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Summary
There are two ways for organizations to grow: organically (i.e., through internal development) or inorganically (i.e., through mergers and acquisitions.) In this session, Jorge Arango discusses how designers can help their organizations grow inorganically. We cover design's role in creating a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts and learn three "plays" to help us chart a path towards more cohesive product experiences.
Key Insights
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Mergers and acquisitions often result in parallel-running teams and products that do not integrate effectively for months or years.
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Confusing product portfolios are common due to overlapping, complementary, or vaguely distinguished offerings after mergers.
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Incoherent user experiences frequently arise from inconsistent login systems, terminology, and navigation structures between merged products.
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Redundant and wasteful efforts occur due to poor communication, causing duplicated roadmaps, teams, and design systems.
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Power struggles, tribal cultures, and ego conflicts complicate product and team integration after acquisitions.
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Leadership is critical in driving cultural integration; design supports by clarifying vision and aligning teams.
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Design can help create shared language and conceptual models that foster clearer communication and reduce ambiguity.
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Vision artifacts like vision types serve as strategic tools to embody and communicate long-term integrated goals.
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Conceptual modeling helps teams abstract complexity and think beyond UI to system concepts and relationships.
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Successful integration balances top-down unified vision with bottom-up insights from product teams and customers.
Notable Quotes
"Teams continue functioning as they were under the same roof, taking a while before true integration happens."
"We’re social and tribal creatures, fond of our companies and projects, and integration means forging a new identity from these tribes."
"Design can help shift the focus from internal organizational complexity back to the users and customers."
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast — without cultural integration, mergers often fail."
"We need a shared ontology where we mean what we say and say what we mean, aligning not just words but meanings."
"Design is often seen as a production function, but it can be a strategic partner in growth and integration initiatives."
"Steve Jobs’ matrix to focus Apple’s product portfolio was a design artifact that saved the company."
"The design project can be the MacGuffin — an artifact that enables important organizational conversations beyond its own purpose."
"Conceptual models describe how systems are organized, their parts, and how they behave together — essential before UI design."
"Vision types are like concept cars for design — they help communicate long-term possibilities and excite stakeholders."
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