Summary
Recent advances in AI, ML and robotics have many wondering: Will there be no work left for humans to do? As long as we need to deal with climate change, protect wildlife and fragile ecology, feed the world, end disease, resettle refugees, and educate the next generation, there clearly is plenty of work for us all. The more important question is: Are organizations responsible for delivering returns to their shareholders regardless of social, environmental, and human consequences? The good news is that a new type of organization is emerging, one that delivers not just financial returns but serves the greater good of society they operate in.
Key Insights
-
•
The shift from profit-only business goals to societal contribution is changing enterprise missions and success metrics.
-
•
AI and automation will take over simple, codifiable tasks, leaving humans with more complex, strategic work.
-
•
Enterprise design skills are highly transferable to social impact work, as shown by Janaki’s NGO experience.
-
•
Systems thinking allows designers to create sustainable solutions by understanding the interconnectedness of processes and stakeholders.
-
•
Silos exist even in small NGOs and breaking them is critical for effective collaboration and innovation.
-
•
Fighting for the underdog means advocating for better user experiences even when purchasing decisions focus on features.
-
•
Effective communication requires repetition and patience to bridge gaps between message sender and receiver.
-
•
Cross-functional, diverse teams foster better solution co-creation by incorporating multiple perspectives.
-
•
Purpose-driven enterprises will demand workers to continuously develop skills suited for complexity and ambiguity.
-
•
Design thinking’s mindset of divergent and convergent thinking is essential for innovation across contexts.
Notable Quotes
"There is still so much work to be done: from dealing with climate change, protecting wildlife, rebuilding infrastructure, feeding the world, ending disease."
"Larry Fink said that to prosper over time, companies must deliver financial performance and show positive contribution to society."
"When the role of business changes, the mission and metrics must change to include societal impact."
"Human tasks will become more complex and multi-dimensional as simple tasks get automated."
"Our first superpower is systems thinking — thinking about interconnections that are often invisible but vital."
"Silos are inevitable but as enterprise designers, we find ways to work across them to get our job done."
"Fighting for the underdog means making the case for user experience in language that resonates with decision makers."
"The biggest mistake in communication is the illusion that it has happened."
"When you’re passionate about a topic, you hear the song loudly in your head; the listener just hears clapping."
"The tasks left for humans after automation will be strategic, multifaceted, creative, and complex."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Screen readers let us jump from one heading to another, replicating the experience of skimming a page visually."
Sam ProulxSUS: A System Unusable for Twenty Percent of the Population
December 9, 2021
"Government is seven plus years behind industry – not bleeding edge, more like the dull butter knife edge."
Michael LandEstablishing Design Operations in Government
February 18, 2021
"Our one metric that mattered was maximizing the number of VOС-tagged tickets solved – showing customer feedback made it to the roadmap."
Shipra KayanHow we Built a VoC (Voice of the Customer) Practice at Upwork from the Ground Up
September 30, 2021
"People care about titles way too much. I had a guy whose business card said star-bellied sneak—love that."
Ian SwinsonDesigning and Driving UX Careers
June 8, 2016
"A lot of our work still happens in spreadsheets, because they’re flexible and dynamic."
Isaac HeyveldExpand DesignOps Leadership as a Chief of Staff
September 8, 2022
"Stepping into the shoes of design gave stakeholders a new admiration for the design process and strengthened our relationship."
Amy EvansHow to Create Change
September 25, 2024
"You should take risks, and if you fail, you need to fail fast and pivot immediately."
Kate Koch Prateek KalliFlex Your Super Powers: When a Design Ops Team Scales to Power CX
September 30, 2021
"The only way to get outside your bubble is to act as if an alternative belief is true and test it."
Dave GrayLiminal Thinking: Sense-making for systems in large organizations
May 14, 2015
"Durable insights can emerge organically based on usage and referencing patterns in the system."
Matt DuignanAtomizing Research: Trend or Trap
March 30, 2020
