Life is one big group project.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but this statement couldn’t be any truer for UX professionals. The success of a designer often hinges on their ability to collaborate effectively within the team structure they’re placed in. As is the case with any dreaded group assignment, our first instinct is to ask—who are my teammates, and what kind of group work will this be? In this article, let’s break down the different team structures UX designers find themselves in and evaluate their advantages and disadvantages.

Illustration of a team working together [Credit]

1.  Centralized UX Teams

In a centralized structure, UX professionals are grouped into a single department or team that serves the entire organization. This team acts as an internal agency, providing design expertise to various projects and departments as needed. All members report directly to a UX manager and belong to a single hierarchy.

✅ Pros:

• UX members can share information internally very easily, spreading knowledge and resources to other UX professionals within their team
• Exposure to various aspects of the business after taking on various projects

⛔ Cons:

• May feel detached/disconnected from other teams
• Perceived as a department that solely executes design tasks, thus excluded from the rest of the development process

2. Embedded UX Teams

Embedded designers are placed into one specific cross-functional product team, working exclusively on one project or line of business. They often report to the product manager or engineering lead within the same team.

✅ Pros:

• Building a strong relationship with other members of your team
• Deep focus on one single product leading to more thoughtful solutions

⛔ Cons:

• Higher chance of burnout from working on a single project consistently

3. Distributed UX Teams