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: Intro
Gold
Monday, January 8, 2024 • Enterprise Experience 2020
Share the love for this talk
Theme 3: Intro
Speakers: Dan Willis
Link:

Summary

The speaker, acting as the theme leader, opens the session reflecting on the contrast between typical conference settings and the current remote format. He humorously admits to a cluttered background, contrasting with the pristine setups of previous speakers, inviting empathy and tips from the audience. The main focus of the talk is the theme of the conference day: understanding enterprises from an outsider’s perspective. Using a vivid analogy to serial killers who hide horrors within familiar neighborhoods, he illustrates how enterprises appear normal externally but harbor hidden complexities. The day features several speakers who have extensive experience as outsiders or consultants working within enterprises. Shamus Bern from Ireland will discuss quickly grasping client situations while maintaining distinctiveness. Darian Davis will address common challenges faced by outsiders. Saul Metz offers advice on hiring outsiders. Melinda Belcher, who has transitioned between outsider consultant and insider manager roles, shares how to leverage both perspectives. Michelle Wong talks about designing tools for contractors at PwC from her outside-in experience. The session will conclude with Sharzad, who brings hard-earned wisdom from both sides of the insider-outsider divide. The talk highlights how the insider-outsider distinction is often fluid, with many professionals, including the speaker, regularly moving between roles. Overall, the session promises rich, diverse insights into navigating and thriving in enterprise environments from multiple viewpoints.

Key Insights

  • Remote conferences create a very different experience compared to in-person events, affecting energy and interaction.

  • Background environments in virtual talks influence speaker perception and self-consciousness.

  • The insider-outsider dichotomy in enterprises is often artificial and fluid, with many professionals shifting between roles.

  • Outsiders need to quickly understand (grok) the enterprise context without losing their unique value.

  • Outsiders commonly face specific challenges that require tailored strategies to overcome.

  • Hiring outsiders deliberately can bring fresh perspectives and innovation into enterprises.

  • Experiences as both outsiders and insiders can be leveraged to maximize impact within enterprises.

  • Designing tools and processes for contractors benefits from understanding outsider perspectives.

  • Storytelling analogies—like serial killers hiding in plain sight—help explain hidden complexities of enterprises.

  • Robust conference themes can unify diverse talks into a coherent, valuable learning experience.

Notable Quotes

"Normally the theme leader would be talking about sleep deprivation because we’re overstimulated from all the talks and conversations."

"Every speaker before me had these pristine backgrounds; I’m a slob and feeling self-conscious about it."

"The insider-outsider thing is kind of an artificial separation because many of us go back and forth between those roles."

"The theme reminds me of serial killers who live in neighborhoods for decades without anyone knowing what’s hidden inside."

"Shamus Bern will talk about how to drop into a client site and grok what’s going on quickly without sacrificing why they hired you."

"We’ve loaded ourselves up with lots of outsiders with outsider perspectives to understand the enterprise better."

"Melinda Belcher has succeeded both as an outsider consultant and as an inside enterprise manager, and will share how to leverage those differences."

"Michelle Wong took her outside consultant experience inside PwC to design tools for incoming contractors."

"Sharzad will share wisdom she earned and learned the really hard way from working both inside and outside."

"If you’re hearing me now and you’re sleep deprived and maybe a little hungover, that’s just sad—we want you to be happy."

Ask the Rosenbot
Megan Blocker
Day 2 Theme Panel
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Nancy Douyon
We'll Figure That Out in the Next Launch: Enterprise Tech's Nobility Complex
2018 • Enterprise Experience 2018
Gold
Onur Kocan
Understanding the Strategy for Civic Design in a Complex City: Istanbul
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Emily Lessard
RFPs Without Tears: Writing Inclusive RFPS that Don't Scare Away Talent
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Elizabeth Churchill
Exploring Cadence: You, Your Team, and Your Enterprise
2017 • Enterprise Experience 2017
Gold
Sam Proulx
Designing For Screen Readers: Understanding the Mental Models and Techniques of Real Users
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Christian Crumlish
Introduction by our Conference Chair
2022 • Design in Product 2022
Gold
Andy Warr
Under My (Research) Umbrella: The Benefits and Challenges of Building a Unified Insights Function
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
John Calhoun
Two Sides of the DesignOps Coin: Teams Ops and Product Ops
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2020
Gold
Emily Eagle
Can't Rewind: Radio and Retail
2019 • Enterprise Experience 2019
Gold
Sofía Delsordo
Public Policy for Jalisco's Designers to Make Design Matter
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
John Calhoun
Meters, Miles, and Madness: New Frameworks to Measure the (Elusive) Value of DesignOps
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2024
Gold
Dave Hoffer
UX Job Search AMA #3 with Joanne Weaver and Dave Hoffer
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Michaela Mora
Advanced Concept Testing Approaches To Guide Product Development and Business Decisions
2022 • Advancing Research 2022
Gold
Jim Kalbach
Jazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
2019 • Enterprise Experience 2019
Gold
Lada Gorlenko
Theme 2 Intro
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold

More Videos

Aaron Stienstra

"The equity executive order calls for a whole-of-government transformation—think about the scale of that."

Aaron Stienstra Lashanda Hodge

Leveraging Civic Design to Advance Equity and Rebuild Trust in the US Federal Government

December 8, 2021

John Donmoyer

"If you never want to fully embed yourself in engineering, that’s fine too — you don’t have to show anyone the code you generate."

John Donmoyer

Shipping your code generation experiments to production

June 11, 2025

Sheryl Cababa

"Design for seven generations—think about decisions that affect future people, not just immediate outcomes."

Sheryl Cababa Alexis Oh

Thinking in systems to address climate with Sheryl Cababa

June 12, 2024

Ariel Kennan

"This was a transformational day where everyone got to join together."

Ariel Kennan

Building a Design Culture

June 9, 2017

Ignacio Martinez

"Career managers develop close relationships with designers and advocate for staffing and promotions on their behalf."

Ignacio Martinez

Fair and Effective Designer Evaluation

September 25, 2024

Dave Hora

"Sales and support teams are closer to ground truth than many might realize and are invaluable partners for researchers."

Dave Hora

Advice for Establishing Research

December 8, 2022

Dr. Jamika D. Burge

"Hearing a participant say thank you for listening is one of the most powerful indicators of meaningful research."

Dr. Jamika D. Burge Mansi Gupta

Advancing the Inclusion of Womxn in Research Practices

September 15, 2022

James Rampton

"Each hard control button in a car costs between 50 cents and 10 dollars, which adds up to millions in manufacturing costs."

James Rampton

The Basics of Automotive UX & Why Phones Are a Part of That Future

July 25, 2024

Kristin Wisnewski

"The state of IT is a daily reflection of what the company thinks and feels about its employees."

Kristin Wisnewski

Measuring What Matters

October 23, 2019