Summary
What is resilient enterprise design, and how can you incorporate it into your own enterprise organization? Craig Villamor is the VP of Product Experience & Design at AppDynamics and he talks about applying context and practicality to enterprise UX design to build resiliency.
Key Insights
-
•
Enterprise design must account for complex organizational contexts, not just individual user happiness.
-
•
Resilience in design means creating systems that flex and adapt under stress rather than breaking.
-
•
Customization is essential in enterprise software for companies to express their brand, culture, and workflows.
-
•
Loss of design control due to device variety and user customization requires influence over user behavior rather than strict enforcement.
-
•
Design principles are crucial to reduce indecision and provide a clear framework for decision-making in complex projects.
-
•
Prioritizing clarity over consistency can lead to better user experience outcomes.
-
•
Successful platforms often start by solving specific, concrete problems before generalizing widely.
-
•
Design systems function as living products that maintain consistency, flexibility, and scale across an ecosystem, including users.
-
•
Making it significantly easier to do the right thing drives adoption and behavior change in design.
-
•
Modeling real-world scenarios and anticipating customization scenarios helps create resilient, flexible enterprise applications.
Notable Quotes
"In the enterprise, it’s really about make me effective taking into account non-user personas as well as the individual."
"My boss might be looking over my shoulder and see nothing but red and think I’m not doing my job."
"Designing for the real world means dealing with practical constraints and making refinements in the face of compromise."
"We’re really passionate about our craft but we’re not in control — that’s a shared hallucination we must give up."
"If you design for everyone, no one is satisfied — start with specific solutions then generalize."
"The highest paid person’s opinion, or HIPPO, often makes decisions in the absence of principles and insights."
"Make it difficult to create ugly presentations — make it ten times easier to do the right thing."
"What happens when a user customizes the UI? Does the experience break? This is the question to ask."
"A style guide is an artifact, but a design system is a living, funded product with a roadmap serving an ecosystem."
"Resilient design needs to bend without breaking — to survive stresses while still delivering value."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Gaming is often framed as this sort of subculture that only gamers do."
Deanna MitchellDesigning with culture: Unlocking impactful insights for Product and UX
March 12, 2025
"Measurement is not just about tools but about an intentional strategy with a flexible framework."
Kristin Skinner Kamdyn Moore8 Types of Measures in Design Operations
April 16, 2020
"Clients often want flashy autoplay video even though it negatively impacts performance and sustainability."
Nick LewisDesigning and building low-carbon websites independently
November 18, 2025
"We balance AI speed with human depth to maximize value without sacrificing empathy or rigor."
Gillian Salerno-Rebic Mark MicheliFrom Insight to Impact: How JourneySpark Used WEVO Pulse + Pro to Drive a 50% Lift in Ad Engagement
June 11, 2025
"Web3 offers a unique chance to get involved early before some of the ethical challenges of Web2 take root."
Tricia WangThe most popular design thinking strategy is BS
January 27, 2022
"Purpose is a super important word—understanding what a person is trying to get done, not just their behavior."
Indi YoungPaying Better Attention to the Problem with Indi Young
December 12, 2019
"We want to do no harm — collecting sensitive data requires care about how it’s used, shared, and stored."
Amy Paris Danielle ThierryDelivering Equity: Government Services for All Ages, Languages, Sexual Orientations, and Gender Identities
December 9, 2021
"Make yourself the magnet. Be the person who models adaptive learning so others want to join."
Jen BriselliLearning is the north star: service design for adaptive capacity
November 19, 2025
"Don't just flip the switch and say go talk to customers; you have to set guardrails and train people."
Janelle EstesUX Research Trends
January 28, 2021
