Why they don’t get it: How to use human-centered design to overcome the career and workplace challenges of our field

Waller Salon C

Get designers together and the conversation will eventually turn to commiseration on the challenges of career progression or of working with other roles in the organization: * “I don’t see a path forward.” * “The business doesn’t want to listen.” * “The PM won’t prioritize it.” * “Leadership won’t give enough time or funding to do it well.” * “The developers don’t follow the spec.” * “Design feedback is never ending and we can’t get done.” These challenges weigh us down and erode our ability to have the impact that led us to the design field in the first place. In this talk, we’ll take a look in the mirror and explore practical ways we can use our UX competencies in research, empathy, and design thinking to resolve challenges like these and turn doubters into our biggest advocates so we can do the work we intended to do.

Career Development and Management Deep Dive