Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Theme 2: Enterprise Team Journey

Gold
Monday, June 3, 2019 • Enterprise Experience 2019
Share the love for this talk
Theme 2: Enterprise Team Journey
Speakers: Kevin M. Hoffman
Link:

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

  • There are two kinds of conflict in cross-disciplinary teams: zero-sum tug-of-war and creative tension that creates new outcomes.

  • Dog Business and Dog Company is a fictional B2D (business-to-dog) enterprise exploring innovative technology like blockchain for dog-to-dog secure communication.

  • Product management often leans heavily on business priorities but must balance design and technology to succeed, as Christian highlights.

  • Design teams at the company are stretched thin and lack enough time for prototyping and thorough validation, impacting confidence in shipped products.

  • Project management sits at the intersection of brand experience and business strategy, requiring cross-team alignment as noted by Jackie.

  • Engineering excels at execution but struggles with deeper engagement in design and user experience processes, limiting collaboration.

  • Research teams are centralized and large but face unique challenges of representing non-human users (dogs), demanding specialized expertise.

  • Content strategy is undervalued and fragmented across the organization, leading to inconsistencies; leadership must elevate content’s role.

  • Interactive improv exercises and role-playing hiring games foster understanding and reveal real-world team dynamics and collaboration challenges.

  • The invocation improv game helps teams build empathy by exploring their connection to the product at increasing emotional and spiritual depth.

Notable Quotes

"There are two kinds of conflict: one is a zero-sum tug of war, and the other is creative tension that creates something unexpected."

"We are a B2D company – business to dog – making technology so dogs can speak English to people and each other."

"Having a business background is almost the oldest form of product management, but great product requires balancing design and tech too."

"Designers want more time to prototype and really ensure what ships is successful, but we just don’t have enough people or time."

"Project management is the ecosystem connecting everyone to deliver the best branded dog communication technology."

"Engineers are great at executing code but often lack connection to user experience and design processes."

"Content is created all over and inconsistently; leadership needs to see content as the fuel driving the experience."

"When product leaders ask for research just to validate ideas, the best response is to say, ‘fuck this group,’ then do real user interviews."

"We need to sequence activities carefully so we innovate while also keeping code shipping without stopping progress."

"Thou art community, connection, and meaning – the product is not just code or design, it is a shared experience between humans and dogs."

Ask the Rosenbot
Josh Clark
Sentient Design: New Design Patterns for New Experiences (3rd of 3 seminars)
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Jilanna Wilson
Distributed Design Operations Management
2019 • DesignOps Summit 2019
Gold
Kate Kalcevich
Designing inclusively with AI
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Dorelle Rabinowitz
The Magic Word is Trust
2018 • Enterprise Experience 2018
Gold
Louis Rosenfeld
GenAI for UXers: A Rosenbot Demo and Discussion
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Jemma Ahmed
Theme 2 Intro
2022 • Advancing Research 2022
Gold
Etienne Fang
The Power of Care: From Human-Centered Research to Humanity-Centered Leadership
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
Dave Malouf
The Future of DesignOps
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2020
Gold
Sam Proulx
Understanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
John Cutler
Prioritization for designers and product managers (1st of 3 seminars)
2024 • Rosenfeld Community
Cennydd Bowles
Day 1 Panel
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Dr Chloe Sharp
Using Evidence and Collaboration for Setting and Defending Priorities
2023 • Design in Product 2023
Gold
Alexis Lucio
Scaling Accessibility Through Design Systems
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold
Amy Paris
Delivering Equity: Government Services for All Ages, Languages, Sexual Orientations, and Gender Identities
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Nicole Bergstrom
AccessibilityOps: Moving beyond “nice to have”
2024 • DesignOps Community
Sam Proulx
Understanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users
2023 • DesignOps Summit 2023
Gold

More Videos

Sarah Rink

"Having a recruitment team that does pre-session phone screenings was a luxury that helped a lot."

Sarah Rink

Remote User Research: Dos and Don'ts from the Virtual Field

June 11, 2020

Lada Gorlenko

"Transformation happens through empathy across multiple disciplines and reporting lines."

Lada Gorlenko

Theme 3: Introduction

June 10, 2021

Chui Chui Tan

"Do you have any questions before we start? Usually no, but one Filipino participant asked how old I am because it helps him know how to address me appropriately."

Chui Chui Tan

Global insights: Embracing international and intercultural research for innovation

March 12, 2025

Sarit Geertjes

"It’s not a one-stop shop, this is people we’re dealing with, not Petri dishes."

Sarit Geertjes

People, not Petri Dishes: Stories from a Research Recruiter

September 23, 2019

Melissa Tsang

"We embedded community in every agenda, ensuring a dedicated time for volunteering at UX town halls and offsites."

Melissa Tsang

From Insights to Action: Driving Business Values through DesignOps

January 8, 2024

Alexis Lucio

"Unique names for components like message bars are crucial, especially when multiple instances are shown at once."

Alexis Lucio

Scaling Accessibility Through Design Systems

June 9, 2022

Bria Alexander

"The cohort experience is one of the highest rated things because you get to meet new people from different companies."

Bria Alexander

Opening Remarks

September 29, 2021

Michael Weir

"People don’t remember what you said to them, but they remember how you made them feel."

Michael Weir

Mixed Methods and Behavioural Science

May 26, 2023

Sara Logel

"Empathy doesn’t come from reading a report—you don’t get close to users by just reading data."

Sara Logel

Your Colleagues are Your Users Too

March 29, 2023