Summary
How do we advance design maturity in the enterprise space, particularly in the B-to-B space where we often struggle to distinguish between the buyer’s and the user’s needs? What doesn't cut it: traditional capability maturity models, created through massive surveys to determine the organizational characteristics that contribute to business success. After more than two years of the collective traumas and personal emergencies caused by a pandemic, a racial reckoning, and other existential crises, designers are deeply tired, worn out, and looking to work in organizations that are "mature", where their contributions are understood and supported. You need to forge your own definition of design maturity, based on understanding and care for the people in your design team, the specifics of your organization, and the state of UX as a profession. With this deep understanding you can start the experiments and gain support for initiatives to increase the impact of design in your organization.
Key Insights
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Design maturity is not a one-size-fits-all concept.
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Teams should create their own definitions of design maturity based on their context and aspirations.
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Engaging team members in heartfelt conversations leads to deeper insights about design roles.
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Value delivery in design maturity should include benefits to team members, not just business outcomes.
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The pandemic highlighted the importance of care and empathy in workplace dynamics.
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Design leaders need to trust their experiences and insights when shaping design processes.
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Successful design maturity models should reflect both qualitative and quantitative assessments.
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Frequent communication and engagement within the team foster a sense of belonging and support.
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Inclusivity, ethics, and sustainability are becoming increasingly important in the evolution of design functions.
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Empathy is crucial for designers to communicate the value of design to business partners.
Notable Quotes
"Design maturity is a measure of how well your business is using its design capability to create value."
"After a year of collective and personal traumas, we couldn't make sense of the previous models without our own context."
"Design maturity has to be about delivering value to the team members too."
"The heart of our discovery was getting to know our team and their vision for design maturity."
"We realized what designers need is not just productivity, but recognition and engagement."
"Design maturity results from the behaviors and structures we put in place that enable us to deliver greater value."
"The pandemic allowed us to adopt more uncomfortable conversations about personal challenges and team dynamics."
"The definition of design maturity we created means so much to our team; it may not translate to yours, but it's significant to us."
"You should figure out how you care for your team as only you can."
"Empathy is key for designers to communicate effectively and integrate into the broader business context."
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