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 3 Discussion

Gold
Monday, January 8, 2024 • Enterprise Experience 2020
Share the love for this talk
Theme 3 Discussion
Speakers: Smitha Papolu , Nova Wehman-Brown , Melissa Schmidt and Adam Menter
Link:

Summary

Shameless opens the conversation addressing the difficulty of synchronizing remote teams across time zones, likening collaboration to dance and emphasizing the need to replicate energy and nonverbal cues asynchronously. Anthony Arman Derraz and Michelle highlight the complexity of designers working between agency and in-house cultures, underscoring code-switching and mutual respect to maintain both identities. Darryl differentiates handling toxic relationships from inside versus outside perspectives, noting internal conversations can be easier but carry more risk. Solomon and others emphasize the importance of clarifying expectations early and fostering open conversations to bridge gaps between client demands and what consultants can deliver. Charzade shares positive outcomes from the pandemic, including increased trust, closer teams despite physical distance, and a more human approach to client relationships. Darian and others reflect on cultural aspects and the uncertain future of remote work, debating whether the new trust and flexibility will last after the pandemic.

Key Insights

  • Remote collaboration benefits from adopting dance-like cues to signal and synchronize asynchronous communication.

  • Maintaining two distinct organizational cultures requires intentional routines, mutual respect, and one-on-ones between teams.

  • Code-switching between company languages helps embedded agency designers effectively integrate without losing identity.

  • Outside consultants can exit toxic relationships cleanly, while insiders face more complex, riskier navigation.

  • Explicit conversations about project expectations reduce gaps between client demands and consultancy deliverables.

  • Pandemic conditions unexpectedly strengthened trust and personal connections among remote teams.

  • Being transparent about not knowing everything upfront helps agencies set realistic expectations with clients.

  • Workplace cultures that respect personal time and avoid long hours improve collaborative outcomes.

  • Remote work humanizes professional relationships by blending personal and business contexts.

  • The future of agency work may require evolving beyond traditional models due to economic and global shifts.

Notable Quotes

"I gave birth to two things at once: my talk and my son Mateo within two days."

"How do we dance at a distance? That is the real tricky part of remote teamwork."

"When I was at IBM, embedded designers were expected to fit in seamlessly, which was an honor."

"Code-switching between your native tongue and someone else’s helps foster better connection."

"The happier their team is, the better the work they deliver for me will be."

"When you’re on the outside, there’s always an end to the relationship; it’s very clear and clean."

"Sometimes you need somebody else to tell you something obvious, like consultants should not be expected to know everything upfront."

"The pandemic pulled our remote team much closer—being physically apart made us feel closer."

"A real test of trust happened where I could confidently step away from micromanaging after we shifted online."

"We are all becoming more human in work, stripping away masks and fronts, which strengthens relationships."

Ask the Rosenbot
Robert Fabricant
Shifting dynamics: The evolving relationship between researchers, participants, and organizational systems
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Max Gadney
Assessing UX jobs for impact in climate
2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Christian Bason
Innovating With People: Unleashing the Potential of Civic Design
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Christian Crumlish
From tools to staff: What the next generation of agents means for the future of design
2026 • Designing with AI 2026
Conference
John Paul de Guzman
10k Screens Later: How We Became a Data-Driven Design Organization
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2024
Gold
Ed Mullen
Designing the Unseen: Enabling Institutions to Build Public Trust
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Dana Bishop
2022: The Year UX Demonstrates its Business Impact
2022 • Advancing Research 2022
Gold
Noel Lamb
Cultivating Business Partnerships to Grow Research Ops
2022 • Advancing Research Community
Daniel Korczynski
From generic to contextual research insights with AI | Live Q&A
2026 • Advancing Research 2026
Gold
Sam Proulx
Accessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold
Andreas Huebner
What Is It Like To Be Part of The UX Team at Compass?
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
Mackenzie Guinon
M.C. Escher’s UX Research Career Ladder
2022 • Advancing Research 2022
Gold
Peter Van Dijck
Building impactful AI products for design and product leaders, Part 2: Evals are your moat
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Jen Cardello
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
2018 • Enterprise Experience 2018
Gold
Sam Proulx
Accessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Surya Vanka
Unleashing Swarm Creativity to Solve Enterprise Challenges
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold

More Videos

Laine Riley Prokay

"This is not a checklist or promotion tool; you don’t have to excel in everything to grow."

Laine Riley Prokay

How DesignOps can Drive Inclusive Career Ladders for All

September 30, 2021

Victor Udoewa

"Community-rooted wisdom like the Mexican 'guana' practice reduces postpartum depression without traditional research."

Victor Udoewa

Beyond Methods and Diversity: The Roots of Inclusion

March 26, 2024

Husani Oakley

"X is going to change everything. Sometimes it’s true, and sometimes it’s just hype."

Husani Oakley

Theme Three Intro

June 6, 2023

Jess Greco

"We can’t force people to partner with design, but if partnering makes it easier to meet framework requirements, that’s a win for everyone."

Jess Greco

Creating a Basis for Change: Scaling Design Maturity

June 8, 2022

Shipra Kayan

"People don’t talk about their real fears in stakeholder meetings, and that hurts research credibility."

Shipra Kayan

Make your research synthesis speedy and more collaborative using a canvas

January 24, 2025

Prayag Narula

"Most users want a quick resolution, so many calls start as problem-solving and then transition to open-ended research conversations."

Prayag Narula Abhinav Krishna

Dialing for Research: How to Reach the Unreachable

March 10, 2022

Sam Proulx

"Auto-complete absolutely is an accessibility feature because it helps reduce typing effort for screen reader users."

Sam Proulx

Understanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users

June 6, 2023

Amy Evans

"Async communications helped us reduce emails and meetings, improving overall efficiency."

Amy Evans

How to Create Change

September 25, 2024

Greg Petroff

"Abductive thinking, or what if thinking, is a core capability designers bring to defining what to build and why."

Greg Petroff

Everything is About to Change: Software as Material

June 8, 2016