The design manager role has grown considerably over the past five years. As design has been recognised as a business value-driver and organisations have increased their design maturity, we’ve seen lots more design management roles being created. The design leadership community is now represented by Slack groups, conferences, meetups, content and books that offer support and guidance for navigating the transition from designer to leader. Through all of this material and rhetoric there is one undeniable theme:

在過去的五年中，設計經理的角色已經大大增加。 由于設計已被認為是業務價值驅動力，并且組織已經提高了設計成熟度，因此我們看到了更多的設計管理角色正在被創建。 現在，Slack小組，會議，聚會，內容和書籍代表了設計領導者社區，它們為從設計師到領導者的過渡提供了支持和指導。 通過所有這些材料和言辭，有一個不可否認的主題：

Becoming a design manager is really hard

成為一名設計經理真的很難

It’s as simple as that. This shit is really difficult.

就這么簡單。 這狗屎真的很難。

People are struggling, stressed out, and having to figure out new ways of working. But why is it so hard? There is a growing demand for community support in this field, in a way that isn’t as overt for product management and engineering. I decided to take a look at why our community is calling out for help.

人們正在苦苦掙扎，壓力重重，不得不尋找新的工作方式。 但是為什么這么難？ 在這一領域，對社區支持的需求與日俱增，但這種方式在產品管理和工程設計方面并不明顯。 我決定看一下為什么我們的社區呼吁尋求幫助。

是什么讓一個好的設計師 (What makes a good designer)

Designers often describe their profession as an obsession. Sometimes it’s referred to as ‘the designers' disease’. People often say that it’s not something that can be switched off and once you open your eyes to design, you’ll see it everywhere.

設計師經常將他們的職業描述為一種癡迷。 有時，它被稱為“設計師病”。 人們經常說這不是可以關閉的東西，一旦睜開眼睛進行設計，您到處都會看到它。

The design community has a tendency to fetishise people like Steve Jobs and Stanley Kubrick and pore over stories about them being entrenched in the minute detail — dedicating hours of their lives worrying about the tiniest (some say insignificant) details. Designers who are willing to go to this level of detail are considered to be good at their craft.

設計界傾向于迷戀史蒂夫·喬布斯(Steve Jobs)和斯坦利·庫布里克(Stanley Kubrick)之類的人，并仔細研究有關他們被牢牢抓住的細節的故事，這使他們一生中的時間都在擔心最細微的(有些人說微不足道的)細節。 愿意進行此類詳細設計的設計師被認為是擅長于手藝。

Good designers are often anxious people and their desire to design comes from an underlying need to control. Designers take comfort in making sense where they see a mess, and fixing the things around them.

優秀的設計師通常是急切的人，他們對設計的渴望來自對控制的潛在需求。 設計師在看到混亂的地方并保持其周圍的事物的感覺很自在。

A working designer has the continual satisfaction of seeing their work out in the world. When I recently asked a group of designers what was the most satisfying part of their jobs, 95% of them said it was ‘seeing an output’. The work of a designer has a visible outcome. A designed solution that, more often than not, will be built/produced and shipped. Thus creating a body of tangible work.

一位工作的設計師一直對在世界上看到自己的作品感到滿意。 當我最近問一群設計師時，什么是他們的工作中最令人滿意的部分，其中95％的人說這是“看到成果”。 設計師的工作有明顯的成果。 一種經過設計的解決方案，通常會制造/生產和交付。 從而創造了有形的工作體系。

是什么使一個好的經理 (What makes a good manager)

Getting painstakingly close to the details and focussing on outputs are not the traits of a good manager. With around 85% of today’s design leaders coming from design practitioner roles, you can see why the switch can prove difficult. In short, the skills that made you a good designer, will not make you a good manager.

刻苦接近細節并專注于產出并不是好經理的特征。 如今，約有85％的設計領導者來自設計從業人員角色，您可以了解為什么轉換會變得困難。 簡而言之，使您成為優秀設計師的技能不會使您成為優秀的經理 。

The outcome of a recent study by Google, confirmed that a good manager ‘empowers the team instead of micromanaging’. The manager role is no longer responsible for taking care of the micro-level details but is now also measured by the output of their team. The body of work now belongs to the designers in the team, not the manager. Instead, a design manager is responsible for fixing all the invisible problems and messes found between people (e.g. org design, workflow, tools, role definitions).

Google最近的一項研究結果證實，優秀的經理“賦予團隊權力，而不是微觀管理”。 經理角色不再負責處理微觀細節，而現在也由其團隊的產出來衡量。 現在，工作主體屬于團隊中的設計師，而不是經理。 相反，設計經理負責修復人與人之間發現的所有不可見的問題和混亂(例如組織設計，工作流，工具，角色定義)。

A designer shifting to a manager role has to shift his/her toolset from Figma and Framer to strategy communication, team reputation and skills development. You will have a wider remit, but less control of the details.

擔任經理職位的設計師必須將他/她的工具集從Figma和Framer轉移到戰略溝通，團隊聲譽和技能發展上。 您的職權范圍會更廣，但對細節的控制會更少。

According to Forbes an essential quality of a great leader is decisiveness. Citing that “ bosses who aren’t decisive are often ineffective”. This does not play well with the design philosophy of continual iteration, test and learn cycles and in-depth discovery phases.

據《福布斯》(Forbes)稱 ，偉大領導者的基本素質是果斷。 援引“ 沒有決定性的老板通常是無效的” 。 這與連續迭代，測試和學習周期以及深入發現階段的設計原理不能很好地配合。

從IC(個人貢獻者)過渡到設計經理的影響 (The impact of transitioning from IC (individual contributor) to design manager)

I wanted to understand more about the impact of transitioning to a management role on designers’ wellbeing so I ran a survey with more than 175 design leaders from around the world.

我想了解更多有關過渡到管理角色對設計師的幸福感的影響的信息，所以我對來自全球的175位以上設計負責人進行了調查 。

While the majority of respondents (74.5%) said they were satisfied with their current role, 60% also said they wouldn’t be happy taking a bigger role, indicating a state of unease with their position.

雖然大多數受訪者(74.5％)表示對目前的職位感到滿意，但60％的受訪者也表示不愿意擔任更大的職位，這表明他們對自己的職位感到不安。

As we all know, feeling supported is a key part of being comfortable in any role, however 73.4% said they have no mentor or coach, and 38% said they did not feel adequately supported by their manager. When you consider that feedback it’s no wonder that a whopping 84.7% of design leaders surveyed said that they feel a lot of pressure in their roles and 83.9% have felt burnt-out. So the evidence supports the opinion that people have been struggling.

眾所周知，獲得支持是任何角色都能自如的關鍵，但是73.4％的人說他們沒有輔導員或教練，而38％的人說他們沒有得到上司的充分支持。 當您考慮這些反饋意見時，不足為奇的是，接受調查的84.7％的設計負責人表示，他們的角色承受了很大的壓力，而83.9％的設計負責人感到倦怠。 因此，證據支持人們一直在掙扎的觀點。

These numbers paint an unpleasant picture, but there is a bright side. The majority of respondents stated that they feel (emotionally or socially) close to the people they work with, feel optimistic about their future and most importantly are keen to be better managers. All are all key aspects to good mental wellbeing according to the NHS.

這些數字描繪出令人不快的畫面，但有一個好的方面。 大多數受訪者表示，他們(在情感上或社會上)感覺與所工作的人親近，對自己的未來感到樂觀，最重要的是渴望成為更好的管理者。 根據NHS的說法，所有這些都是良好心理健康的關鍵方面。

應對風暴的幫助和指導 (Help & guidance for navigating the storm)

Today the design practice is not mature enough to have pure management track all the way from education to retirement, but what follows is a list of tips that I’ve relied on to help transition from designer to design leader.

如今，設計實踐還不夠成熟，無法實現從教育到退休的全過程管理，但以下是我賴以幫助從設計師過渡到設計領導者的一系列技巧。

1. Make an outlet for your creative cravings

   為您的創意渴望提供出口

   You shouldn’t switch off your enjoyment for creating and seeing outputs, so look for a new channel e.g. side projects, learning new skills, sketchbooks.

   您不應該關閉創建和查看輸出的樂趣，而是尋找新的渠道，例如輔助項目，學習新技能，寫生簿。

2. Change what you wear when you get home

   回家時改變你穿的衣服

   This small action has proven mental health benefits. The process of discarding your workwear helps distinguish you, from your work. Also, think carefully about your lanyard. When the day is over remove it from your body, so you’re no longer tagged by your employer.

   這種小動作已證明對精神健康有益。 丟棄工作服的過程有助于您與工作區分開。 另外，請仔細考慮您的掛繩。 一天結束后，將其從您的身體上移開，這樣您就不會再被雇主標記了。

3. Interject your book pile with non-work titles

   在書本中插入非工作標題

   Learning more about your work and developing your knowledge is important, but should not be your only source of learning and growth.

   了解更多有關您的工作和發展知識很重要，但不應成為您學習和成長的唯一來源。

4. Keep a notepad close by, especially by the bed

   將記事本放在附近，尤其是在床上

   Get good at lists – particularly at the end of the day. Carrying work thoughts around is exhausting, so get them out of your head.

   精通清單-尤其是在一天結束時。 隨身攜帶工作想法很累，所以要把它們從腦子里弄出來。

5. Don’t send messages out-of-hours

   不要在下班時間發送消息

   By all means, draft notes or messages when inspiration or clarity strikes, but don’t send anything late at night or very early morning. It sets a bad example in your team and a precedent that you’re never out of contact.

   一定要在靈感或清晰度清晰時起草筆記或消息，但不要在深夜或清晨發送任何東西。 這在您的團隊中樹立了一個不好的榜樣，并為您提供了永不中斷的先例。

6. Own your inbox and your calendar

   擁有您的收件箱和日歷

   A manager’s time and attention are precious. It’s very easy to get swept away with ad-hoc demands. Try setting times for dealing with emails each day and holding time in your calendar for getting tasks done.

   經理的時間和精力是寶貴的。 被臨時需求掃除很容易。 嘗試設置每天處理電子郵件的時間，并在日歷中保留時間以完成任務。