Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

A Seat at the Table: Making Your Team a Strategic Partner
Gold
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 • Design in Product 2023
Share the love for this talk
A Seat at the Table: Making Your Team a Strategic Partner
Speakers: Alfred Kahn

Summary

In many companies, Design is viewed as a tactical resource; in fact, it’s often a subsidiary of Product, there to support the Engineering team. Basically, Design is viewed as “the wire frame people.” This results in a lot of frustration and feeling like the design team doesn’t have a seat at the table, and creates resentment between Design and their Product and Engineering partners. It also results in the organization not realizing the full value of its investment in the design team. The solution to this problem is to transition Design from being a tactical resource to a strategic partner. The question is, how? This session will cover ways that Design can make this transition, exponentially increase their influence, and become a key strategic resource/partner for everyone in the organization.

Key Insights

  • Design is often viewed as a tactical resource rather than a strategic partner.

  • Measuring design work's impact on business metrics is crucial for demonstrating value.

  • Organizing teams into a fractal structure promotes collaboration among product, engineering, and design.

  • Designers should act as problem solvers and efficiency enhancers within teams.

  • Adopting a business mindset helps reconcile customer needs with business goals.

  • Avoid saying no; instead, focus on understanding and solving problems.

  • Developing a consulting framework for occasional design needs ensures all teams feel supported.

  • Effective design systems should include usage guidelines to support self-service.

  • Engagement in strategic discussions elevates the role of design within the organization.

  • Small iterative changes in measurement can lead to significant shifts in perception.

Notable Quotes

"Design should not just be about polishing wireframes, but about connecting user goals with business goals."

"Design is a team sport; include your product and engineering peers in the design process."

"If you don't measure, did it really make an impact?"

"Approach your work like a business person with design skills, rather than a designer in a business."

"Find the connection between user dissatisfaction and negative business metrics."

"Instead of saying no, ask why to better understand the issues."

"Using design to solve business problems can enhance collaboration and productivity."

"This process got UX into the kitchen, not just allowed us to taste the cake."

"Measuring design effectiveness starts with establishing relevant metrics and socializing outcomes."

"If you only try one idea from this talk, start with measuring your work."

More Videos

"Bringing numbers into storytelling can show the direct correlation between design issues and revenue loss."

Panel Discussion: Communicating the Value of DesignOps

November 7, 2018

Jeff Sussna

"Design thinking and cloud computing profoundly changed my approach to work."

Jeff Sussna

What DesignOps Can Learn From DevOps

November 6, 2017

Veevi Rosenstein

"Each project was independent and not visible to other product managers, leading to customer fatigue."

Veevi Rosenstein

Building for Scale: Creating the Zendesk UX Research Practice

January 8, 2024

Ellen Chisa

"I wrote a blog post called Can We Talk about the PM Designer Tension nearly 10 years ago."

Ellen Chisa

The Values of Design

November 29, 2023

Kit Unger

"Corporate design maturity is the level that businesses incorporate design practices into their overall ways of working."

Kit Unger

Theme 2: Introduction

June 10, 2021

Peter Van Dijck

"You should get good at prompt engineering, but do that by just using AI a lot."

Peter Van Dijck

Designing AI-first products on top of a rapidly evolving technology

June 10, 2025

Sara Asche Anderson

"When you're looking at whatever measures you use, if you're chasing the outcome but not focusing on the means to get there, it's going to be pretty rough."

Sara Asche Anderson Jamie Kaspszak

Not Your Ordinary Re-Brand: Design's Path to Driving Customer Obsession at Best Buy

January 8, 2024

Josh Clark

"Trust in AI must be complemented with a healthy skepticism."

Josh Clark Veronika Kindred

Sentient Design: New Design Patterns for New Experiences (3rd of 3 seminars)

February 12, 2025

Wyatt Hayman

"Researchers can actually check their assumptions prior to launching bigger studies now."

Wyatt Hayman

Global Research Panels

August 8, 2020