Summary
Brea opens Design at Scale 2022 by addressing the challenges the design community has faced through successive crises, including feeling undervalued, excluded from early project stages, and lacking executive support. She acknowledges the widespread fatigue and desire for meaningful work, connection with colleagues, and a sense of purpose. Brea frames the event's theme around empowering design teams to raise their maturity and influence, cultivate positive culture change, and ultimately drive better outcomes for companies and customers. She encourages attendees to engage with the talks, embrace new ideas, and leave re-energized with practical approaches for sustaining design impact at scale during uncertain times.
Key Insights
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Designers are often brought into projects too late, limiting their impact.
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Executives frequently underinvest in design, causing frustration among teams.
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There is widespread fatigue within the design community due to lack of recognition and influence.
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Design maturity is essential for supporting teams and creating meaningful impact.
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Connection and purpose at work increase job satisfaction for design professionals.
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Building strong design practices helps companies navigate crisis and uncertainty.
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Empowerment and positivity are critical themes for design at scale in times of crisis.
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Designers can lead cultural change to improve their own work experience and team dynamics.
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Design efforts that align with company success also benefit customers.
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Events like Design at Scale provide hope and actionable ideas for sustaining design influence.
Notable Quotes
"Many of us in this field are tired of not having our value understood."
"We are tired of being forgotten and fighting for that seat at the table."
"We want to feel satisfaction with our day-to-day work experience."
"We want a sense of connection with our coworkers."
"We want to have a sense of purpose and a positive impact."
"Today is about empowerment and positivity at scale."
"The speakers today will give you great ideas for building strong practices."
"Raising design maturity supports our people and helps them find meaning and purpose."
"We can lead the change in culture we want for ourselves and our team members."
"My hope for you is that you come away re-energized and ready to lead change."
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