Summary
Scaling design is hard. Scaling design across an established enterprise with more than a century of history and a global workforce of over 70,000 non-designers is even harder. To scale design at that level, you need to anchor people’s identity in design: that’s the power of community. Communities bring people together around a shared vision and purpose. By embracing community, you can create more scalable, human-centered experiences regardless of your industry, location, or design expertise. I’m excited to share what I’ve learned building and scaling ExxonMobil’s Design Community and share how you can do the same.
Key Insights
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Community is essential to scale design thinking beyond just designers.
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A user-centered approach distinguishes design practices from traditional technical design in non-design industries.
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Building a design community involves setting clear, actionable goals that align with the company's vision.
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Participation in the design community is open to all employees, emphasizing that anyone can contribute to design.
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Establishing rituals and a supportive culture is crucial for sustaining engagement in a design community.
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Championing design among non-designers accelerates innovation and creative problem-solving.
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Training non-designers in design principles leads to greater collaboration and a human-centered mindset.
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Feedback loops are vital to constantly improve the community and the design practice.
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Leveraging diverse backgrounds within the community enriches the design process and outcomes.
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Creating a playful environment helps in fostering creativity and a positive approach to design.
Notable Quotes
"Design is hard, but failing design across an established enterprise is even harder."
"Our goal wasn’t necessarily to convert them to designers, but to help them apply design to solve wicked problems."
"What if we created a social experience around shared values that anchored both identity and user-centered design?"
"The aim is to inspire people to create change through design and iterate to make more impact together."
"We wanted to spread this mindset across ExxonMobile."
"Each local chapter has community leads responsible for all events and activities."
"Most of our classes aren’t even taught in English, based on local needs."
"Professional development opens people to new ideas and increases their expertise."
"Creating opportunities at scale can sometimes face pushback, but tying them back to our vision helps succeed."
"We constantly collect feedback to improve our community and design practice."
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