Project Background
Databricks is preparing a 10-week launch of a redesigned workflow for Databricks Assistant inside the Lakeview and notebook authoring experience. The goal is to improve usability for data analysts and ML practitioners while also raising the overall design quality bar across a UX team of 7 designers, 1 design manager, 2 user researchers, 8 engineers, and 1 PM. You are the lead product designer for the launch and are also expected to help elevate peer craft and team culture without slowing delivery.
Key Stakeholders
The Design Manager wants visible improvement in critique quality and consistency across the team. The PM wants the launch to hit the quarter-end deadline because Assistant adoption is part of the org scorecard. Engineering wants design decisions finalized by week 4 to avoid rework. Research wants time for at least one validation round before handoff. A senior designer on an adjacent Databricks surface is protective of their existing patterns and resists new shared standards.
Constraints
- Timeline: 10 weeks to GA, with a design freeze at the end of week 4
- Budget: $35,000 for research incentives and contractor support
- Team capacity: no additional headcount; each designer can spend at most 6 hours per week on non-project craft activities
- Dependencies: Assistant platform API readiness by week 5; content design review by week 3; accessibility audit by week 8
- Deliverable requirement: launch must cover both desktop and tablet responsive layouts
Complications
- Midway through week 2, engineering reports the Assistant API will likely slip by 1 week.
- Peer critiques are inconsistent: some designers want polished mocks before review, while others want earlier feedback.
- A VP asks for a visually differentiated launch treatment that conflicts with the emerging shared component approach.
Your Task
- Create a 10-week execution plan that delivers the launch while improving peer design craft.
- Define how you would structure critiques, feedback loops, and design standards without creating process overhead.
- Identify the key trade-offs you would make if the API slips or scope expands.
- Propose success criteria for both product launch quality and team craft/culture outcomes.
- Outline the top risks, mitigations, and a rollback or de-scope plan if deadlines are threatened.
