Bridging the Divide

Through his work as both a startup advisor and design leadership coach, Andy has seen the dynamic from both sides. From designers he sees a passionate group of craftspeople who care deeply about their users and want to do the right thing. They want to do deep dive research, understand user needs and deliver the best product possible. However these same designers often feel thwarted at every turn by a leadership team who don’t seem to care about design and are happy to launch mediocre work.

At the same time he’s seen founders who are desperately trying to build products their users fall in love with, and who care deeply about the quality of the products they ship. However they regularly come up against designers who seem too focused on process, who feel unable to move forwards without doing a ton of extraneous work, and are quickly becoming a blocker to the success of the product.

What the hell is going on here?

In this talk, Andy explores the different mental models which are contributing to this unhelpful schism, and outlines how designers can use some of their legendary empathy and problem solving skills to bridge this gap, and in doing so lead to a happier and more productive workplace, and a better outcomes for all.

At the end of this session you will...

• Gain a better insight into the needs of your business stakeholders
• Develop more fluency in the language of business
• Learn how to position design as a speed enhancer rather than a speed bump
• Improve your ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Make sure that when design gets a “seat at the table” it’s a grown up seat rather than a high chair.

This session is suitable for UX professionals of all levels of experience