Why design processes deserve a closer look
Processes determine how teams design, develop, and collaborate. But they also shape the products that come out of that work. A select set of talks from Config Europe focused on this connection: when the underlying process is open and inclusive, the resulting product tends to be as well.
Several speakers shared concrete tactics for broadening who gets involved in design work, from field research to cross-functional feedback loops to simply making time for casual collaboration.
Designing beyond the core use case
Furquan Ahmad, Product Designer at Ford Motor Company, argues that user empathy work often stops short. Most products are built around a target persona or a primary use case, but that leaves out a wide range of real-world conditions. Ahmad's advice: get out of the office and experience the product "in the field." Someone using a delivery app may face a broken elevator or a dead GPS zone, and those scenarios should inform the design just as much as the ideal journey does.
That broader view naturally extends to accessibility. Ahmad suggests starting with small fixes—copy, color contrast, font sizes, landing page layout—but notes that lasting change requires treating accessibility as a holistic priority, not a checklist. That includes "temporary" accessibility needs driven by situation or equipment, such as a noisy environment or a cracked phone screen. He also stresses that someone needs to own the effort: "Who's taking ownership at your organization?"
The payoff, in his words: "What's essential for some is useful for all."
Localization as part of the design loop
At Deliveroo, localization was historically an afterthought. A designer would build an experience, hand it to engineers, and engineers would manually upload screenshots into translated text. Anne-Sophie Delafosse, Localization Manager at Deliveroo, describes that process as siloed and inefficient.
The team switched to the Phrase Figma plugin, which lets designers build and share localized designs early. Now Delafosse can send lightweight prototypes to the Italian or French teams for feedback while the design is still in flux. If a translation is inaccurate or a phrase won't fit, the localization team catches it at the design stage instead of forcing engineers to rebuild the page.
An added benefit is context. "Our localization experts see the entire flow in one go. They have the full context," says Delafosse. The change reframed localization from a transactional handoff into an integral part of product development, giving both teams a clearer sense of what it means to design for a global audience.
Transparency inside the immediate team
Remote work has made it harder to know what teammates are doing or how much time they have. Kate Pincott, a remote freelance designer, argues that remote work requires more transparency across teams. Her Team Capacity Template maps out a typical week and surfaces gaps in availability. It gives everyone visibility into how time is spent and helps the team plan more efficiently.
Pincott also recommends regular check-ins and stand-ups to maintain personal connection when you can't walk over to someone's desk. "It's ok that we spend more time on what's important to get us through this period," she says.
Figma Product Designer Jordan Hsu takes a similar approach. His team runs Zoom working sessions to recreate the spontaneity of a shared conference room. "Anyone can join, hop on, hop off, and start conversations whenever they want," he says. He also schedules recurring "Work with me" blocks—two-hour design office hours where cross-functional partners like Product Manager Ben Stern can drop in with questions or observe the design process in action. The intent is to keep design open and transparent across the company.
The broader takeaway
The common thread across these talks is expansion: expanding who you design for, who gets to review the work, and who gets a window into the process. Whether that means spending time in the field, inviting localization into early design discussions, or simply being more deliberate about availability, the goal is to bring more people into the loop. As Figma's CEO noted at Config Europe, giving more people access to the design process ultimately makes it more open and inclusive.
