Summary
In this talk, Bob Baxley shares his 30-year journey since moving to Silicon Valley, highlighting the dramatic growth of the enterprise user experience design community from a handful of people to a global network. He recalls early days when design struggled to gain a meaningful seat at the corporate table, noting that today design definitely has presence, though not always the most comfortable position. Baxley shares insights from leaders at companies like Apple and Pinterest, underscoring that being 'design led' does not necessarily mean design solely leads. Instead, he argues that design leaders must focus on transforming entire companies by spreading a design mindset and building strong partnerships with internal stakeholders. He sets up the theme of the conference's current day, 'Better Together: Partnering with Others to Transform,' and expresses excitement about learning frameworks and case studies from speakers like Abby and Silas. Ultimately, he champions the broader mission that well-designed systems and organizations not only improve businesses but society as a whole.
Key Insights
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The enterprise UX design community has grown from a handful to hundreds globally in 30 years.
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Design has moved from fighting for a seat at the table to having one, even if not the most comfortable.
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Being a design-led company does not always mean design leadership controls all decisions.
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Design leaders' highest leverage work is building relationships and fostering a design mindset across the whole company.
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Successful organizational transformation requires partnering proactively and consciously with internal stakeholders.
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The conference theme emphasizes practical frameworks and case studies for better cross-functional collaboration.
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Design skills are essential not just for teams and companies but for improving society at large.
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A society that is designed thoughtfully is better than one that is simply built reactive to needs.
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The speaker draws on personal experience at Apple and Pinterest to illustrate diverse approaches to design leadership.
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Celebrating milestones can be a useful time to reflect on industry progress and future challenges.
Notable Quotes
"If you told me about a conference like this 30 years ago, you could have gotten all the participants in the backseat of a minivan."
"There is definitely a seat at the table for design, though it’s not always the most comfortable one."
"Design led does not need to be design led."
"Our job as leaders is to transform the entire company and push a design mindset throughout the organization."
"Building relationships with our internal partners may well be the highest leverage aspect of our jobs."
"These are great skills we need to develop in order to promote and improve society at large."
"A society that’s designed is better than one that’s simply built."
"Design leadership is about more than running a design function—it’s about organizational transformation."
"We’re going to get frameworks for partnering inside your company and case studies of real-world application."
"Reflecting on three decades helps me appreciate how far enterprise UX has come and how much work remains."
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