Summary
The speaker reflects on the pandemic as a catalyst for change and opportunity rather than loss, sharing insights from several experts. Brendan Jarvis talks about how his vision for remote collaboration tools finally became essential, despite initial setbacks. She Has Greco emphasizes growth for Mastercard designers amid uncertainty. Emily Dalton coaches on applying design skills in physical disaster response. Amy Stewart discusses empowering global communities and promoting equity among practitioners. Separivala shares stories of three global retailers who rapidly adapted to being frontline digital workers during the pandemic. Nicole Offe explains how IBM successfully transitioned their design education program online, offering guidance on pivoting or establishing design education in such times. Collectively, the talk provides hope, practical tips, and a mindset that crisis can be a moment for transformation.
Key Insights
-
•
Brendan Jarvis predicted remote collaboration would become essential years before the pandemic.
-
•
Designers can serve as first responders in real physical disaster situations, not just digital contexts.
-
•
The pandemic accelerated retail workers into 'digital frontline' roles requiring rapid change management.
-
•
Mastercard focused on meaningful growth for designers balancing people and business needs during uncertainty.
-
•
Crisis can empower global communities and promote equity among design practitioners worldwide.
-
•
IBM’s pivot from in-person to online design education offers a practical model for others.
-
•
Seeing crisis as opportunity leads to transformation rather than loss.
-
•
Three global retailers managed overnight digital pivots successfully despite extreme pressure.
-
•
A well-designed online design education program can be quickly established or adapted in crisis.
-
•
A hopeful mindset and practical strategies are key to navigating uncertainty and driving innovation.
Notable Quotes
"The pandemic track was the I told you so moment for those of us designing remote tools since 2006."
"We have a choice in crisis — see it as a loss or see it as an opportunity."
"Designers can be first responders, not just in digital but in real disaster situations."
"The digital frontline workers in retail became critical almost overnight during the pandemic."
"Mastercard designers grew meaningfully for both people and business despite uncertainty."
"IBM pivoted its design education program from in person to online very quickly and successfully."
"Crisis can empower global communities and bring equity to practitioners worldwide."
"Those three retailers pivoted literally overnight under intense change management pressure."
"No matter the circumstances, the answer to 'Can we?' is always yes, we can."
"Our biggest hope is that you gain confidence to see opportunity and realize it amid crisis."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We consider machine learning as the third leg of mixed methods research, alongside data science and user research."
Sohit KarolDesigning Delightful Listening Experiences: Mixed Methods Research in the Age of Machine Learning
March 31, 2020
"Unique names for components like message bars are crucial, especially when multiple instances are shown at once."
Alexis LucioScaling Accessibility Through Design Systems
June 9, 2022
"Using AI to tighten the gap between design and engineering is essential to know how to use in our work right now."
Ryan Matthew Alex KurchevBridging Design and Code: AI-Powered Design System Integration
September 11, 2025
"Being open and flexible to what's most helpful for the team at that moment is key."
Janelle EstesUX Research Trends
January 28, 2021
"Slow and intentional communication allows you to be fully present rather than distracted by constant notifications."
Marc Fonteijn Ru ButlerIncrease your confidence, influence, and impact (through a Professional Community)
December 3, 2024
"The only real constant over the years isn't design ops. It's change."
Jon FukudaTheme One Intro
October 2, 2023
"Splitting people leadership and functional leadership with a brick wall in between is broken and unsustainable."
Peter MerholzThe Mysterious Case of the Missing UX Career Path
August 25, 2022
"Feedback isn’t about liking. Helpful feedback needs to be, is this solving your problem or not."
Dorelle RabinowitzThe Magic Word is Trust
June 15, 2018
"If you’re designing a site used infrequently, don’t overload it with custom hotkeys that are hard to memorize."
Sam ProulxDesigning For Screen Readers: Understanding the Mental Models and Techniques of Real Users
December 10, 2021
