Level Up

A tool for growing high-performing design teams

We’ve documented how hundreds of high-performance design teams operate. Patterns show that successful teams all invest in six key areas of development, but that design leaders are typically in the dark about which areas most deserve their attention.

See how your team stacks up against others of its size with this seven-question self-assessment, developed by Heather Phillips in partnership with Designer Fund and Ueno. You’ll see where you excel, pinpoint what needs work, and get a worksheet to try it with your team.

Assess your team

About

Heather Phillips originally developed the Level Up Framework as the Design Manager at Designer Fund, where she helped build and educate hundreds of design teams. It made its debut at Source, a design leadership summit, was published in Steve Vassallo’s The Way to Design, and is continually used by Designer Fund to educate design leaders through their Bridge program. As part of Ueno’s commitment to giving back to the community, they provided design & development resources to bring this framework to life. We hope teams use this tool to build successful environments for collaboration and design.