Meseret Gebrekristos

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

7

2 Comments

As a design leader, I'm always looking for 'leadership' portfolio inspiration. There's plenty of awesome inspiration for mid-career IC designers, but it's much harder to find out how design leaders are telling their story in a portfolio format. Needless to say I was excited when I came across Loe Lee's portfolio the other day she's a director of product design (growth) at Zillow. Her portfolio is an elegant guide to her leadership style. She includes product work (behind a password), but also a list of values in addition to longer articles she's written about leading design teams. It's a tough ask to make someone read a longer piece at the stage where they're looking at a portfolio. On the other hand, even after interviews, longer writings can give the hiring manger a window into how a candidate for an important leadership role frames and approaches their work. And, how else can you tell the story of what leadership looks like? Not rhetorical, if you have suggestions I'd love to hear them. Anyways, I thought I'd share. #designleader #portfolio #uxleader #directorofdesign https://lnkd.in/gKTkypUn

4

3 Comments

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

2

I'd like to share some valuable lessons that have completely transformed the way I approach communications. Plus, I've added some tips for product designers and design partners. 💡Case 1: Answer the Question I thought I knew how to answer questions until I got this feedback: "When an executive asks you a question, start with a clear 'yes' or 'no', or state 'I don't know, but I will get back to you by X date'." While variations exist, the key is to answer the question first. Too much information usually doesn't help - Answer the question, then let them ask probing questions. This advice resonated with me so much that I created a desktop wallpaper to look at it every day. 🤝 Case 2: Manage Meeting Effectively Another tip I learned is how to manage meetings. Based on tips from mentors and coworkers, here are three essential points to remember: 1. Why we are here: Ensure every meeting has a clear purpose. No one has time for irrelevant meetings. 2. What we aim to achieve: Clearly define the meeting's objectives. 3. What decisions we will make: Identify decision-makers and criteria.
 Applying this to design meetings, merely sharing in-progress designs often lacks value. Instead, structure the meeting to: 1. Clearly define the meeting's purpose and type: For example, specify if it’s a review and instruct people on the type of review you need. 2. Clarify the objectives: Are we finalizing designs to send to engineering, or aligning on problem statements with products? 3. Identify decision-makers and criteria for decisions: Then, make a decision. Of course, in both cases, summarize the outcome of the meetings and share it right away. ✨ Case 3: Clarify Expectations At workplaces, confusion and fires happen. Sometimes you're not sure what's going on. You don't want to overpromise or overstep, but you need to know what action is required. When I heard this question "What am I accountable for?" in the middle of a foggy meeting, my brain just cleared. Yes. We need clear ownership and accountability to navigate ambiguous situations. It was a sentence that resonated with me, and I still remember how we were able to move on to the next steps. To build on this, I also advise my partners to communicate their asks clearly. I hear a variety of design requests. Some people articulate their asks with intended outcomes, expectations, and timelines, while others just share desires and disappear. Clarity in your asks is key—it's almost a job requirement. Remember, others can't read your mind. If you believe in your idea, it's important to articulate it clearly. #CommunicationTips #ProductDesign #DesignPartnerships

40

6 Comments

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

6

Great read about the current and future position of Product Design in tech. Could not agree more. "Design workflows at most tech companies follow an incredible number of structured tasks: for each project, designers must create user personas, user stories, journey maps, wireframes, user interviews, and much more. These concepts originated in the service design industry and initially helped facilitate a very human-focused design process – which, of course, is good. However, driven by a desire from businesses to turn design into a process-heavy, measurable function, we’re filling our time with checklists instead of focusing on the very thing that makes designers relevant: our ability to propose new points of view and delight users with meaningful experiences. These core competences that were inherited from graphic design have been replaced with a poor man’s version of an anthropology major where the act of design is mostly based on averaging user opinions." https://lnkd.in/dwJhER7e

30

It has been my continuous struggle to showcase the contributions of the design team to business. Slapping the rules at product level seems unjust. Finiding out a comparative for a specific feature becomes difficult to assess. I am on my journey towards putting a right measuring metrics for the same. Let's connect if you are also looking out or something that might have worked well for you. #uxdaily #productmetrices #designmetrices #productstrategy #designstrategy

8

2 Comments

Many designers complain that they can’t get their ideas into a product backlog. Most of the time this is true depending on the maturity of your team and if your company sees value in the design field, but most of the time, backlogs are product driven. If you want to advocate how to get your ideas you need to convince how the designs are going to impact the business. Saying to PM’s: “The UI looks bad and outdated” is such a bad pitch and will fall on deaf ears. You need to speak “business” and as a designer you need to know how your ideas can make them money. Now, you’re probably thinking “well how can I do that” considering it’s hard to use ARR on designs. This is where we introduce the RICE framework. https://lnkd.in/exaD4xNY . Learning this will help you know the impact of your designs, the reach of the customer base, how confident you are on the designs and estimations and how much effort the business needs to invest in this idea. I will be writing an in depth post on this soon but thought I’d leave this tip on a Sunday night as I am having the designer insonomia.

8

7 Comments

🎨 Attention Design Leaders in Transition! 🎨 Recently, several design leaders have reached out to me seeking coaching but found 1-to-1 sessions hard to justify while between jobs. This sparked an idea: why not offer small group coaching sessions tailored specifically for design leaders on the job hunt? These sessions would provide: - Affordable Expertise: Access to high-quality coaching without the full cost of individual sessions. - Community Support: Connect with peers in similar situations, sharing insights and encouragement. - Focused Growth: Develop your leadership skills and prepare for your next opportunity. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Would you be interested in joining a group like this? #DesignLeadership #GroupCoaching #CareerTransition #ProfessionalDevelopment #JobHunt #DesignCommunity

57

5 Comments

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕪𝕡𝕖 ℂ𝕪𝕔𝕝𝕖 𝔽𝕠𝕣 𝕌𝕤𝕖𝕣 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 has released! User experience (UX) is essential in digital product design, guiding software engineering leaders on investment decisions to meet the needs of customers and employees. Current trends in UX emphasize a shift from individual tools and technologies to comprehensive platforms, processes, and methodologies, including the adoption of DesignOps and web-based tools over traditional desktop solutions. The influence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is growing in UX, particularly in design, user research, and front-end development, with advancements in AI tools like text-to-image and design-to-code technologies. Link for Gartner Clients in the comments below... #hypecycle #userexperience #ux #uxdesign #genai

30

4 Comments

A word of caution for designers thinking about a move to product management. I know, I know: design can be frustrating. Product managers seem to have more influence. It is hard to care, and have a PM dash those hopes. It feels better to "join 'em" instead of to keep struggling. The hype seems to be around product. And yes, design jobs at companies that seem to value design are in super high demand, whereas product manager jobs seem to crop up everywhere (though it is still tough). But also consider this: you have to consider where things are going. Companies are rethinking what constitutes a product meaning we may see far fewer PMs. The hype of "multi product" and "turn everything into a product" is fading. It is very hard to argue that every little pod of engineers and designers NEED a PM, when these things aren't even products. A great designer with an engineering partner can effectively run most product areas. Slowly slowly, and with fits and starts, we are seeing companies mature their approach to product, which has the net effect (in many ways) of elevating design. In many companies, PMs are becoming more of a "business role", which means you can kiss the creativity you enjoy, and the ability to "make" goodbye. Advancing in product within a company can be highly competitive (job advancement is harder). A lot of PMs realize how brutal the advancement schemes are. Yes, some companies appreciate the idea of a highly skilled individual contributor, but there is a lot of pressure to move up solely through management roles. Which is all to say that the grass may seem greener right now, but it might not stay that way. We *need* skilled and experienced designers.

750

84 Comments

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!

10

A question for hiring managers in UX / Product Design and Product. Have you been in a position where you were able to successfully make a case internally for hiring the first UX Researcher for your company? What were some of the talking points that you used to sell this in and get the green light to hire? 

29

10 Comments

Following up on my recent post about design systems vs style guides, I've realized that understanding how these two relate makes their similarities and differences clearer for me. I like to think about the relationship of these two as a parent-child dynamic. The design system is the parent. Style guides (along with pattern and component libraries) are the children. If you missed my other post, you can check out the article on Nielsen Norman Group: https://lnkd.in/eRazWE2j #ux #designsystems #uxdesign

861

23 Comments

Worthy Read: The UX Research Reckoning is Here by Judd Antin In the recent waves of tech layoffs, Judd Antin explores why UX researchers have been so impacted. He argues this “reckoning” is due to UX researchers focusing too much on what he calls “middle-range research” that centers on user understanding and product development. It’s worth reading this post as well as his follow-up based on the robust discussion it generated. Check it out here: https://buff.ly/44td5r5 ❓ What do you think is the biggest challenge facing UX researchers today: balancing business value with user insights, or shifting focus between micro, middle-range, and macro research? #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

76

14 Comments

If we're not talking about design maturity, agile process, or craft, then us designers are probably talking about ✨quality.✨ I certainly see my interviewer's eyes light up when I mention this magical word. "Design is the one that has to hold the quality bar," I tell them. But what if that didn't have to be true? For a truly high-quality product, I don't think it should be design holding the line. It has to be something baked into the organization - everyone holds the quality bar. Even though "quality" is a slippery thing to define, if we can define it and hold ourselves to it, we can reduce the tension in the org and start to think less about the mere baseline quality for the product and more about raising that bar - delighting the user. I very much enjoyed Luke Anthony Firth's take on how they folded quality into their product building process. Have a read! https://lnkd.in/g4SenmYZ #designleadership #productprocess #productdesign #productquality #designquality #opentowork

4

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

3

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

4

Some good discussion going on here today.

1