‘Everybody is a designer’ revisited: 
A Retrospective on Design’s Power, Position, and Future in an Era of Increasing Uncertainty by Lou Susi and Colin Owens

In the mid-to-late 2010s, the provocative phrase ‘Everybody is a designer’ gained traction in UX and design circles. For some, it was a rallying cry for democratization; for others, a frustrating oversimplification of a deeply strategic profession. The debate sparked conversations about design’s role in business, its strategic value, and its place in the product-development triad.

Fast forward to 2025: UX and design professionals are navigating an industry shaken by waves of layoffs, shifting priorities, and increasing commoditization. As design moved from external agencies to in-house teams and embraced methodologies like Design Thinking, have we inadvertently diluted our influence? Did the push for inclusivity in design inadvertently lead to its own marginalization? And most importantly: Where do we go from here?

1. .
‘What we’re doing here today,
this is the prototype …
everything about who
how we’re being with each other,
…
&
&
the experiences we leave behind,
that’s what this is really all about.’

2. EVERYBODY
Designeris a
. .
REViSiTED… again
with
Lou&
inColOWENS
SUSI
.
.
.

3. 2025
CONFERENCE
Friday, May 9, 2025 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel
.
!

4. inCol
OWENS
Lou
SUSI.&
w/ yourco-presentersdu jour
.

5. is a
EVERYBODY
Designer
.
.
.
in
A Retrospective on Design’s Power, Position, and Future
in an Era of Increasing Uncertainty
we’ll be talking about …
.

7. The Current State
of The Design Industry.
.

9. The Democratization
of Design.
.
Was this the beginning of The Decline of The Design Industry
[ est. starting circa 2010 ~ish ]?

11. Design’s Role
in Business.
.
The History of
and where we’ve landed as of late.

13. The Technology Sausage,
‘The Splits,’
.
The History of
and where we’ve landed as of late.

14. i
x
xPlease wait. We like to inconvenience you.
Inclusivity on the Go:
New Advances in Toilemetry
PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE RESISTANCE TECHNOLOGIES

15. Triangles + Triads
in The Innovation Industry.
The problem(s) with
.

17. The Big Design Freakout.
.
Not to be confused with that other kind of ‘Freakout.’ "

18. .

19. The Challenges of Modern Recruitment.
.
or ‘Why do we need to play ‘Mad*Libs’ on all the job sites?’

20. .

21. ‘Interesting’ Other Factors in Play.
.
or ‘We did it to ourselves.’

22. .

23. Where do we go from here?
.
Some decently-informed possibilities for your future
and The Future of Design.

24. Organize
They can make stuff without you 

but they can’t make good stuff without you.
Standards of practice
Ones that we develop ourselves.
Minimums, Methods, Ethics, Tools, etcetera …
.

25. from the for the confernece
https://event.fourwaves.com/uxpabos2025/abstracts/6495279d-c877-4ba6-b82c-eeaf4f26249d! .

26. .

27. #
.

28. sources
.

29. https://library.gv.com/everyone-is-a-designer-get-over-it-501cc9a2f434
Everyone is a designer. Get over it. | Daniel Burka
April 11, 2017
https://x.com/jmspool/status/1079408237399756800
Everyone is a designer | Jared Spool
December 30, 2018
Sources
https://uxvic.medium.com/everybody-is-a-designer-but-everybody-should-be-intentional-about-it-ce779abea0d2
Everybody is a designer but only few are intentional about it | Victor Aledini
May 29, 2020
https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/everyone-can-design-but-is-everyone-a-designer-8cafb36d2ca5
Everyone can design, but is everyone a designer? | Joel Olympio
April 12, 2021
https://uxmag.com/articles/why-the-everyone-is-a-designer-debate-is-beside-the-point
Why the ‘Everyone Is a Designer’ Debate Is Beside the Point | Jesse Weaver
March 16, 2021
.

30. Sources
https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/everyone-can-design-but-is-everyone-a-designer-8cafb36d2ca5
Everyone can design, but is everyone a designer? | Joel Olympio
April 12, 2021
https://uxmag.com/articles/why-the-everyone-is-a-designer-debate-is-beside-the-point
Why the ‘Everyone Is a Designer’ Debate Is Beside the Point | Jesse Weaver
March 16, 2021
continued
.
https://www.inc.com/teresa-brazen/how-inside-out-leadership-can-guide-your-team-during-times-of-change/91171550
How Inside-Out Leadership Can Guide Your Team During Times of Change. | Rebecca Schmidt + Teresa Brazen
April 20, 2025

31. Obligatory sticky note included to evoke warm feelings often associated with design collaboration and innovation work..

32. fin
for now.
.

33. This slide left intentionally blank
*
Well, almost blank if we’re being totally honest here, right? There’s still the phrase
‘This slide left intentionally blank’ up there. And, of course, now there’s this awkward
footnote down here, too.
*
.

34. .