#design-leadership

#design-leadership

A few years into the AI boom, it's clear that designers can rely on AI for some things. It can automate tedious tasks in Photoshop that once took up precious time. It can generate images on command (quality be damned!). It can schedule a meeting, respond to an email, and take notes on a Zoom call. But for all the hype, we know that AI isn't a silver bullet for the real problems creatives face.

Design is powerful as a catalyst for change. Design is powerful for developing innovative solutions. Design is powerful for driving exponential growth for businesses.Design is powerful in solving some of the world's most difficult problems. If design is so revolutionary, why do so few companies embrace design? I wrote about the failure of Fortune 500 companies to embrace design beyond their art departments, where most Fortune 500 companies still fail to even adopt a single design methodology in a meaningful

Many designers are hearing statements like these from their bosses, and it's not a suggestion. It can be challenging to know how to respond to leaders who present you with unreasonable demands based on following trends (or untested concepts). You're faced with what feels like an impossible choice: either follow orders and build something you know will fail, or risk your job by saying "No."

Many in the design industry have been inspired by design leaders who created environments that enabled their teams to succeed, grow, and make a positive impact. However, many of our peers, clients, and colleagues have been frustrated, burned out, and held back by leadership, which can have more negative effects.

In a world where design is in constant flux, how do you stay relevant? Meet Sahil Pandita, a prominent design leader at Google, whose journey exemplifies adapting, innovating, and prioritizing human connection in a rapidly changing landscape.

Without having a metric, I don't think design will ever have a place in the organization.

Today, nearly every organization wants to be design-led, but business decisions typically remain dominated by product or engineering teams.

The lack of clarity around roles and values had started to cause confusion and a noticeable decline in the quality of our work.

Low UX maturity indicates a limited understanding of user experience design, often leading to design being undervalued or treated as mere decoration.