Summary
In this engaging session, Maria, Megan, and Hannah share their experiences applying UX and change management methodologies within complex organizations like McKinsey, rail transit systems, and tech-driven environments. Maria highlights the value of user empathy and evolving goals in large projects, like the rail system redevelopment, emphasizing intuition and user connection beyond just end customers. Megan discusses the importance of building open, editable playbooks that evolve through team contribution, stressing the need for balancing following rules and embracing scrappy innovation. Hannah introduces the concept of positive deviants, people who naturally exhibit better behaviors on the margins, and explains the importance of leveraging community and social proof to scale those behaviors rather than imposing top-down change. Together, they explore managing designer burnout through diverse challenges, work-life balance, and experiential learning such as field trips. The panelists also address maintaining optimism amid messy change by focusing on advocates and achievable impact areas rather than forcing universal adoption. They share tactical insights on setting flexible timelines within agile frameworks and choosing when to persist or pivot in organizational battles, weighing impact against effort. Their perspectives offer practical guidance on sustaining momentum, fostering inclusive culture, and evolving UX practices in fast-paced, mission-critical environments.
Key Insights
-
•
Open, editable playbooks encourage continuous improvement and team ownership.
-
•
Positive deviants provide powerful, community-driven models for scalable change.
-
•
Change is more successful when it leverages existing behaviors rather than imposing new ones.
-
•
Avoiding designer burnout requires variety in work and strong emphasis on work-life balance.
-
•
Physical user engagement, like field trips, recharges designers and grounds empathy.
-
•
Choosing the right 'hill to die on' depends on an impact versus effort analysis.
-
•
Success metrics vary widely between organizations, making adaptable frameworks essential.
-
•
Focusing on advocates accelerates adoption even when others remain skeptical.
-
•
Deadlines should be ambitious but flexible, acknowledging discovery and learning.
-
•
Building change from within the community fosters social proof and sustains adoption.
Notable Quotes
"If I can't make the actual playbook available, I'm very happy to talk about what it consists of and how we did it."
"It's all of our job to question why we’re doing what we’re doing and how we’re doing it."
"We keep our playbook in a place where anyone can edit it from the team."
"Positive deviants operate on the fringes and get the best results by doing things differently."
"Change has to come from within, social proof is key."
"Sometimes you just need to do something completely different than what you’re working on."
"We pick our battles and show what a great party it is without worrying about pulling everyone in."
"I am uncomfortable too. Change is uncomfortable, exhausting, but it can also be fun and exciting."
"It’s not a fight; it’s about finding that soft spot where people are already trying to do something."
"We set deadlines but accept that we don’t always make them, and that’s okay."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If it’s not sold at Amazon or Costco, it’s probably not in my house — not because I love those companies but because of their consistency."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
November 29, 2023
"You can look at a company’s impact reports and funding sources to sniff out if something feels too good to be true."
Max Gadney Andrea Petrucci Joshua Stehr Hannah WickesAssessing UX jobs for impact in climate
August 14, 2024
"People crave real connection, but not forced fun or extra Zooms—so we embed play into existing meetings."
Shipra Kayan Tess DixonHow Tess Dixon Facilitates Team Engagement and Collaboration at Condé Nast Using Miro
October 1, 2021
"Always ask what teams are going to get for free — they’re more motivated if they see value in participating."
Bob Baxley Sara Asche Anderson Sharon Bautista Frank Duran Jamie Kaspszak Abbey Smalley Sylas SouzaTheme 4: Discussion
January 8, 2024
"Our first superpower is systems thinking — thinking about interconnections that are often invisible but vital."
Janaki KumarInnovate with Purpose
June 14, 2018
"I like to think of myself as a DJ at a party, amplifying the power of design so more people can dance to the future."
Lona MooreScaling Design Beyond Designers
June 11, 2021
"You want to flex one or two variables to create range scenarios—best case, middle case, and worst case."
Giff ConstableFinancial fluency for product leaders: AMA with Giff Constable
April 11, 2024
"Relational design privileges relationships and reciprocity not only between people but also with rivers, mountains, and animals."
Meghan Hellstern Joanne DongThe Next 100 Years of Civic Design: How Might We Better Rise to Meet the Challenges of Today and Tomorrow?
December 10, 2021
"Never build or buy an everything chat bot again; start with less ambiguous, targeted AI experiences."
Sarah BarrettAI in Real Life: Using LLMs to Turbocharge Microsoft Learn
February 13, 2025
