Product Iconography Workshops and Education — Atlassian 

Year
2018 - 2019

Problem and Opportunity:

When I was the sole maintainer of Atlassian iconography, I led a segment in the design system onboarding dedicated explicitly to product iconography. This segment was designed to equip the design team with the necessary skills and knowledge for creating, exporting, and adding product icons. To support this, I have developed comprehensive documentation, how-to guides, and internal classes. You can find the live resources: here. 

Creating icons was vital, but it was a collaborative endeavour. Empowering other designers to contribute to the system was one of my most rewarding experiences at Atlassian. By introducing a solid contribution and education model, I was able to instil more empathy and training in the designers at Atlassian, making it a shared responsibility to maintain the design system.

As part of the Atlassian System Onboarding, I gave an adjacent class called to shed light on the creation and contribution. I will admit making icons is only for some. Even for me, I didn't want to make icons either when I started. I tried to demystify the craft. I learnt that people were genuinely fearful of this 24 x 24px artboard. How do I make it more approachable? How do I make it seem easy to have this toolset by your side in the creation process? These presentations aimed at a more Icon 101 that worked alongside internal documentation.

Additionally, I ran Icon Office Hours, which were either remote or in-person. I could see those ah-ha moments when designers could see the connection between verbalising/writing down motifs and scribbling thumbnail sketches. Sometimes, guiding the designer along the journey helps them find their footing. Sketching, writing down words, and merging concepts are methods I use daily.