Summary
In large organizations, design is often sparse or intentionally decentralized in a way that places it subservient to Product and Engineering—and ultimately limits its potential for impact. Knowing that, is it possible to create a basis for change? How might we address the decentralization of design with the goal of increasing design maturity and producing better outcomes? How can we apply the design process organization-wide and across silos? In this session, Jess Greco will discuss how the team at Mastercard is approaching change management through the lens of: Individuals and their needs The organization and its needs Efforts to align those two sets of needs Jess will also share results of Mastercard’s experimental Customer Experience Design Guild; investments in Learning & Development; and Guild-wide efforts to reframe how the organization views the practices and processes that support human-centered design.
Key Insights
-
•
MasterCard's design transformation is driven by the urgent need for new products to succeed independently due to decreased reliance on legacy revenue.
-
•
The Customer Experience and Design Guild connects isolated designers across global teams, providing community, advocacy, and tools for better design practices.
-
•
The skills inventory linked to the career framework allows evidence-based planning and leadership buy-in for targeted learning and development.
-
•
Three distinct organizational models coexist at MasterCard with varying levels of design maturity: embedded teams, decentralized networks, and tiny teams often lacking differentiation skills.
-
•
Relying on single designers performing multiple jobs ('unicorns') limits design impact and hinders differentiated product outcomes.
-
•
Shifting organizational incentives to require customer-centric outcomes from product teams increases accountability and business alignment.
-
•
The Guild's influence expands beyond community-building to shaping staffing, hiring, product development frameworks, and cross-functional partnerships.
-
•
Master classes launched during Jess’s parental leave train product and business teams on design fundamentals to foster a shared understanding of what good design entails.
-
•
The company-wide design conference engages hundreds of participants, aligning content directly to skills inventory findings and practical ways of working.
-
•
Integrating skills assessment with existing frameworks and cross-group stakeholder engagement is critical to gaining broad support and reducing resistance.
Notable Quotes
"The business doesn’t just want to do design better; they want the outcomes that design can make possible."
"We need to get better at betting new products will stand on their own sooner rather than later."
"Designing for differentiation can create constructive friction with partners who have different ideas about what design and research are for."
"Without attribution you can’t get funding, and if it’s not funded, it’s not a priority."
"Strong product outcomes are about quality of customer understanding and collaboration, not just the artifacts we make."
"Some teams rely heavily on one or two designers who can do a bit of everything, but their depth is limited compared to core disciplines."
"We can’t force people to partner with design, but if partnering makes it easier to meet framework requirements, that’s a win for everyone."
"Changing outcomes means changing incentives on all fronts to shift the culture effectively."
"Connecting the skills inventory to the career framework was crucial to getting buy-in across functions."
"The Guild is much more than a community; it’s actively driving standards and creating conditions for success across the company."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"A living systems lens urges us to see wholes, holes, and interdependent relationships in organizations."
Robin BeersNavigating organizational systems: Rethinking researcher’s role in driving change
March 13, 2025
"Don’t be afraid to keep knocking on their door or follow up, even if there are too many messages to answer in a day."
Laura SchaeferDesignOps: A Conduit for Inclusion
September 9, 2022
"Accessibility is a better sell than sustainability when engaging clients."
Ned Gartside Mike Gifford Zoe Lopez-Latorre Tzviya SiegmanNavigating accessibility and climate
April 17, 2024
"Hallucinations are when AI makes up stuff—it's a fundamental property of these models."
Peter Van DijckDesigning AI-first products on top of a rapidly evolving technology
June 10, 2025
"Online, our bodies become transparent, reducing barriers and allowing for more intimate and open collaboration."
Surya VankaUnleashing Swarm Creativity to Solve Enterprise Challenges
June 10, 2021
"Remote collaborative journey mapping is possible but requires seeing participants’ hands and having a scribe to keep pace."
Jemma AhmedConvergent Research Techniques in Customer Journey Mapping
March 31, 2020
"Some companies have gotten ahead by making 100% remote work an official policy, which is a big advantage in hiring."
DesignOps and The Great Talent War of 2021
August 19, 2021
"Why do you call branches stores? Are you there to help me with my finances or to sell me something I don’t need or want?"
Robin BeersBeyond Insights: Researchers as Organizational Change Catalysts
March 25, 2024
"Change has to come from within, social proof is key."
Maria SkaadenPanel Discussion: Methodologies and Work Environments
November 8, 2018
