Author: Jesse James Garrett
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Design’s “Little Sister” problem: Cynthia Savard Saucier on Finding Our Way
Throughout my career, UX design has been the underdog: perpetually misunderstood, left out, pushed around, denied credit, and always the least influential and most ignored voice in the room. And when I coach design leaders, many of their aspirations revolve around finding a way to change that equation. I thought of these aspirations while talking…
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Airbnb’s missing leg of the stool
Many of you probably remember Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s sweeping declaration at last year’s Config that he had eliminated the traditional product management function in favor of giving more authority to designers. But if you were busy over the holidays, you might have missed his followup conversation on Lenny Rachitsky’s podcast. I found what he said there…
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Mandate without authority: Colt Whittall on Finding Our Way
You’ve been appointed Chief Experience Officer with a mandate to transform a huge global organization. There’s just one catch: you have no budget, no headcount, and no direct authority. Now what? Colt Whittall faced just such a challenge as the first CXO for the U.S. Air Force. On the latest episode of Finding Our Way,…
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Driving holistic vision: Rajat Shail on Finding Our Way
The Season 4 premiere of our design leadership podcast Finding Our Way has arrived! This season, Peter Merholz and I are talking to a whole new group of design leaders nominated by our listeners. Our first conversation is with Rajat Shail of Vivint, a traditionally trained industrial designer whose career has put him at the…
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The Vision Thing
“I know I need to show up with a vision here,” my client said. “I just get stuck on one question: What the heck is a vision anyway?” It’s a common puzzle: Every leader feels bringing vision to their work is an important part of the job, but it can be hard to put your…
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The path to the C-level
It’s exciting to hear about so many companies naming new Chief Design Officers for the first time. But for many design leaders, the path to that role is far from clear. The truth is that no one gets promoted to the executive level as a reward for their past accomplishments. They’re not going to grant…
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Design’s value and design’s values
The cultural disconnection between design and the rest of the organization is one of the biggest recurring issues I see among my leadership coaching clients these days. It’s a risk to the success of products, teams, and leaders alike. Don’t get me wrong: Design is a distinct function that tends to need its own distinct…
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Politics
Politics. The very word conjures a whole host of negative associations: hidden agendas, backroom deals, manipulation and deceit. It’s no wonder so many senior leaders don’t want to see themselves as political people, even at the executive level. One of the worst things you can say about a decision is that it was “politically motivated”.…
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On Airbnb realigning product and design
So let’s talk about Brian Chesky, and what he had to say about product and design at Config last month. Chesky made a stir in both communities when he declared that Airbnb “got rid of the classic product management function” in favor of an Apple-style approach putting design in the driver’s seat. The reaction in…
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Be your own executive stakeholder
“How often are you meeting with the head of design?” A long pause. “Um… I’m not?” “Why not? It’s one of the most important executive functions, isn’t it?” “Well, of course, but…” “You meet with the head of product every week, the head of engineering every other. Isn’t the head of design worthy of the…
Jesse James Garrett 