Lindsay Mindler’s Post

Good leaders do not come up with answers, they come up with great questions There’s nothing less stimulating than trying to brainstorm alone with a blank paper. Questions and curiosity come from conversations, new contexts, and getting out into the world. The deeper you go, the less obvious question you get to, the more likely the idea that ultimately results is going to be more creative. One of the things we’re trying to do when we design is reveal needs that should be met. They’re never obvious. In order to dig down far enough to understand people and their interactions, you have to keep asking why. When you’re guiding a team, the questions you ask need to meet the Goldilocks principle. If your question forces you to stay abstract, it’s a bit too high level. Or if the question is too low-level, you’re unlikely to get to anything significant, it won’t be inspiring for your team, and progress is likely to be incremental. The question should include who you want to serve, and the impact you want to make, but should never hint at a solution. Your goal is to get the team to come back with things you didn’t expect. Use Questions as a Tool to Help Others Think Differently While I was studying in IDEO, the design school, students used to pin all of their work on a wall, and have their peers and professors criticize it. It’s a frightening exercise. What that taught me was the importance of questions like, how did you think about this, or how did you get to your solution? In an organization, the same concept is a great chance to be non-hierarchical, and to frame questions that can cause the team to look differently at their own ideas - which is always more effective than telling someone their idea is too small. If your intuition is that a solution is too narrow, then ask if a team considered another group of users, or what an idea might mean for the international market. If it’s too big, ask them to consider a problem that’s only a tenth of the size of the one you’re looking at. There’s a very close relationship between asking questions and curiosity. They’re two sides of the same coin. One of the most important things to remember is that the last thing people want to hear is that you don’t like their idea, or that you think you have a better one. Many of the colleagues who I respect most and love working with are really good at asking me questions that get me to think differently, in a way that’s not combative, nor do they bow to a sense of hierarchy. These are peer-level, intellectually stimulating, insightful questions. #design #questions #askquestions #leadershipexcellence #leadershipdevelopment #leadership #leadershipinsights

The unspoken parts of influencing design: When it comes to getting good design work done, most people think it's about: - Having the best ideas - Debating stakeholders into submission - Following a rigid design process I believe the real keys to influencing design are: 1. Building bridges Effective design leaders bring cross-functional ideas to life. They include the right partners at the right intervals and know how to align teams around a shared vision. 2. Inception over dictation It's not about winning through debate. It's about planting the seeds of ideas and letting others come to the same conclusions on their own terms. Master the art of suggestion. 3. Knowing where to look The best design insights often come from unexpected places. Hone your ability to gather inputs from diverse sources - from user research to market trends to cross-functional collaborators (sales and support teams are my favorite). 4. Pragmatic prioritization Theoretical design ideals are useless if they don't align with business realities. Ruthlessly prioritize improvements that deliver the most value with the least disruption. Play the long game. Becoming a design influencer is less about wowing with stunning interfaces, and more about strategically shepherding ideas through complex organizations. It's an art that's seldom discussed, but it's the secret weapon of impactful design leaders everywhere.

Fast Company published an engaging article called "The big design freak-out: A generation of design leaders grapple with their future" by Robert Fabricant. This article reminds me of several years ago when BRUCE NUSSBAUM in Fast Company wrote an article, "Design Thinking is a Failed Experiment. So What's Next?" For years, design leaders have wanted a seat at the executive table where design is recognized as a critical business function and shapes organizational purpose, goals, and objectives through its market offerings. The number of Chief Design Officers or Head of Design roles has grown, demonstrating the importance of design as a critical capability. Yet this growth is now being tested by chaos in organizations, markets, and competitive landscapes. Organizations are continually pivoting for relevance and profitability. Design leadership and operations impact each other because accomplishments from delivering value through operational rigor support how much power design has at the executive level. But it is more than efficiency. Machine learning may automate many things designers have historically done to deliver value. Instead of having a seat at the executive table, design leaders are now reporting one level below to the people at the table. The growth of design leaders now may be evaluated with new capability and performance expectations by management. The emerging answers will shift design executive responsibilities, but to what? What do you think about the emerging design executive responsibilities will become? #designleadership #transformation #changemanagement https://lnkd.in/gDDZvXvD

Design recommendations are not the same as decisions. Design leaders help people take ownership of creative ideas, which can sometimes feel intimidating for everyone involved. Recommendations are often used to start conversations that eventually lead to decisions, which is helpful for collaboration and teamwork. Trust is built this way. However, design decisions must eventually be made, with commitments to move forward. Design leaders must balance building confidence in stakeholders and making decisions that push the project forward. Understanding the difference between recommendations and decisions helps prevent getting bogged down or losing the vision. → Design Recommendations At this stage, ideas are refined through research and user insights. They are presented as data-informed suggestions to stakeholders. While these options are well-informed, they are not final. Stakeholders can accept, modify, or reject them. The designer's role is to offer evidence-based options, but the decision rests with others. Design initiatives can get stuck here. → Design Decisions This stage involves committing to a specific course of action. Based on the recommendations, a decision determines the project's direction. Once a decision is made, it affects how resources, timelines, and responsibilities are managed. Decisions come with higher investment and risk because time and resources are now committed to the chosen path. As design leaders grow their skills and aim for more influence, what once seemed like a natural part of a project now requires a more deliberate decision-making process. That’s a good thing. And with the right influence, create good results. #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting our summer Design Leaders Forum dinner at our global headquarters here in London. We set up the Design Leaders Forum to create a venue for design leaders, especially those working with incumbent brands in highly regulated sectors like Financial Services, Government, Healthcare and Energy, to share views and perspectives on the common challenges and opportunities as we try to build high impact, human-centred design capabilities within our organisations. We kicked the new season off with a discussion around 'Impact: Moving beyond cost, risk and growth'. Design generates a deep and nuanced appreciation for customer's lives, identifying their values, goals, and attitudes, understanding their needs, behaviours and motivations. This insight provides design leaders and their teams with a point of view that helps their organisation transcend the transaction to not only achieve the balance sheet ambitions, but also deliver on the sustainability, wellbeing and purpose driven ambition across a much broader group of stakeholders. There was so much to think about, but three things resonated with me over the weekend, reflecting on the session. There will be more to come soon! Designers Needs to Be Confident - When 'Design Thinking' is everywhere in an organisation, what does ‘Design’ even do anymore? As organisations reconsider their structures in light of an evolving transformation agenda, regulatory mandates, and cost challenges, it becomes more important than ever for design to clearly lay out what it can bring to the business. Designers Need to Articulate Business Value - Tying the work design and designers do to the balance sheet and commercial benefit is still a topic of conversation and challenge. We have helped train the business on 'Design Thinking' but we haven't helped the business train designers on 'Business Thinking'. The Obsession Over Design Operationalisation - Here is where a real risk begins to emerge from a dominant business perspective on design as primarily an 'aesthetic' function versus a function to transform the business and the services it offers. The discussion was spirited to share how we might showcase design in the business as a place where we assemble the teams and allies required to make transformation human-centred and re-define 'creativity' as a powerful force for change, aligning around customer need and improved business performance. It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to convene this forum and something I always look forward to. I find the discussion very empowering and energising. Look out for more updates on this event and others soon. Will Shaw Paul Thurston Nicola Potter (Hinds) Nicholas Johnson, PhD Laurence Buchanan Jess Hawkins Clive Grinyer #design #servicedesign #humancentreddesign #designthinking #digital #banking #government #healthcare #retail #energy #insurance

I just read an insightful article by Darren Smith titled "Head of Design is dead, long live the Head of Design!" It's a must-read for anyone in the design industry or working with design teams. 👏 Kudos to Darren for articulating what many of us have been observing in the industry. His analysis of the changing landscape of design leadership is spot-on. Key takeaways that resonated with me: 1. The traditional role of Head of Design focusing on People, Practice, and Strategy is evolving. 2. There's a trend towards more hands-on execution (60% in Figma) for design leaders. 3. This shift might be driven by founders' backgrounds, hiring managers' priorities, and rapid career progression in design. While I agree with Darren's observations, I'd like to add: Shipping velocity shouldn't be a key KPI for designers. Rushing design without adequate strategy could mean leaving money on the table. We might ship quick fixes for short-term gains, but miss the big picture. True design leaders: • Shape business strategy through design thinking • Prevent designer burnout • Set teams up for success, enabling their best work Let's not underestimate the value of seasoned design leadership in driving innovation and long-term success. What are your thoughts on this trend? Have you experienced similar shifts in your organization? #DesignLeadership #UXDesign #ProductStrategy https://lnkd.in/gyk5TjM9

My last post discussed the origins of Design Process thinking, up to its current status mainly as an oral culture. Today, I want to explain why that poses an under-appreciated risk for design professionals. Oral cultures build slowly, and are strongly influenced by the views of founders, those who’ve been in the firm a long time, and those with strong personalities. They reflect the opinions and biases of those who promote the culture and can turn into Groupthink. They tend to evolve slowly to the conditions around them. They tend to offer solutions to yesterday’s problems and are slow to react to today’s problems. Those who disagree with the tenets of the oral culture usually just dismiss it and quietly go about design process in their own way: Their own oral culture, inherited from previous roles in other firms. Firm leaders trying to spread an oral culture across their whole practice often spend huge amounts of time explaining to new staff “how things work here”. I’ve heard from these leaders that it often takes up to two years for a new staff member to understand and start applying the oral culture. The results? Massive diversion of senior leader time, taken away from current productivity. Lots of rework. Delay in meeting deadlines. Inconsistent output quality. Some errors are not discovered, and go out to tender. Is there a better way? YES. Not perfect, but a lot better. CI- Continual Improvement.

This was a great article. I'm glad someone with Robert's credibility is digging into this. Everyone I know is freaking out and, anecdotally, I've had this sense that we hit peak design a couple years ago. He creates a lot of clarity around this. Possible interesting outcomes: - More design leaders become founders. This might be the best outcome (better products!), but speaking from experience it is damn hard. And, ironically, you spend so much of your time on chores not related to the product you have to dig deep. - Design leaders shift to product managers. There's so much overlap already (in certain companies and domains at least) this could be the most likely outcome. But there just aren't loads of PM roles either, so it may just devalue it a bit as well. - Design evolves. Maybe the most interesting and the one that I'm putting my chips on. There are several parallels we can look at just in our lifetimes, and I'm in the camp that AI will enable new types of creativity and designers rather than fully automate. That's good for early career folks. Not sure what it means for those of us with experience though, other than to keep finding ways to do more of what you find interesting. C'est la vie...and all the rest.

As designers, we often get stuck in the details - polishing pixels, tweaking layouts (all really important, by the way) - but the real impact and added value lies in how we think as designers. Strategic thinking elevates us from task-doers to decision-makers. This article from Everyday UX breaks down Michael Watkins "Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking" which offers practical frameworks and key skills that can help you make smarter decisions, innovate more effectively, and anticipate challenges before they spiral. Strategic thinking isn’t just for executives or directors, it’s for every designer who wants to make a real impact. The key takeaway? Think bigger...Whether it's spotting patterns others miss or navigating politics with finesse, strategic thinking lets you add real value, so well worth a read! https://lnkd.in/e2KsMFAS #designstrategy #productdesign #designleadership

One question that consistently arises when I speak to design leaders about building teams is... What types of roles are essential to construct a well-rounded design team capable of tackling today's challenges? The short answer is, it really depends on the size of the business and what they are looking to achieve. But the longer response is that these are the key roles that different-sized businesses need to consider: 👩🎨 Chief Design Officer (CDO): Especially important for Large Enterprises, as they provide visionary leadership, aligning design strategies with business objectives, and fostering a culture of innovation. 👩💻 Individual Contributors (IC): Small Businesses & Start-ups need adaptable individuals who can collaborate closely with founders, bringing diverse skill sets to the table and driving projects forward with agility. 🤓 Research Specialists: Essential across both small and large companies, research specialists uncover insights, mitigate risks, and inform data-driven decisions crucial for successful design outcomes. 👩🎓 Service Designers: Important across both small and large companies, service designers map customer journeys, identify pain points, and ensure cohesive interactions across all touchpoints. In summary, a well-rounded design team combines leadership, execution, insight, and holistic thinking to navigate the complexities of today's design landscape. What do you think about these roles? Any that you'd add?