Naema Baskanderi

Highlighting my article on Friction in Design Process and how to overcome it. https://lnkd.in/gKXMAsBd #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

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More UX and Product leaders need to hear Diana DeMarco Brown (she/her)'s wisdom. Diana is a pioneer in the UX field who takes a thoughtful and nuanced approach to assessing the current state of the tech industry. In our recent conversation, Diana shared many insights, including: - How to evaluate a company's culture during the hiring process - Why private equity ownership can result in design divestment - How Product and UX leaders can effectively influence business decisions - Why we don't need to panic with the rise of AI, but we need to think critically and prioritize regulation during this early stage Link to our full conversation: https://lnkd.in/eemDimVb

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The Jobs to Be Done framework is crucial for product designers, especially as the line between product managers and designers continues to blur. This article can revolutionize how we approach problem discovery and opportunity identification, offering deeper insights during the design phase. It's a must-read for anyone looking to elevate their design process and deliver exceptional results.

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If you’re solely relying on your UX team to solve all your product usability problems, you’re in trouble.   Don’t get me wrong, a kick-ass UX team is mandatory, not a luxury, but if you expect to hire a couple of designers, pat them on the back while saying, “Go get ’em,” and expect that to make your product a delight for your customers, you’re in trouble. I’m not trying to minimize the importance of good designers, and I assure you that this isn’t another “UX needs a seat at the table” screed. Rather, I’m telling you that building functional, usable products your customers love is a team effort.   If your Product Managers can’t (or *gasp* won’t) find space in product releases to prioritize design quality and improvements alongside new feature requests, technical debt mitigations, never-ending backlog excavations, etc., etc., you’re in trouble.   If your Development Teams can’t (or *horror* won’t) school themselves on the tenets of solid UI development practices and seek guidance on usability questions when they don’t have the answer instead of just winging it, you’re in trouble.   But it doesn’t stop there!   If your Technical Writers aren’t flagging 20-step documentation guides as usability issues that need to be fixed in the product and not with pages of text descriptions and countless screenshots, you’re in trouble.   If your QA Testers don’t tag in, or better yet, assign the UX team as owners of usability defects instead of engineering, you’re in trouble.   If your Account Teams don’t know when or why to bring designers into customer conversations to hear feedback firsthand, ask questions, and trust them to build their own relationships with said customers, you’re in trouble.   If your Salespeople can’t sell usability upgrades as equally beneficial to customers as new features, you’re in trouble.   If your Technical Support doesn’t know when a problem needs UX participation to help address it or how to bucket related usability issues common across customers for UX follow-up, you’re in trouble.   This isn’t about spreading around the problem, nor the responsibility!, of poor usability; it’s about realizing that delivering good UX is a team effort accelerated by shared responsibility and process redundancies to catch even minor issues before they wind up in the customer’s hands. And if you don’t understand that, you’re in trouble.

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Just announced! This month's UX Salon Halifax meetup is all about... User Experience of course. That's it. Back to the basics. Ever wonder why some things just work so.... nice? Or why some other experiences are so frustrating? We can answer that. :) See you in two weeks! #uxsalonhalifax #halifaxux #userexperience #halifaxtech #uxdesign #uxresearch

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Does your software team speak the same language? Aligning on what basic UI elements are called is a great starting point. It doesn’t even matter what name your team chooses as long as everyone agrees on it. Names should hint at purpose. #productdesign #designsystems

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Design success starts with documenting your journey! Tip for aspiring designers: Cultivate the habit of documenting your design process, no matter how raw or informal. These notes serve as invaluable guides during presentations or discussions with stakeholders. Transparency of thought process builds trust, fostering healthy dialogue and alignment with stakeholders. Plus, it boosts your confidence! #DesignTips #ProcessMatters #TransparencyWins

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I am increasingly worried that instead of addressing systemic challenges we're choosing to direct our ire on personas (e.g., zero-interest PMs). I understand Casey Winters's statement (and have spoken with him about it), and I understand Ed Biden's sentiment. But... Someone hired those PMs. Someone funded those companies. Someone set expectations for those PMs. A leader benefitted (or didn't from their work). Someone had the job to mentor those PMs, and share business context and the strategy (assuming one even existed). Zero-interest rates impacted their companies, and may have in turn set expectations for their roles. This makes it about the PMs vs. the perverse incentives in companies during zero interest rates. Also creeping into these descriptions are character judgements on individuals ("Don't feel accountable"). Do we really believe there is some epidemic of people who don't feel accountable vs. environments where accountability is increasingly unsafe, unhealthy, or otherwise? These statements are giving a get-out-of-jail card to people presiding over (and shaping) these environments.

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❓ I have a question for product designers ❓ How do you understand that you’ve reached a certain grade or level in your career, such as transitioning to a senior role? Do you rely solely on performance reviews, or are there other ways you evaluate your growth? And what if there’s no formal performance review process? I’m asking because I often get questions about assessing one’s grade or level. So, I’m curious — do you have a similar need or interest in this topic? Let me know your thoughts!

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A critical mistake many product managers make is getting too wrapped up in the tactical aspects of Agile and feature prioritization. While these are important, neglecting strategic skills like user research and vision development can limit your impact and career growth. Focus on what truly matters to elevate your product and your career.

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6 Comments

Interesting article with suggestions on powering through Design critique sessions. https://lnkd.in/eDSWrfZ2 #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui #ai #genai 

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I've been having a few chats with earlier-career product professionals recently, especially ones trying to break into product management. I was reminded of a critical piece of advice for those new to Product Management: Trying to change companies AND role types (Eng/QA/CS into PM) simultaneously is MUCH harder than doing it one at a time. If you possibly can, find a way to move into PM in your current company--or at least get PM-like experience even if you don't get the title. One side note on company shifts: it's really tough to do a wholesale industry shift in a tough market (e.g.--moving into FinTech from Productivity, B2B SaaS from Consumer). You need to be a master at drawing through lines from your past experience to their needs. Not AI-written "I'll redo my resume to reflect the job posting" through lines--genuinely thoughtful connections that show you already have some level of understanding of what's needed to be successful in the new industry.

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🌍 UX communities are more than just networking opportunities—they're where we learn, grow, and inspire each other. Whether you’re joining an established group like #CapCHI, which brings together the amazing UX community in Ottawa, or starting one yourself, being part of a UX network can make a big difference. I’ve found that connecting with others in the UX field really helps us stay ahead of trends and share valuable insights. 💡 It’s amazing how much we can learn from each other and how these interactions can fuel our creativity and problem-solving. What about you? How has your UX community impacted your work? What’s your go-to group or event? Let’s share in the comments and spread the word about the incredible UX networks out there! #UX #UserExperience #UXCommunity #Networking #DesignThinking

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Very interesting article on the benefits of performing Surveys. https://lnkd.in/eyqhPEjd #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

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This visual illustration by the Nielsen Norman Group highlights how having just a style guide is a good start but is by no means the complete story. Building a complete design system takes time, a lot of collaboration and patience between teams. Working together is an important component to success. You or your design team cannot do this alone. So understand, who in your business you need to collaborate with, who is needed as your supporter - ideally one or more higher up and peer - in your business. Finally, if you are privileged to lead and serve a team or department of people, understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team, put them to use in the correct areas of Design System development, ensure you don't lock in or build solid walls around your Design System, keep it organic, which will ensure it's cross business benefit. #strategy #designsystems #ux #designthinking #criticalthinking #collaboration #victorinox Victorinox

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🗣️ Pssst! Many (most?) UX/Design orgs have way more people than are actually necessary to deliver great user experience. This is something I was first clued into in 2014, speaking with a design leader who had recently left a Silicon Valley software company to run a team at a bank. She told me how the team she inherited had 20 people, but, given her team's straightforward remit (showing balances, transaction activity, and other basics), she should only need 10 folks to deliver a quality user experience. But then she said something that I've replayed in my head at least weekly since then. She said that she was stunned to realize that, given the complexity of her product organization, she actually needed 40 people to cover all the work and relationships. This is when I realized that many design orgs were not "user-centered" or "customer-centered," but "product-centered." And these product teams are bloated (from the perspective of delivering meaningful customer value), which drives design teams to be bloated as well (again, from the frame of reference of delivering user/customer value). What I didn't know at the time was the trend (and cult) of agile transformations and SAFe, which I now believe to be the primary culprit of this bloat. Shortly before I left Adaptive Path, I lead a team that designed the entire ecommerce experience (for desktop and mobile web) for a major brand, including landing pages, category pages, detailed product pages with reviews, shopping cart and checkout functionality, wishlists, address books, birthday reminders, and more. We had 5 people. For a team covering all those things to be effective in-house now, you'd need at least 15, and many would have so much more. I know what I'm saying may strike a sensitive chord in this time of layoffs and difficulty finding work. And I'm not saying we should cut UX/Design teams in half—these teams need to be this size to ensure quality UX is delivered in these contexts. But I suspect the convulsions we're experiencing are in some part due to a realization that these product development organizations are fundamentally misshapen to deliver the kind of value expected of them.

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Why does Product Strategy and Product Roadmap get interchanged by some? They are distinct tools needed to support the team... Teams and products will have differing levels of success based on how they approach both. 🔹 PRODUCT STRATEGY Think of it as the North Star guiding your journey. ➔ Long-term goals. Years ahead. Think big! ➔ Big picture stuff: goals, target audience, and what makes your product special. ➔ The "what" and "why" of the product's future journey. 🔹 PRODUCT ROADMAP Your detailed action plan, charting the course. There is not always going to be a direct shot path…and sometimes that path has roadblocks or changes along the way. ➔ Focuses on short to medium-term goals. ➔ Aligns teams on core problem to solve. ➔ Lays out potential solutions, enhancements, and milestones. ➔ Answers the "how" and "when” of reaching your goals. The strategy sets your destination; the roadmap charts the way there. Your roadmap turns your vision and strategy into a reality over time. Ready to turn your vision into actionable steps? Let's build roadmaps that lead to success! How do you align your strategy and roadmap? Share your thoughts below!

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🇨🇦 Calling all UX, UI and Product Designers in Canada! 🇨🇦 I'm conducting a survey to better understand the unique challenges designers face in the Canadian market. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, your insights are incredibly valuable! If you'd like to participate, you can find the survey here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gfnZpRDE We greatly appreciate your time and feedback! If you have any questions or run into any issues with the survey, feel free to reach out. Let’s work together to shape the future of design in Canada! 🙌

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