A product designer in Madrid can work with a product team in London. The two cities are one hour apart during the whole year, so they share almost the full working day.
I live and work in Madrid. Vodafone Spain hired me, and I work with the strategy team of Vodafone UK, which is in London. Most of my colleagues are in another country and speak another first language.
This is common now for designers in Spain. This article explains what changes when design work crosses two countries, and which habits I recommend.
What distance changes in design work
Design depends on conversation. In an office, a lot of it is informal: a question at a desk, a sketch on a whiteboard, a comment after a meeting.
With distance, that informal part disappears. Three things change:
- Decisions need a written home. If a decision lives only in a call, half of the team does not know it.
- Context does not travel alone. A colleague in London does not see what happens in Madrid, and I do not see what happens there. Each side must explain more.
- Trust takes more work. People trust colleagues who show their work and keep their word. Both need more intention when the team is not in one room.
My work is guidance on strategy, so this matters a lot. Guidance that the team cannot find or understand has no effect. I explain that work in product strategy for designers.
Habits I recommend
Write the decision
After a meeting, write the decision in two or three sentences: what was decided, why, and who does the next step. Put it where the whole team can find it.
A written decision also helps people who work in a second language. They can read it at their own speed.
Share work early
A finished design that arrives without warning invites a long discussion. An early sketch invites help. Share rough work, say what kind of feedback you need, and say what is already decided.
Use plain English
English is the working language of most international teams. It is my second language, and the same is true for many colleagues in other countries.
Plain English works best. Short sentences. Common words. No expressions that only one country understands. This is also good practice for interface text.
Use the shared hours well
Madrid is one hour ahead of London during the whole year. The two cities share almost the full working day. This is a real advantage over teams that are many hours apart.
- Madrid (highlighted) 09:00 to 18:00 in Madrid
- London 09:00 to 18:00 in London
Shared hours: 10:00 to 18:00 in Madrid, 09:00 to 17:00 in London.
I recommend calls for conversation and decisions, and written messages for information. Reading a document aloud in a meeting wastes the time that people share.
| Use a call for | Use a written message for |
|---|---|
| A decision with several options | The decision, after the call |
| A disagreement | Status and progress |
| The start of a project | Background and documents to read |
| Feedback that is hard to hear | Feedback on details |
Meet in person when it counts
Some moments work better in one room: the start of a large project, a difficult decision, a workshop. Madrid and London are a short flight apart. A few visits a year change how the team works for the rest of the time.
Why Madrid works as a base for product design
Madrid has a large community of product designers. Large Spanish companies such as Telefónica, BBVA and Santander have their head offices in or near the city, and many international companies have teams here.
For a designer, this means two things. There is local work at a large scale. And a designer in Madrid can work with teams in London and in other cities without moving.
Advice for designers in Spain who want an international team
- Work on your written English. Clear writing matters more than a perfect accent.
- Show how you think. A team that cannot see you work needs to read your reasoning.
- Learn the business of the other country. Customers, competitors and rules differ between Spain and the United Kingdom.
- Be easy to work with. Answer on time, keep your word and say early when something is late.
Distance asks for more discipline. In return, you work on products for another market, with people who think in a different way. That made me a better designer.
Infographic
What replaces the informal talk of an office. For a design team that works from several cities. In an office: A comment after a meeting; A sketch on a whiteboard; A question at a desk; A talk at the coffee machine. At a distance: A written decision that everyone can find; Rough work, shared early; A written question in plain English; A call in the shared hours. After each call, write the decision in three lines. Share rough work early.
Questions and answers
Can a product designer in Madrid work for a team in another country?
Yes. Many companies have teams in several countries. I work from Madrid with the strategy team of Vodafone UK, which is in London. The work needs clear writing, good English and the habit of sharing early.
Is the time difference between Madrid and London a problem?
No. Madrid is one hour ahead of London during the whole year. The two cities share almost the full working day, so meetings are easy to plan.
Which language does a team in Madrid and London use?
English. Plain English is best, because people in international teams have different first languages. Short sentences and common words avoid mistakes.