Systems & Workflows

8 topics

• Workflow Is Not Task Ordering
• Process vs Workflow vs System
• Why Most Designers Have Habits, Not Workflows
• The Cost of Starting From Scratch Every Project
• Repeatable Work vs Creative Work
• Workflow as a Creative Tool
• Why AI Raises the Value of Workflow
• The Senior Designer's Hidden Engine

8 topics

• Your Workflow Is Your Design Process
• Mapping Your Current Workflow (The Audit)
• Identifying Repeated Tasks
• The I'll-Remember Lie
• Energy Management vs Time Management
• Deep Work Blocks for Designers
• Context Switching Cost
• Building Your First Repeatable Workflow

8 topics

• The Anatomy of a Design Project
• Phases vs Stages vs Steps
• The Handoff Points
• Internal Milestones vs Client Milestones
• Project Kickoff Systems
• Mid-Project Checkpoints
• Project Closure Rituals
• The Post-Project Debrief

8 topics

• The Template Hierarchy: Files, Docs, Messages
• Brief Templates
• Proposal Templates
• Presentation Templates
• Handoff Templates
• Email and Communication Templates
• Building a Template Library That Scales
• When to Update Templates

8 topics

• Tool Selection as a System Decision
• The Tool Stack Audit
• Why Multiple Tools per Category Create Friction
• Single Source of Truth Principle
• Integration Points Between Tools
• The Cost of Switching Tools
• When to Add a Tool, When to Remove One
• Tool Stack for Solo vs Studio vs Team

8 topics

• Audit your current workflow on a real project
• Build one template that you'll actually use this week
• Map your project workflow from kickoff to delivery
• Identify 3 repeated tasks in your last 5 projects
• Build a single automation that saves you 30 minutes a week
• Document one process you do automatically (so others can do it)
• Create a project-setup checklist
• Build your personal starting point template (Figma + Notion + email)

8 topics

• How Tobias van Schneider Runs His Studio of One
• The Basecamp Workflow Philosophy
• How Linear Designed Their Internal Workflows
• The Anti-Time-Management Approach
• Frank Chimero's Project Workflows
• How Studio Mucca Documents Everything
• The MetaLab Process System
• How Apple's Design Teams Work

6 topics

• Drop your workflow, get structured feedback
• Template critiques
• Before-and-After workflow comparisons
• Tool stack audits
• Process mapping exercises
• Live workflow building sessions

8 topics

• Why Notion Became the Design Ops Tool
• Database Thinking for Designers
• Project Tracking Systems
• Client Portals
• Personal Knowledge Management
• Design Library in Notion
• Notion Templates for Studios
• Notion Automation and Integrations

8 topics

• Figma as a Workflow Tool
• Project Structure in Figma
• Page Organization
• Component Libraries as a System
• Version Control Workflows
• Branching and Collaboration
• Dev Handoff Workflows
• Auto Layout as a Workflow Accelerator

8 topics

• AI as a Workflow Multiplier
• Why Most Designers Use AI Wrong in Workflows
• AI for the Research Phase
• AI for Brief Writing
• AI for Client Communication
• AI for Documentation
• AI for Project Setup
• Custom GPTs and Assistants for Design Workflow

8 topics

• Automation Is Not Programming
• Zapier, Make, n8n: The Difference
• Automations That Actually Matter
• Email Automations
• Project Setup Automations
• Client Onboarding Automations
• File Organization Automations
• The Automation ROI Calculator

8 topics

• Documentation as Design Output, Not Byproduct
• Project Documentation vs Personal Documentation
• Decision Logs
• Process Documentation
• Living Docs vs Frozen Docs
• Documentation for Future You
• Knowledge Transfer Systems
• Documentation as Marketing

8 topics

• Solo Workflow vs Team Workflow
• Why the Team-of-One Is the Hardest Team
• Handoff Workflows
• Async vs Sync Collaboration
• Working With Developers
• Working With Copywriters
• Working With Project Managers
• Workflows Across Time Zones