Summary
Teams Work How People Work You’re part of a cross-functional team dedicated to creating an amazing product experience. You’re an essential piece of a larger puzzle. But how does your piece mesh with all the others? This first-of-its-kind interactive session will blend improvisation, audience participation, panel-style discussion, and more to explore the inner dynamics of cross-functional enterprise teams. We’ll illustrate a few best (and probably a few worst) practices, and you’ll walk away with a new found understanding for your colleagues and a renewed sense of ways to make the fit between your different roles clearer and more effective. Participating in this session: - Christian Crumlish, Head of Product, 7 Cups - Jacqui Frey, Director of Design Operations, MailChimp - Kristina Halvorson, Founder, CEO, Brain Traffic - Jamie Janssen, Research Manager for Shared Rides, Uber Technologies, Inc - Ramya Mahalingam, Associate Design Director, McKinsey & Company - Adam Penly, Lead Frontend Architect, Capital One
Key Insights
-
•
Conflict can be viewed as a zero-sum game where one team's win is another's loss, or as creative tension that fosters innovative outcomes.
-
•
Fostering open communication and collaboration between designers and engineers is crucial for effective product development.
-
•
Understanding different roles and their challenges can help mitigate conflicts and enhance teamwork.
-
•
Engaging stakeholders early in the design process can lead to better alignment and understanding of goals.
-
•
Improvisation exercises can effectively illustrate team dynamics and encourage creative thinking.
Notable Quotes
"We're going to explore those relationships through improvising around a fictional product."
"Think of a string on an instrument... it plays exactly the right note when tension is balanced."
"It's about having the right conversations at the right time to include everyone in the vision."
"Sometimes it’s about leading with empathy, learning about stakeholders' pressures."
"Content is the fuel driving the experience; leadership must acknowledge its value."
More Videos
"The world is on fire, and we as designers have the potential to be brave and do the work that includes everyone."
Jennifer Strickland Lesley-Ann NoelFireside Chat: How Design Addresses a World on Fire
March 18, 2022
"Regularly revisit the rules of your design system; they might not apply as your product evolves."
Jaime CreixemsBest Practices when Creating and Maintaining a Design System
June 7, 2023
"Understanding trauma means recognizing that it's a response to experiences that overwhelm an individual."
Uday Gajendar Rachael Dietkus, LCSW Dr. Dawn Emerick Dawn E. Shedrick, LCSWLeading through the long tail of trauma
July 13, 2022
"Half of the trust signals tested had a statistically significant positive effect on overall trust in Thumbtack."
Katie HansenExperimental research: techniques for deep, psychology-driven insights
March 12, 2025
"What parts of our visibility spectrum are we ignoring?"
Dave MaloufTheme 3: Introduction and Provocation
January 8, 2024
"We need to think about relationships, not just components."
Jeff SussnaWhat DesignOps Can Learn From DevOps
November 6, 2017
"The practice of design doesn't neatly break up into compartmental units like code does."
Dave MaloufClosing Keynote: Amplify. Not Optimize.
October 24, 2019
"The more participation, the better is a simplified view of what participation can mean."
Sarah FathallahA Typology of Participation in Participatory Research
March 28, 2023
"The stereotypes we hold about certain groups guide our research process"
Alba VillamilStereotyped by Design: Pitfalls in Cross-Cultural User Research
March 30, 2020
