What a team of 35 designers does at FIVE
Tags: Product Designer, Design Teams, Product Discovery, Design Project, Career Development

I meet and talk to at least ten different US companies every month, and besides everything else I learn from them, I also learn about their organizational structure, their talent, and their internal processes. When it comes to the number of designers other companies have on staff, what I typically hear is two or five designers. Maybe even ten, but that’s quite rare. Unless you’re talking about shops that focus solely on design, those numbers are pretty standard.

So when we compare FIVE to other companies, it’s good to know that we’re a full-service agency that can take your product idea from zero to profits/traction, including strategy, design, development, project management, QA, and growth…

I knew that at FIVE our design team ratio is bigger than that of the average tech companies we usually work with. Still, when I heard from our COO that we currently have 35 designers working with us, I was surprised. But then, after thinking about it, those numbers absolutely make sense, and here’s why.

Design takes up 50% of project timeline

Example timeline for ~36 week long project (FIVE average in 2020)

At FIVE, product discovery is where high-level concepts, prototyping, and validation occur and take shape. From this, we get a high-level product roadmap and a well-defined MVP scope (Minimum Viable Product). You can learn more about FIVE’s take on product discovery here.

Then, in the UX/UI phase, we define all the user flows in detail and prepare screen specifications for development.

Half of the team on average FIVE projects are designers

Distribution of roles on an average FIVE project in 2020

FIVE handles Product Design at the highest level. We pay attention to every detail, user test, and we validate all user flows multiple times. Our UI designers follow the latest trends to give our products a slick and modern look and feel to impress our clients and their users.

The strong design team is crucial for FIVE’s growth

In ten years, we’ve grown from 15–20 people to more than 250. We rely heavily on the design team to win projects, impress clients, and rise above the rest — helping us become a leading NYC agency, something we plan on maintaining year after year. As a product consulting agency, we know that best-in-class design is essential for delivering high-performing projects to our clients.

Design team growth compared with revenue growth

Career development for designers at FIVE

Apart from employing tons of designers, we also pay lots of attention to professional career development, no matter the discipline. One recently launched initiative was a clear Career Path for each employee, which involves regular performance reviews and opportunities to acquire skills across all disciplines by working on world-class projects.

We want our employees to have endless opportunities to learn and grow at FIVE. There should always be someone or something you can learn from.

Our plan for the next five years

Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe 50, maybe 100 designers. Probably… most likely. If you want to jump aboard and join our fast-moving and ever-growing ship, now’s a great time. There are lots of open positions. Feel free to reach out.