Leadership By Design 2021

We'll open the doors a little early and let folks in. Sometimes, we have surprises, sometimes, we play music, sometimes it's a little quiet. Get there a little early to be ready for kick-off!

Announcements and gratitude, schedule for the day, and general information about the event.

What do we really mean when we talk about “ethics” in tech? What are we actually aiming for, and what specifically can we all do to get there? It’s not enough to point out existing issues with racist, sexist tech, products that are easily weaponized for abuse, or harmful tech workplaces – we need intentional strategies for creating a tech industry that is truly ethical.

This talk breaks down the call for “ethical tech” into the need for both our tech industry and the products we create to be focused on safety, justice, and compassion. This talk focuses on how we can transform tech in terms of the industry and the products it makes to prioritize those things, drawing on historical case studies of other movements that shifted paradigms from unethical to ethical.

15 minute break.

Systems are tricky, slippery things, especially complex adaptive systems that bring humans and digital technologies together. In this 15 minute focus session, we’ll do a whirlwind tour of Systems Thinking and the ethical implications of a systemic paradigm on user experience and service design. Because here’s the thing about systems: once you see them, you can’t unsee them. We’ll walk through three not-so-simple proposals for how we might up our design game in a systemic world.

What happens to your customer’s digital assets when they pass away? Do you have a way for next of kin to notify you? Policies in place for verification? Processes to handle archival and/or transfer of control? Employees who are trained on what to do and how to do it well?

In this brief talk, I will explain why it’s of great importance to design this part of the customer experience well and the risks involved when you don’t, and share a 4 part framework that will help you put the right things in place to protect the business and your customers.

15 minute break.

Think pep talks are just for overzealous sports coaches and kinda-culty motivational speakers? Think again.

Life is tough, but so are we. And we’re even tougher when we’re in it together. Sometimes you just need a reminder that you’re an unmitigated badass.

Author, Emily Haines Lloyd, will read from her book Pep Talk Poetry and talk about why pep talks are so important, why she wrote a book chock full of them, and how to cheer on anyone who is struggling, including yourself.

15 minute break.

Leading and managing design teams might be reaching peak difficulty. With high expectations from the people you support and the managers above you, to the challenges inherent to managing during a pandemic, and now an economy roaring back with unprecedented job movement, many design leaders have questions about their own career paths and how they find value in their day to day roles.

This brief talk highlights some of those challenges many in leadership and management may be encountering, tailored to people at different stages of their career: the successful independent contributor who’s considering managing, the early career manager, experienced managers, and those thinking about moving from a startup to enterprise role or vice versa.

We’ll rely on interviews and conversations with design leaders of varying experience worldwide, and the experience, observations, and screwups encountered when writing the design management book Liftoff!. As a result, we hope to create space for discussion about what’s important to design managers, where ever you may be in your journey.

Leading a practice is hard enough. But what if it doesn’t even exist yet, and how do you even get started? We'll discuss lessons learned—including the challenges and pathways to success that help make your new practice a reality.

Marc Rambeau will recount his experience launching a content strategy practice at an organization without one. He’ll share concrete tips you can use at every stage of your practice’s development, from identifying champions and winning buy-in to growing leaders from within. No matter your craft, you’ll walk away with real ideas for building and maturing a community of practice.

15 minute break.

This year Google Maps introduced a Black-owned business attribute. Learn more about how this project started, what it took to make it happen, and ways you can bring inclusive product development practices into your work.

Wrapping up the day.