Summary
We have all heard the old saying “communication is key” but as the landscape of technology widens so do the options we have for communication tools using that technology. To talk about the challenges and opportunities that our organizations face when solving the communication conundrum, we have invited three people working in three different areas where communication is key for organizations with designers: research insights, workflow management and design systems management. Facilitated by Abby Covert.
Key Insights
-
•
Design operations suffer from too many fragmented tools and need unified systems.
-
•
Users want collaborative tools that filter noise and surface only what's important.
-
•
Collaboration in companies requires control mechanisms such as approvals and private comments, contradicting the idea of anarchy.
-
•
Integration between design and development is hindered by translation losses between design and code.
-
•
True agile and cross-functional collaboration are rare due to team turnover and lack of trust.
-
•
Collaborative tools have democratized feedback, increasing ownership across teams.
-
•
Different roles like designers, engineers, and business analysts have distinct needs from design tools.
-
•
Customization of collaborative tools and workflows is essential to fit diverse team processes.
-
•
AI and design systems combined with research can enable automated, smarter design decisions.
-
•
Future collaboration tools should respect users' focus time and reduce constant interruptions.
Notable Quotes
"There are too many things all over the place. I would like to use my magic wand for making them one system."
"A lot of these tools bring more noise into people’s day to day lives. It’s really hard to stay involved and still find time to get your own job done."
"Collaboration is actually not anarchy in companies. There’s always this need for control."
"Translation is a traitor because meaning is lost in translation between design and code."
"The dream of cross-functional agile collaboration is there, but it’s quite hard to realize that because teams don’t have enough time to build trust."
"With collaborative tools, feedback has become a democratic process, and people feel more ownership of the project."
"Design is not only limited to designers. Business analysts and engineers can design too, supported by designers."
"The hardest thing is knowing when to stop talking about something and start building it."
"Eventually, I expect AI to help create designs by combining patterns from meta design systems and research, making design more about crafting experiences."
"I want my collaboration tool to be like the Nest thermostat of my workday, knowing when I’m heads down and when I’m open to communication."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Tradecraft is the making stuff, stagecraft is a kind of cross-functional therapy, and statecraft is organizational diplomacy."
Uday GajendarThe Rise of Meta-Design: A Starter Playbook
May 19, 2022
"Organizational DNA includes formal behaviors like policies and informal ones like communication styles that software must match."
Robert ReimannTaming Design Complexity with UX Models
June 8, 2017
"Ops-first means standardizing processes so we can scale and onboard new team members quickly."
Clemens Janssen Jane DavisEfficiently Scaling Research as a Team of One
March 28, 2023
"PI Planning really helps visualize dependencies between teams, which was invisible before."
Jack MoffettSAFe or Sorry?
May 29, 2019
"We're borrowing from video game design: simplified layouts, spatial sound, and haptics to enhance user experience."
Teresa SwinglerLook, Up in the Sky! UX/UI for Aerospace
October 27, 2022
"With LLMs, the product itself is no longer a dependent variable; experiences diverge per user."
Katie JohnsonDisrupting generative AI products with just-in-time consumer insights
June 4, 2024
"Having one centralized repository aligned with our culture and values made the most sense for us."
Michelle Bejian Lotia Anne-Marie MorellRolling Out a Repository: How Zapier Centralizes Insights from Across their Organization
March 28, 2023
"Our understanding of truth is being reshaped due to the rise of disinformation."
Noah BondRedefining truth and inclusivity: Navigating data ownership and ethical research in the age of disinformation
March 11, 2025
"Unfortunately, that was very good."
Dan WillisEnterprise Storytelling Sessions
June 8, 2017
