Created in 2020: Please use this crowd-sourced information center as a reference and resource for designing from home and working remotely. We hope this page will help you more easily and successfully design, innovate, communicate and collaborate with your team in a remote setting.
If you’d like to add to this page, please email [email protected].
The Basics of Working from Home
10 tips to help you succeed:
1. Set up a daily routine.
Try to keep consistent clock-in and clock-out times. Go through your normal morning activities (exercise, shower, get dressed, have breakfast and coffee, read the news, etc.) before starting your work.
2. Create a space to work.
If you are able, create a designated workspace for yourself in your home that incorporates good lighting, ventilation, ergonomics, space to draw and sketch, and a wall for pinning up drawings, a whiteboard, Post-its, etc.
3. Make a to-do list each day.
This will help to ensure that you’re staying on track and keeping focused on specific tasks at hand.
4. Take breaks.
Stand up between calls or after a few hours of sitting down. Get outside for some fresh air. Stretch out those arms and legs!
5. Nourish yourself.
Make sure to eat lunch and stay hydrated. Snacks are fun too!
6. Carve out time to focus.
Build time into your schedule for “heads-down” working, in which you can be as free from distraction as possible.
7. Embrace the unexpected.
Something can always pop up to divert your attention or knock you out of a creative flow. Understand that these moments are okay and a natural part of working in a home setting.
8. Show your face.
Use your web cam as much as possible during video meetings to maintain face time with colleagues.
9. Be a proactive communicator.
When in doubt, be proactive in reaching out to colleagues if you have questions or need assistance with a task.
10. Adapt.
Everyone is different when it comes to their preferred working style. Working from home is not the same as working in the office, so it’s okay to have a different set of tools and expectations in place. Build a system that allows you to be productive based on your and your team’s unique needs.
Resources for Remote Collaboration
There are many tools available that enable different types of virtual creativity and collaboration. Here are a few of our favorites. Note: IDSA has no affiliation with these companies/services.
Brainstorming
- Miro
- Mural
- Shared documents (Google Docs and Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint)
- Stormboard
- Microsoft Whiteboard
- Creately
Virtual Communications
Need to Make Something?
There are lots of ways to prototype remotely. Here are some:
Desktop (no tools) prototyping
Don’t forget about the many materials you probably have around the house that you can use to rough out an idea or build volumetric prototypes: ruler, straight edge, razor blades, scissors, cardboard, paper, hot glue, coat hangers, string, yarn, old t-shirts, duct tape…the list goes on. Get crafty!
3D printers and other tabletop tools
This category of tools continues to improve year after year. There are several options available for an increasing array of materials and fabrication methods. Note: IDSA has no affiliation with these companies/services.
Here is a shortlist:
Need to make something more substantial?
Here are some prototyping shops in various states and regions that might be able to help. Note: IDSA has no affiliation with these companies/services.
California
FORECAST 3D
GoProto, Inc.
FATHOM Dinsmore Inc.
Colorado
Avid Product Development
Illinois
Hubs (in Chicago with offices also in Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam)
Re3dTech
Custom Color 3D Printing
Fast Radius, Inc.
Idaho
JawsTec
Massachusetts
Empire Group
Minnesota
DI Labs
New Jersey
SICAM Corporation
North Carolina
Additive America
Pennsylvania
Danae, Inc. (serves the Baltimore, MA and Philadelphia regions)
ProtoCAM
Washington
RapidMade, Inc.
Jabil
Wisconsin
Midwest Prototyping
Resources for Protecting Your Zoom Meetings from “Zoom-Bombing” and Unauthorized Participants
The growing use of virtual platforms for connection through professional, educational and social interactions has unfortunately led to an increase in online disruptions and harassment. Reports of an escalation in “Zoom-bombing,” a reference to hackers hijacking Zoom video conferences with the use of graphic or threatening messages or actions, has heightened the need to take important measures to ensure the security of online meetings and attendees.
Below are links to resources containing helpful measures that will assist with securing your virtual events.
How to Keep Uninvited Guests Out of Your Zoom Event – Zoom Blog
How to Prevent Zoom-Bombing – PCMAG.com
Reporting Zoom-Bombing/Virtual Harassment:
Additional Reading
- Method: Tips for Remote Facilitation (Article and insights on setting up remote teams for success)
- Miro: What I’ve learned from facilitating over 100 collaborative workshops (Insights and real-life business cases on product development, agile management and experience design)
- Intense Minimalism: Going Remote: Fill the Remote Gap (Resources for product management, design operations and change management)
- MIT Media Labs: A Few Simple Tips for Better Online Meetings