1. Designers often argue about who is a designer and who isn't.
We commonly refer to 99% of the population as "non-designers" rather than just "people" - even though the later would make more sense since they're the majority of the species!
2. More profound is how it's usually non-designers who define what design is for entire organizations.
When a CEO, executive or founder hires their first designer they put in motion big assumptions and power structures that individual designers will wrestle with for years.
3. By the time there are enough designers to hire a manager for them, the die has been cast.
The manager has to work against the grain to redefine with each project team and leader a better and more mature way to think of what design is.
4. Design managers are rarely trained to be culture revisers or political influencers - it's not a course that shows up in design programs.
But the math says it should be. Designers are always outnumbered. And even when not, the landscape typically underestimated their value.
5. Designers instinctively argue "design is important" but for any executive importance is relative. It's a zero sum mentality - If we spend $5k on this what budget will we cut?
A better tactic is to talk about quality. Everyone knows higher quality likely costs something.
6. If you can talk to an executive about quality, design becomes something transcationable for them ("how much cost for how much quality = what impact on customer satisfaction?")
Whereas the abstraction of "good design matters" or "design is important" is quickly dismissable.
7. A fear among designers is when they step from preaching "design is important!" into transactional biz discussions they're not on their turf anymore.
But their turf is tiny! Influence has to happen elsewhere!
But that's scary. It can feel safer to preach from a distance.
8. This is where I often hear:
"But why should *I* have to reach out to them?"
You don't! If you like things how they are, don't change a thing.
But if you want more design maturity and you're one of the few designers in the org, few others can do it but you.
9. If you like this thread, and have people in your world who you wish understood design and its importance - I wrote this book to help you.
You can read free chapters from the book here:
bit.ly/hdmw-excerpt #designmtw
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.