Katy Arnold - Design Maturity: How to have impact

When we talk of design maturity we usually mean the maturity of the organisations in which we operate.

There are a plethora of maturity models, scales, and assessments which we hope will encourage organisational leaders to create the conditions for good design practice to flourish. However, by focussing purely what we’d like others to do, we risk ignoring our role in all of this.

Drawing on her experience building and leading design communities in the UK Government, Katy explores what it really means to achieve design maturity. This talk is about how to achieve genuine co-creation and how opening ourselves up to include the perspectives of others allows us to build credibility and have greater impact.

1. Design maturity : how to have impact Katy Arnold : Camp Digital 2024

2. Disclaimer

3. HM Land Registry 2021 Design is as much a mindset as a collection of skill sets.

4. NHS Digital 2021

5. Home Office 2020

6. Exploring maturity models

7. Danish Design Ladder, Kretzschmar 2003 “Design has pivotal role in the strategic management… ….intrinsically involved in the design process.

8. Sabine Junginger 2009 “…deeper impact and greater involvement of the organisation .”

9. Sean van Tyne 2010 “Organisations that manage and measure their user experience process gain revenue benefits…”

10. Jakob Nielsen 2006 Stage 1: Hostility Toward Usability, "A good user is a dead user.” “ Neanderthal attitudes”

11. Jakob Nielsen 2021 …complete ignorance … hostility towards the entire concept…

12. Tomer Sharon 2012 “whether to fight for UX research buy-in or flee by quitting fighting.”

13. Jared Spool 2019 ..when people who don’t think of themselves as designers begin to make smart design decisions .”

14. What maturity looks like Design is integral - not just product development Expertise at scale and in multiple places - including executive level Design process is informed understanding of users and their needs Sophisticated feedback loops directly into products and services Non-designers apply proven design methods and make informed design decisions Genuine collaboration and co-creation to solve organisational challenges

15. Maturity models are helpful tools help people (leadership) think about how design is being applied help shape decisions, structures and direction set the standard for what good looks like help organisations to change

16. Why is it still so hard?

17. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

18. I was a UX hero

19. I was a UX hero

20. I was a UX hero

21. I was a UX hero

22. I was a UX hero

23. I was a UX hero

24. The culture was not to listen

25. I was a UX hero

26. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

27. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

28. Starting out as a leader

29. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

30. `

31. f https://ei8fdb.github.io/Build-Low-Cost-User-Research-Lab/ Credit: Bernard Tyers

32. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

33. https://github.com/UKHomeOffice/posters/

34. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

35. Low engagement with user research or co-design activities Resistance to embracing users Prioritising other things over usability and accessibility Requesting design artefacts over insights and understanding Increasing resentment towards developers on the team Hard to get people to listen or take your ideas on board

36. It’s ok, I’m here to save you

37. https://thecooperreview.com/9-nodding-strategies-for-your-next-meeting/

38. Brilliant new boss Credit: Brigitte Lacombe

39. It was all about me…

40. https://www.pablostanley.com

41. How we talk about people “neanderthals” “hostility” “fight or flee” “frustration” “Dark ages”

42. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

43. What happened to our empathy?

44. We can’t all be designers

45. This is also about you

46. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

47. Trust

48. The Trust Equation Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy 5 + 5 + 5 Self-orientation 5 = 3 David H Maister, Charles H Green Robert M Galford (2001

49. Social Capital ‘…connections, social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arises…’ Putnam, 2000

50. Listen

51. Active listening Ask questions that focus on their world Mirror words, tone and body language to build rapport Reflect back emotional content to show you care Avoid assumptions – check your understanding Summarise to show you’ve listened

52. We do have a superpower

53. https://thecooperreview.com/9-nodding-strategies-for-your-next-meeting/

54. How to build design maturity Do your best work Diverse in your practice Design for all Be respectful (you are not the hero) Be humble, pragmatic and adaptable Make friends, influence people and have impact

55. Thank you! Katy Arnold @katyarnie.bsky.social linkedin.com/in/katyarnie