tool ecosystem
Adjust your process for online
and mix sync and async work
Leverage being “digital first”
for flexible structure

14. Sign up for a trial at Mural.ly
Read our blog: http://blog.mural.ly
Webinar recording: https://vimeo.com/125209267
Thank you