Theme 4: Discussion
Bob Baxley
SVP, Design & Experience at ThoughtSpot
Sara Asche Anderson
Senior Director, Customer Experience Design & Research, Best Buy
Sharon Bautista
Staff User Experience Researcher, Mozilla
Frank Duran
Design Director, USAA
Jamie Kaspszak
Sr. Manager, Experience Strategy & Capability Development, Best Buy
Abbey Smalley
Former Head of Design Programs, Amazon
Sylas Souza
Director of Product Design, Merchandising & Design Systems, Target
Summary
Join today’s speakers for Q&A and discussion of the day’s topics.
Key Insights
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Both Target and Best Buy are developing internal design systems aimed at future open source release but are not yet ready due to necessary maturation and support.
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Design systems often start fragmented within enterprises, requiring unification before external sharing is feasible.
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Design is fundamentally about organizational change, and designers must understand the systemic complexities of organizations to be effective.
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Building confidence within teams is critical when scaling design practices; it is better to start imperfectly than not at all.
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Long-term design transformations, such as multi-year journeys, demand agile planning and frequent reevaluation rather than rigid fixed plans.
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Leadership support, when demonstrated through space and time for discovery and design, is a key leverage point in increasing UX maturity.
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Research sharing methods are evolving beyond traditional reports to formats like lightning talks and podcasts to accommodate diverse learning styles and schedules.
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Successful advocacy for design adoption involves demonstrating clear value, such as quantifying time savings from using design systems' components.
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Low UX maturity often reflects broader product management challenges rather than just a lack of design buy-in.
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Changing evaluation metrics is essential to shifting organizational behavior from chasing short-term results to coaching long-term customer-focused mindsets.
Notable Quotes
"We are in the process of growing and maturing the design system before we open it to the public."
"We have a lot of work to do before we’re ready to put things open source at Best Buy."
"Design always means change; if it amplifies what’s already working, that itself is change."
"It’s more dangerous to do nothing than to do something that’s not super perfect to start."
"The journey metaphor is better than the sprint because transformation doesn’t have a finishing point."
"Design is open source; everybody participates, but you need facilitation to make good on that promise."
"We recommend pausing the focus on NPS score to coach behaviors that drive long-term customer relationships."
"Sharing research should take more time than actually conducting it because socializing insights drives impact."
"Always ask what teams are going to get for free — they’re more motivated if they see value in participating."
"Low UX maturity is often a symptom of a bigger problem in how you build product, not just design adoption."
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