Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
Designers are known for their ability to make connections—to take in a wide variety of diverse data points and find meaning through patterns and associations. As designers in enterprise, we can use this ability to be more effective partners and leaders. In his journey with design at ExxonMobil, Nick Cochran has thrived on finding and making these organizational connections. This talk highlights how he has used this ability, featuring examples of connections made and some he wished were made sooner. He also shares some practical methods to collect these data points so that more valuable connections can be made.
Key Insights
-
•
A motivated, continuous effort to make connections helps designers bring clarity to enterprise chaos.
-
•
Early experiences with simple connections can profoundly impact career and personal growth.
-
•
Enterprise design practices grow faster and stronger when internal communities nurture passion and skills.
-
•
Design systems, like ExxonMobil’s Unity, can facilitate cross-team collaboration beyond just UI consistency.
-
•
Treating every conversation as a chance to connect disrupts isolation caused by silos.
-
•
Exploring connections outside one’s immediate team or discipline uncovers hidden opportunities.
-
•
Leaders play a critical role by dedicating resources and encouraging participation in connection-building.
-
•
Inviting colleagues from other disciplines into user research and design processes fosters empathy and smoother collaboration.
-
•
Sharing insights with context improves adoption and impact, rather than sharing bare resources.
-
•
Onboarding and informal social interactions help embed connection-making culture early in team growth.
Notable Quotes
"Working in Enterprise can feel like chaos."
"Making a simple connection and acting on it changed the course of my life for the better."
"Sense making is a motivated continuous effort to understand connections and act effectively."
"Treat every conversation as an opportunity to make new connections."
"A design system helped us connect developers and designers together in community."
"Leaders have the additional responsibility to create space for conversations."
"Don't just throw a URL at someone without context, explain why it’s interesting."
"Don’t make it about you. Put the spotlight on your colleagues and team members."
"Seeking out new connections beyond your silo can reveal new opportunities."
"As leaders, spending one-on-ones with managers can cascade connection-making culture down to teams."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"No amount of clearer presentation or communications is going to solve this; it’s a cooperation problem."
Kurt McCullochFaster alone, further together: Rebuilding collaboration in the age of AI research
March 10, 2026
"It took competitors over seven years to catch up to where Apple is with voice dictation and accessibility."
Sam ProulxTo Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
November 18, 2022
"We may need to borrow research techniques from journalists, actuaries, epidemiologists, ethicists, and science fiction writers."
Leah BuleyClosing Plenary: The Crisis of Digital
March 31, 2020
"I wrote the book because people have a lot of questions about how to become a product manager or how to work with product managers or what is product."
Christian CrumlishIntroduction by our Conference Chair
December 6, 2022
"We need just enough structure and no more to avoid chaos or stifling control."
Stephen AndersonPuzzled? How to Coordinate Humans for Complex Challenges
May 27, 2021
"Design annotations in handoffs prevent accessibility details from getting lost between designers and developers."
Gabriela BarnevaOperationalizing Inclusive Design in Service Design
November 20, 2025
"AI tech debt has compounding interest to it."
Jay BustamanteNavigating the Ethical Frontier: DesignOps Strategies for Responsible AI Innovation
October 2, 2023
"Ethical considerations should go beyond typical privacy reviews and think deeply about user impact throughout the process."
Chris EngledowlA Mixed Method Approach to Validity to Help Build Trust
April 28, 2023
"Beliefs are habits of action; they are the rules that guide how we decide to act."
Dave GrayLiminal Thinking: Sense-making for systems in large organizations
May 14, 2015
