EVENT TALK / UX CRUNCH BUSINESS X DESIGN DAY 2023
A seat at the table: bridging design and business outcomes
This talk is about how designers can better demonstrate value to get the proverbial 'seat at the table' in organisations. I make the point that designers can better 'own' their value by developing their own strong point of view and ideas.
However, as design practitioners, often our capacity to solve problems, take new perspectives, and ultimately develop the point of view we bring to the table is dependent upon immersing ourselves in subjects outside of UX. We have to find new sources of inspiration and creative capital, especially as the old axioms of user-centred design (e.g. double diamond) are increasingly disrupted by AI and changing market conditions.
I go on to present three sources of creative inspiration for me:
1) Designer as Architect
2) Designer as Therapist
3) Designer as Entrepreneur
Pace layering & design outcomes
The first point in this talk was about how designers can learn from the discipline of architecture, specifically pace layering. Understanding how time functions at various layers of your organisation's ecosystem can be hugely empowering as a design practitioner.
Designer as therapist
The second point here was about how we as designers can often function as therapists for organisations and stakeholders. Just as people live in stories and are capable of doing 'story work' aimed at self improvement or transformation, so do organisations. In these slides I list off some of my favourite concepts and frameworks to provide inspiration to designers in attendance at this talk.
Designer as entrepreneur
The third point in my talk was around how designers can amplify their impact by understanding the strategic context of their organisation. In my opinion, this is a very under-rated model for doing effective product and service strategy.
I end the presentation prompting fellow designers in the audience to consider what other mental models or paradigms they can 'bring to the table' to be more effective in their work.
