Ann Hsieh

This is a great post for designers moving into management/leadership roles. The nature of your job changes dramatically and it's important to figure out the most effective ways to help your team and the company. As noted in the article, it's very easy to have your time consumed by managerial tasks (operational work). Being deliberate about how you want to spend your time, focusing on the change you want to bring about and working consistently towards that end are critical skills to learn. #UX #Design #DesignLeadership https://lnkd.in/e_g4TRJx

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Why not all voices should be equal in the design process. If we are serious about social change and equity, we need to start centring the knowledge and decisions of those deeply impacted. #UX #productDesign #designProcess

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When Dropbox shifted to #VirtualFirst, my Design team helped lead the efforts to create the new model in a way that actually reimagined modern work. By applying a human centered design approach to build Virtual First—understand what users need, develop hypotheses, design and pilot solutions, observe results and iterate— what we saw as a result was true cultural transformation. This way of working is intentionally designed to make space for creativity, tinkering and deep work, while also reserving time for synchronous collaboration and IRL time when we need it. Through this process, we quickly realized there was a need for more conversation around the unique challenges of working in distributed ways. That’s how we came up with the idea for Remotely Curious—a podcast where we dive deep into the world of remote work and the struggles that come with it. One of my favorite episodes is on the topic of setting boundaries, an art that can take practice while working remotely. It’s something we’re laser focused on here at Dropbox—83% of employees feel successful in designing their own work schedules, but we know our employees want continued support around boundary setting between their work and personal lives as we continue in our Virtual First journey. Psychologist, professor, and best-selling author Andrea Bonior joined Remotely Curious to guide us through the specifics of setting boundaries in the workplace. One lesson that really stuck with me from the conversation was the idea that "clarity is kindness." It’s easy to fall into the trap of people-pleasing, where we start equating saying “yes” as being nice and saying “no” as being “difficult” or creating an uncomfortable environment. But clarity—being clear about your limits and expectations—is actually one of the kindest things you can do for yourself and your team. As leaders in a distributed environment, this is incredibly important to maintaining balance and remaining in control of our work. Creating healthy boundaries in my life enables me to be both a better leader for my team, and a better father and equal contributor at home. By being intentional in supporting myself as well as having a support system, or a “Team Alastair” around me, I can maintain better balance so that I can be the best version of myself, maintain peak-level performance and continue to scale both professionally and personally. I highly recommend giving this one a listen, and would love to hear your thoughts. https://lnkd.in/dn8As9zG #productivity #innovation #futureofwork

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Had to share this thoughtful article about the conflicting feelings we have as designers with new AI tools.... made me consider the threat of too much standardization over innovation, or letting your own creative instincts atrophy. Check it out and lmk your thoughts

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As a design leader, you work for your team—not the other way around. Learn how to keep your #UXteam happy, creative, and always on schedule. https://lnkd.in/eksZbUXM #DesignLeadership #TeamManagement #UXDesign #Productivity

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Check out the 4 step exercise at the end of the article. Excellent advice.

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This d.MBA episode shares a ton of great nuggets on advocating for design functions and how to have more impact as a designer? #UX #ProductDesign https://buff.ly/47VixoZ

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AI is the buzzword of the day, but it's simply the next step in our technology evolution. Evolving generative AI interactions are repeating human-computer interaction history. Remember those green screens and books filled with computer prompts, or learning how to use a search engine? Perhaps you do, maybe you don't, but either way AI has modified the way we do this by using natural language! #AI #technologyevolution #naturalanguageprocessing

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Have you ever wondered what makes independent UX design studios stand out in the competitive digital landscape? Having worked with both Fortune 100 giants and small startups, I've seen firsthand how independent UX design studios can provide efficient, creative solutions tailored to client needs—solutions that truly enhance user experience and foster innovation. In my latest article, I dive deep into why independent studios often outperform larger agencies and in-house teams when it comes to UX design. Here are some of the key highlights: ✅ Flexibility and Agility: Without the layers of bureaucracy, independent studios make swift decisions and adapt quickly to client feedback. Imagine getting changes implemented within 24-48 hours instead of the lengthy wait typical in bigger agencies. ✅ Specialized Expertise: We bring deep, diverse knowledge to every project. Our team members have worked across different industries, which gives us the ability to tackle UX challenges from fresh perspectives—something that in-house teams can sometimes struggle with. ✅ Personalized UX Solutions: We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all. Each client has unique needs, and our personalized approach ensures the end product not only meets functional requirements but also resonates deeply with users. ✅ Freedom to Innovate: Independent UX studios operate without the constraints of corporate hierarchies. This independence allows for a creativity-driven environment where we challenge norms and propose innovative solutions, benefiting our clients with impactful, user-centred experiences. If you’re considering enhancing your digital product or need an agile partner to bring your UX vision to life, this article is for you. Dive in and discover how partnering with an independent UX studio could be your best strategic move. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eWTvXdea #UXDesign #UserExperience #IndependentStudios #Innovation #Agility #DesignThinking #AIinDesign #LeanUX

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Somtimes the content that can up your UX game comes from unlikly sources. This article puts into context some of the best places to start!

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🚀 What my time at Airbnb taught me about level competencies I'm thrilled to share my latest article where I dive into how level competencies are the backbone of your design team's success. 🌟 https://lnkd.in/gWU4tGEa 📈 Clear expectations and growth paths: How setting clear expectations fosters purpose and direction. 📊 Performance reviews: The importance of fair and concrete performance evaluations. 🎯 Personalized development plans: Developing tailored growth plans for team members. Take a look and let me know what you think! #Airbnb #DesignLeadership #GrowthMindset #TeamDevelopment #Leadership

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“Be who and where you are.” I’m still processing all of the amazing insights that came out of Clarity: A design systems community conference last week but several themes have been bouncing around in my head since then. → Get smaller and connect - Dan Mall and others talked about a trend towards smaller core design systems with surrounding layers of shared patterns like recipes, all being consumed by teams managing their own local libraries. This results in teams being able to move faster and eliminates the need for design systems folks to feel that have to be a bottleneck. → Be who and where you are - John Voss and others talked about building the system that your users and team need rather than conforming to what larger companies are putting out there or the oversimplified “stereotype” you yourself have unintentionally created for your product. → Listen - Ben Callahan and others talked about the need to reset our current mental models for how design systems teams see our roles and responsibilities. How do we move away from our perceived tactical responsibilities towards more listening and validating of the needs of our consumers and users? 💎 My personal takeaways from all of this have me reframing my own journey with my team from "a series of mistakes" towards "the necessary growth to become the team we are today." → When we implemented that now outdated framework, tried to centralize everything into a single bloated design system, or wrote all of that verbose documentation, we were doing what we needed to do to mature and are a better team as a result. → What my team is going through, we're all going through. The role of design in general is changing across the industry, not just in my organization. How lucky are we, that we have the opportunity to learn from each other as designers? → As team roles change, I’m curious to pivot my default stance away from “defend the designer's role”, and would be curious to see how I can facilitate “design” activities regardless of whether they are done by a designer, product manager, or engineer. I feel so very fortunate to be a part of such an amazing community and love the reminder that when you get a bunch of systems thinkers together in the same room, you're going to see patterns. Thanks again 🖤 Jina A. and all the speakers last week. #clarity2024 #designsystems #design

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In this political season, we are reminded that every vote counts, and every vote must be counted. That applies to South by Southwest too! If you are a designer working in a large organization or on enterprise digital products, arguably the biggest conundrum facing our industry today lies in this question: does Enterprise Software require design to fit into a factory model, forever closing the door on Innovation? Or will our focus on empathy and human-centricity be a force for positive change in a sea of sameness? If you want to hear a unique perspective on this challenge, please vote for my panel, "Enterprise Digital Products: The Death of Design Innovation?". I will be joined by some truly amazing creative leaders, where we will candidly discuss how to lead Design teams in the creation of enterprise digital products. My panel will include... ...Barry Fiske, CXO Americas at Merkle (and co-host of #whatbubblesup), ...Valerie Vacante, VP, Solutions Innovation, dentsu, ...and Sara Alloy, Head of Design for CoreAI at Publicis Sapient. We will explore the benefits, challenges, myths, legends, and inconvenient truths of Designing for the Enterprise. So if you want to see us onstage, we'd appreciate your vote! (I'm Phil Golub, and I approve this message...) WongDoody Infosys P.S. - WongDoody has a bunch of great submissions. Vote us all in while you're at it!! https://lnkd.in/epA-aqcB

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🚀 Exploring AI & User-Centered Design: Where UCD Falls Short 🤖🔍 AI is transforming our world, but is User-Centered Design (UCD) keeping up? In my latest blog, I dive into my experience and challenges of integrating UCD with AI, covering key points like: 🔹 The Dilemma of Unknown Unknowns: How AI introduces new, unpredictable issues. 🔹 Data Gaps: The impact of missing data on inclusivity and fairness. 🔹 Big Data Complexity: Why designers need new skills in data analysis. 🔹 End-User Complexity: Making AI understandable for users. 🔹 AI Behavior: The need for ongoing maintenance and refinement. Drop your thoughts and experiences in the comments—I’d love to hear your perspective! 👇📢 https://lnkd.in/g9yAHQ5p #AI #Design #UserCenteredDesign

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Good synopsis of the challenge of designing for AI as well as a great list of courses and experts to follow to help designers gain the skills and understanding needed to design for AI. #UX #AI #ProductDesign https://lnkd.in/eUn2et8g

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tl;dr - I have free time for good conversations; please reach out and connect. I miss you. Friends After much contemplation and soul-searching, I'm thrilled (and terrified) to share that I've decided to take a sabbatical from my role as a Principal User Experience Researcher. This decision wasn't made lightly, but it's the right step for my personal and professional growth. During this time off, I'll be immersing myself in various avenues of personal development. One area I'm passionate about is expanding our definition of inclusive design by researching how dyslexia impacts the UX design profession. Personal experience has shown me that we do little to truly support some of the best thinkers who are also neuro-divergent. It's a topic close to my heart, and I'm eager to delve deep into it. Additionally, I'll be venturing into new territories that nourish my soul. From exploring life coaching, diving into alternative dispute resolution through negotiation and mediation, and a recent discovery of the death doula practice. Exploring these areas will undoubtedly be a profound experience. Moreover, I'm dedicating part of my sabbatical to finding meaningful ways to give back to my community and loved ones. I'm committed to using my design skills and mindset to support the area I grew up in. Among many ways I hope to contribute, here are a few that seem exciting and fun: Giving local UX talks, pro-bono consulting for local businesses, and running improv workshops are all near to my heart. I'll take a three-month hiatus to fully immerse myself in these spaces and see where the journey takes me. While I'll miss the dynamic world of UX design and research, I'm excited for this period of self-discovery and growth. I extend my deepest gratitude to my community, colleagues, and mentors for your support and understanding. Your encouragement has been and will be invaluable. If anyone within my network shares similar interests or would like to connect on these topics, please don't hesitate to contact me. I welcome the opportunity to engage in insightful discussions and share experiences that will help nourish you and me.

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Our company is acquired. Now what? “Business as usual” applies no more to us UX professionals if we must navigate organizational changes. Here are a few questions to consider to handle uncertainty. #UX #productDesign

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A great read on the research we conducted at Moovit together with Michal Halperin Ben Zvi (PhD.) exploring ways to increase independence and confidence for adults over 65 using public transit apps.  #uxresearch #publictransit #moovit

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Anyone have UX/Usability research or articles on "DSV" or digital signatures best practices? This has been around for a LONG time now, and I don't want to believe that Docusign is the gold standard... is it? #UXResearch #DigitalSignatures #BestPractices #Usability

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