Shorten your feedback loops.
With users: to understand the problem better and ensure that the solution works.
With managers: to make sure that expectations are being met.
With reports: to provide mentoring.
With colleagues: to let them know what it is that designers do.
With users: to understand the problem better and ensure that the solution works.
With managers: to make sure that expectations are being met.
With reports: to provide mentoring.
With colleagues: to let them know what it is that designers do.
The last part sounds like a joke but it's not. Design can be tremendously helpful to many people/processes in your org, and they have no idea.
Not only will you grow your own personal influence but you will sow the seeds for design culture.
Not only will you grow your own personal influence but you will sow the seeds for design culture.
As for your managers, there are two key things. First, always establish success metrics up front, and make sure that the project is on track to meet them, so that they can't pull the "I'm not satisfied with your performance" card out of the blue. Frequent touch bases protect you.
Second, staying on management's radar is important if you ever want to get promoted. Being noticeable doesn't mean you have to be the best - it just means that you have to be prominent. Doing great work in secret is useless. Stay top-of-mind.
And don't forget about politics. Your manager should keep you aware of powerful stakeholders that can impact your evaluation. How is your work being received? Can your manager help defend you - now, or at least later when individual performance is being evaluated?
