Summary
All organizations have a design operating model. But not all organizations are intentional about creating it. It gets established by accident. Design gets fitted around other priorities of business or technology. As a result, organizations struggle to create valuable experiences for customers. This is why organizations need to design their design operating model.
Key Insights
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Deliberate creation of design operating models improves collaboration among design, business, and technology.
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Design should not be an afterthought or merely a means to fix existing products.
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Effective design models focus on customer outcomes rather than just outputs.
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The importance of cross-pollination among teams to avoid redundancy and achieve consistency.
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Adopting an integrated approach empowers teams to work toward common goals effectively.
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Identifying levers of change within people, processes, and organizational structures can catalyze design improvement.
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Creating space for creativity is crucial to protect the time and energy of design teams.
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Continuous communication and selling of the design value proposition is necessary for organizational buy-in.
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Design operating models must evolve over time to remain effective and relevant.
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Good design practices require alignment within design teams and across the organization.
Notable Quotes
"Every organization has a design operating model, but not all organizations are intentional about creating it."
"We can't assume everyone understands design and how it works with business and technology."
"Design is about collaboration between different roles and expertise to create extraordinary experiences."
"The customer should be at the center of everything we do with the whole organization, not just designers."
"It's essential to create the conditions where design flourishes and becomes a cross-practice collaboration."
"Many organizations acknowledge customer centricity but fail to execute on it effectively."
"We need to engage product teams, business, and technology in focusing on customer value, not output."
"Design needs to be positioned as a first thought rather than a fixing function."
"It's critical to save time and resources by integrating design early in the product development process."
"Leadership should not divide work by department but instead unite around common goals."
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