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.
Making the Invisible Visible: The most critical deliverable isn't always the design
This video is featured in the UX Watch Party playlist.
Summary
Key Insights
-
•
Visibility creates accountability, which can drive organizational change.
-
•
Organizational blind spots often stem from unexamined assumptions and lack of reflective practices.
-
•
Double-loop learning interrogates underlying assumptions, unlike single-loop learning, which only fixes symptoms.
-
•
Visual anchor objects (e.g., journey maps, experience models) help externalize conflicts and depersonalize disagreements.
-
•
Anchor objects invite collaboration by being just detailed enough to argue with the artifact, not the people.
-
•
Psychological safety is critical to surface invisible issues and protect the messenger.
-
•
The ‘invisible’ in AI—like biases and opaque processes—requires deliberate sense-making and ethical scrutiny.
-
•
Naming vulnerabilities openly can foster trust and make difficult conversations more productive.
-
•
Coalitions formed through workshops and collaboration are essential to support courageous transparency.
-
•
Ethical responsibility in design and AI involves recognizing cascading second- and third-order effects and acting with care.
Notable Quotes
"Visibility creates accountability, and accountability can, hopefully, sometimes create change."
"Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it."
"The difference between single-loop and double-loop learning is the difference between looking through your lens and looking at your lens."
"Anchor objects open up the conversation while focusing it at the same time."
"The argument is not between the people, it’s an argument with the thing."
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
"Courage is the new charisma."
"Psychological safety is still a massive problem in organizations."
"We want radical transparency while adopting radically opaque technology."
"Making the invisible visible is not just good design; it’s sense-making as care."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Moving fast isn’t just breaking things, it’s actually breaking people."
Rachael Dietkus, LCSWThe power to heal and harm
March 13, 2025
"Innovation is very much a team sport."
Laura KleinUnique challenges of innovation in enterprises
April 23, 2020
"We seldom question whose table we want a seat at or why we don’t rebuild the entire table altogether."
Megan Blocker Lada Gorlenko Fatimah Richmond Molly StevensWhat UX research maturity looks like and how we get there [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
November 9, 2023
"Working in pixels, we still have fingerprints. You all have a style. That’s a great thing."
Gretchen AndersonScaling the Human Center
June 8, 2017
"Breaking down silos requires aligning people around a singular customer problem so they have to talk to each other."
Scher Foord Corey Greenltch Sarah RoweTurn the Ship Around: How to Apply Design Thinking Across Your Organization
June 10, 2021
"Research is no longer just a box to check; it is becoming a strategic pillar."
Jane DavisStrategic Shifts and Innovations in User Research: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities
March 11, 2025
"Vibe coding, the blurring of roles, creates a competitive advantage because there is less complex communication."
Jess GrecoClaiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice
March 13, 2025
"Today marks both an end and a beginning for civic design as a field and community."
Charlotte LeeTheme 1 Intro
December 8, 2021
"Empathy is how you can more safely acknowledge that failure comes for us all."
Steve PortigalWar Stories LIVE! Steve Portigal
March 30, 2020
