A week in Content Design

A is for Agile

Agile is the way we work at Virgin Money, and it’s a way of thinking too.

Tribes (in my case Business Banking) are made up of smaller squads who might look after a particular feature, or look to solve a pain point for our users.

We work at pace to get improvements into customers’ hands ASAP. And we’re all focused on the same goal too, which is delivering on our purpose, ‘Making you feel happier about money’.

Monday motivation

There are no Monday blues here. It’s all about that distinctly Virgin red thread which will weave its way through the working week.

I’ve recently returned from family leave (expectant parents and those looking to adopt get 20 weeks paid!), so it’s not always easy to have a fixed start time. That’s where A Life More Virgin comes in, so you can flex your working day around your life.

I try to start work around 8am, depending on naps and nappies. First meeting is usually one of the squad stand-ups, where there’s a quickfire update from everyone.

Mid-morning, we get together as a design team and hear what’s going on across the business. There’s a new researcher on the call, so I make plans for a virtual coffee to say hello.

In the afternoon, I’ll get together with my design colleagues in Business Banking to update each other. This week, my focus is on making our Marketplace even better, and how we can showcase our brilliant business debit cards. So, plans are made to collaborate on designs, and prepare some testing with the research team.

Tuesday’s treat

I’m in Glasgow today for a sneak preview of our swanky new office. It’s not open quite yet, but it’s an impressive space and the roof terrace (for the rare sunny days) is the icing on the cake. Remote working is here to stay, but we’ll soon be collaborating in person, in style.

Inspired, I nip home and put the kettle on for a mid-morning review chat with a content design colleague. We have a weekly sharing session to look at each other’s work and make suggestions, so we’re always getting fresh perspectives.

After lunch, I join the regular Netflix and Natter call, where we catch up with colleagues across the digital banking team to share tips on the hottest new shows.

Winning Wednesday

Our next in person meet up for the Content Design team is only a few weeks away. This time around it’s in Glasgow, so time for me to think of some good hangouts for dinner and drinks after the hard work.

I’ve got an invite in the diary today for a check in with our Lead Content Designer, Clare, which is a great chance to say hello and chat about progress towards my personal and team goals.

Thursday thoughts

I catch up with a Product Owner, Digital Designer and Business Analyst about some legal and compliance feedback on our Marketplace page. There’s a bit of discussion, some compromises on both sides and a couple of things to go back to legal with, but we reach a broad agreement and we’re happy.

In the afternoon, it’s time for our Content Loop, where content designers can get feedback from the whole team on a piece of work. It’s a very relaxed environment where we take care to create a safe space for discussion.

Friday feedback

The end of the week! On feedback Friday, I leave colleagues a message about their work. It’s important to take time to reflect on your own performance, and help other people grow too.

One of the team is leaving today, so we all pop onto a call for a virtual farewell. There’s some reminiscing to be done, tales told and surprise gifts to be revealed. It’s really important that we celebrate people’s time at Virgin Money, right from beginning to end.

And that’s it - five days filled with collaboration, creativity and celebration. A very Virgin Money week.