Covering the basics

Notion is a productivity tool that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. While it is primarily marketed as a note-taking app, it has a wide range of features that make it an excellent tool for designers. Here are some benefits of using Notion as a designer:

1. Centralise your work

Notion allows you to create a central hub for all your design work. You can create pages for each project and add notes, images, and other files related to the project. This makes it easy to find everything you need for a project in one place. You can also add tags and filters to your databases to make it easier to search for specific information.

Tips: Whether you are working in Agency/Studio or in-house, Notion will add clarity to your workflows and deliveries. Make sure not to treat your Notion workspace as a dumpster of information though. Marie Kondo your Notion. Take time to research and think about what setup could work best for you. Try and learn. Find times at recurring cadences to e-organise your digital space, similar to what you would do with your home.

2. Collaborate with ease

Notion makes it easy to collaborate with your team. You can invite team members to your pages and assign tasks to them. You can also leave comments on pages to give feedback or ask questions. This makes it easy to keep everyone on the same page and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.

Tips: Ask your team members and colleagues what are the biggest struggles they faced in the past while working with Designers. What information was always a nightmare to retrieve? Make this info very accessible and easy to find for them. Run retros, every 2 or 4 weeks, to gather deeper insights and refine your workspace accordingly.

3. Design system management

Notion is an excellent tool for managing design systems. You can create pages for your design system components, add notes and guidelines, and even embed Figma files. This makes it easy to keep your design system up-to-date and ensures that everyone on your team uses the same components.

Tips: Obviously still use Figma (or your preferred design tool) to build the Design System itself. Create paginations in there and make it “easy to browse” for everyone. That said though, it is normal that non-designers may struggle more navigating complex software like Figma. Use pages and sections in Figma (or even databases) to make a list of what is covered in your Design system. You can also make a checklist of actions that each component needs. Track progress and make it visible to everyone.

4. Project management

Notion is a great tool for project management. You can create pages for each project, add tasks, set due dates, and assign tasks to team members. You can also add tags and filters to your pages to make it easier to search for specific projects or tasks. This makes it easy to stay organized and ensures that everything is on track.

Tips: Whether you are working in a team or as a solo designer, project management is a skill that you must learn to keep your deliveries tidy and on point. You also want to make sure that you track decision-making and download the project knowledge on a repository so that future onboarding exercises may run very smoothly.

5. Inspiration and reference

Notion is a great tool for collecting inspiration and reference material. You can create pages for inspiration boards, add images, and even embed videos. This makes it easy to keep track of ideas and reference material for future projects.Tips: Use backlinks to reference and connect topics to each other. Doing this allows you to replicate a “network” system connection which is similar to how our brain works. Connect the dots between inspirations and references and never lose them. You will be able to go back to them months later and instantly review what sparked a connection between two or more elements.

6. Time tracking

Notion also has a time-tracking feature that allows you to track the time you spend on each task. This makes it easy to see where you are spending your time and identify areas where you can be more efficient.Tips: You can do this by manually creating a database for your time-tracking or setting automatic workflows to start and end through the newly improved “Button” feature. If you are looking for a specific tutorial, Google and Youtube are your best friends.

7. Customisation

Notion is highly customizable, which makes it an excellent tool for designers. You can create custom templates for your pages and even create your own database and synched components. This allows you to tailor Notion to your specific needs and workflows.Tips: Do not be afraid of change. What works today, may not work tomorrow. Experiment and try new things. It’s the beauty of Notion: hyper-customisation. See it as a box with endless Lego pieces. You can build whatever you want. At times it’s nice to keep the current structure. But as your career and deliveries evolve, so needs to evolve your workspace.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Notion is an excellent tool for designers. It allows you to centralize your work, collaborate with ease, manage design systems and projects, collect inspiration and reference material, track your tasks and time, and customize the app to your specific needs. Whether you are a solo designer or part of a team, Notion can help you stay organized and productive.

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