Key Insights

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  Over 90% of ExxonMobil's design community members are non-designers, emphasizing that design mindset can be scaled beyond traditional roles.

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  Creating a user-centered design 101 class was key to introducing non-designers at ExxonMobil to human-centered design principles.

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  Framing design distinctly from technical engineering helped clarify its value and purpose in a traditional enterprise.

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  Lona Moore views her role as a 'design tour guide,' enabling rather than directing, and guiding people through design journeys without formal authority.

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  Local design chapters across over 30 countries are largely self-sustaining and led by passionate non-designers who also become trainers and champions.

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  Playful activities like role-playing games foster psychological safety and creativity, linking fun directly to business value by sparking new thinking.

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  Leadership endorsement and quantifying design’s impact in business terms were critical to gaining enterprise-wide buy-in.

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  The community uses rituals and social experiences to reinforce shared values and create a human-centered culture across organizational boundaries.

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  Scaling design requires planting long-term goals alongside short-term wins and focusing on measurable progress and feedback.

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  Evolving the design community manager role to reflect growing responsibilities helped formalize design career paths and increase strategic impact.

Notable Quotes