A presentation at Front in in Salt Lake City, UT, USA by Matthew Ström
Designing Change Front · June 6th, 2019 · Salt Lake City, Utah Matt Ström · @ilikescience
The Ship of Theseus Change is hard to see Designing Change @ilikescience
My Ship of Theseus bitly.com Designing Change @ilikescience
Challenge 1 The Institutional Immune System Q: Where do I start? Designing Change @ilikescience
A: The First Plank Start small, build trust Designing Change @ilikescience
How to beat the institutional immune system
Designing Change @ilikescience
Designing Change @ilikescience
Challenge 2 Infinite possibilities Q: How do I align? Designing Change @ilikescience
A: The North Star Follow a compass, not a map Designing Change @ilikescience
Rules for good design principles: Good design principles are memorable. Good design principles help you say no. Good design principles aren’t truisms. Good design principles are easy to use. Designing Change @ilikescience
mstrom.co/design-principles Designing Change @ilikescience
Bitly’s design principles: 1. Design for trust. Design needs ethics. Strive to be transparent, clear, and consistent at all times. Build with intention, and earn our users’ trust. 2. Start with accessibility. Accessibility and usability aren’t optional. The more people can use our product, the more successful we will be. 3. Write to include. Always write short and smart. Use active voice, avoid slang and jargon, and write positively. Be helpful, honest, and human. Designing Change 4. Listen to users. Challenge your assumptions by listening to user feedback. Understand what users need and why, then design experiences that serve those needs. 5. Make a meaningful connection. Build positive experiences with kindness, whimsy, richness, wit. Inspire passion, engage users. 6. Be obvious. Good design and architecture should be invisible. Build useful software and get out of the way. @ilikescience
Challenge 3 Doubt Q: What’s the plan? Designing Change @ilikescience
A: The Responsive Roadmap The map is not the territory Designing Change @ilikescience
Team 1 Team 2 Team3 Team4 Designing Change @ilikescience
Designing Change @ilikescience
Complicated ≠ Complex Many known parts Designing Change Lots of unknowns @ilikescience
Why? Ambitious objectives which are guided by What? Measurable key results which are impacted by When? Concrete targets which are accomplished by How? Designing Change Current projects @ilikescience
Why? A 4-year leap for bitly.com guided by What? +20% daily new signups impacted by When? A new hero component accomplished by How? Designing Change Type + illustration choices @ilikescience
mstrom.co/responsive-roadmaps Designing Change @ilikescience
Challenge 4 Diminishing Returns Q: How do I keep going? Designing Change @ilikescience
A: The Feedback Loop Constantly refine the process Designing Change @ilikescience
Kalman Filtering:
Code is shipped Design is !nished Design Just-in-time delivery Engineering Stand-ups, retros Product Grooming, planning Research User testing & interviews mstrom.co/just-in-time-design Designing Change @ilikescience
Just-in-time-design:
The Result Proof that it works Designing Change @ilikescience
Is it innovative? No. Designing Change @ilikescience
Did it accomplish the objectives? YES. Designing Change @ilikescience
+50% Daily new signups +20 Accessibility score Designed 100% in-house Cross-company collaboration Shipped in 4 months Designing Change @ilikescience
The end Matt Ström · @ilikescience
Great companies are defined by their ability to change. Apple changed when they re-hired Steve Jobs. Microsoft changed when they embraced open-source software. Amazon changed when they started selling groceries, and then cloud computing, and then original TV shows.
It is easy to imagine these changes as grand strategic moves, carefully planned and executed by a handful of luminaries. But lasting, meaningful change comes from many small, focused improvements over time. With patience, just one person can make a substantial impact in even the largest organizations.
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