Shifting team culture at Config 2021 | Figma Blog
The Config 2021 sessions argued that inclusive, collaborative design depends on building cultures of transparency, trust, and shared participation. Speakers emphasized two complementary practices: acknowledging people’s real emotions and circumstances, and creating accessible spaces where newcomers and diverse perspectives can contribute. The overall conclusion was that teams cannot create inclusive experiences alone; they need intentional routines, open resources, and community support. ## Embracing Vulnerability - Figma researcher Nannearl Brown described how openness about personal struggles can create a more supportive team culture. - Team members were encouraged to share: - How they were feeling - What support they needed - What they were focusing on during the day - Daily Slack stand-ups included non-work activities—such as exercise, hobbies, or family time—to encourage work-life balance and help teammates understand one another. - Support requires more than listening; teammates should make room for each other’s emotions, experiences, and difficult moments. - The central message was that people do not need to appear fine all the time. ## Creating Inclusive Spaces - Bitcoin designers Johns Beharry and Christoph Ono noticed that Bitcoin design resources often excluded people without technical expertise or geographic access. - They responded by building shared spaces where experienced designers could support newcomers, including: - A Slack community - GitHub resources - The Bitcoin Design resource hub - Weekly community calls - The open-source Bitcoin Design Guide - The resources were designed to work across cultures, regions, languages, and levels of technical knowledge. - Their goal was to create a friendly environment that encouraged broader participation and more diverse perspectives. - They argued that inclusive and accessible design requires collaboration with people who bring different experiences. ## Building Collaborative Culture - Design is inherently collaborative and benefits from varied experiences and perspectives. - Inclusive culture helps more team members and collaborators participate in the design process. - Trust and transparency are developed through both interpersonal habits—such as honest check-ins—and structural tools that make knowledge widely accessible. Teams seeking a more inclusive culture should normalize vulnerability, establish supportive communication routines, and create shared resources that invite participation from people with different backgrounds and levels of expertise.
Read original(opens in new tab)