“Systems are very good at being resilient,” and “Systems are very good at dehumanizing,” are sentiments that anyone who has worked in organizational transformation or systems change can appreciate. Luke Roberts is the COO and co-founder of HighFive and a speaker at the upcoming Advancing Service Design Conference. As a self-proclaimed "systems provocateur," Luke emphasizes the importance of understanding the underlying dynamics of any system, whether it’s in education, healthcare, or corporate environments. He and Lou discuss the intricacies of how systems operate and the challenges faced when attempting to provoke meaningful transformation, often drawing on relatable insights from Luke’s work within education systems. One of the standout insights from the conversation is the vital role of time in enacting change. Luke argues that significant systems change requires a long-term commitment, with research indicating that anything less than three years typically fails to yield lasting results. This understanding is crucial, especially when organizations often seek quick wins that can lead to a cycle of temporary fixes without addressing deeper issues. Ultimately, our discussion reveals that provoking change is not just about identifying problems or changing individuals; it's about creating a collective vision and investing the time and energy required to realize it. As we navigate complex systems across various sectors, embracing the challenge of systems change can lead to meaningful and sustainable transformation. What You'll Learn from this Episode: - The Nature of Systems Change: Understanding that systems are complex and often resistant to change, requiring a nuanced approach to provoke transformation. - The Importance of Time: Recognizing that meaningful systems change typically takes at least three years, challenging the desire for quick wins and highlighting the need for long-term commitment. - Energy Dynamics in Systems: Exploring how the flow of information and attention affects change efforts, and how misdirection can stall progress. - Collaboration Across Stakeholders: The necessity of fostering collaboration among all participants—whether in education, healthcare, or corporate environments—to create a shared vision for change. - Provocation as a Tool for Change: Learning how to challenge existing norms and behaviors within a system without blaming individuals, thereby encouraging open dialogue and reflection. - Practical Examples and Insights: Gaining insights from real-world examples, such as the education system, to illustrate how systemic issues can perpetuate negative outcomes and the strategies needed to address them. Quick Reference Guide: 0:14 - Meet Luke 2:40 - An example of change at a system level - bullying in schools 5:50 - Helpful frameworks - mapping and metaphors 9:06 - Why training individuals is not a long-term solution 14:00 - The window of change 18:13 - 5 reasons to use the Rosenverse 20:28 - Provoking systems 24:58 - Flow of energy 28:49 - Luke’s gift for listeners Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Advancing Service Design - December 3-4, 2024 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/ The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia by Bernard Suits https://www.amazon.com/Grasshopper-Third-Games-Life-Utopia/dp/1554812151/ Leading Schools and Sustaining Innovation by Luke Roberts https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Schools-Sustaining-Innovation-Roberts/dp/1032015624/

“I’ve been asking myself the question, ‘Why are you doing that?’ since I was about four,” says Amanda Woolley. As an organizational development (OD) consultant and facilitator, she seems to have found the right profession. Amanda began her career with NHS England, eventually becoming the System Leadership Development Senior Manager before working as a consultant. Ironically, she initially rejected the notion that she was an “OD person,” not being entirely sure what the requirements were. In Lou and Amanda’s discussion, she reflects on her journey into OD. She explains that OD focuses on helping teams step back and evaluate how they work together, addressing the complexities and “weirdness” that can emerge in workplace dynamics. They discuss the ideal environment for creating effective change in an organization, emphasizing the importance of neutrality, creativity, and ownership. Amanda shares a personal story about being a caregiver at a young age for her ill mother. She reflects, “My best experiences in healthcare are when people have broken the rules.” Today, she brings stakeholders together so that procedures can be rewritten to make protocols efficient and effective for all involved—and she’ll bring her experience and OD perspective to her panel at Advancing Service Design 2024 (virtual, December 3-4). What You'll Learn from this Episode: - The purpose of Organizational Development and who typically does it Common “weird” challenges organizations face - When and why organizations should bring in consultants, like OD specialists, to provide a neutral perspective and facilitate better communication and problem-solving - Amanda’s career path and the rich experiences that inform her work today Quick Reference Guide: 0:14 - Meet Amanda 1:50 - Systems and organizational development share a focus on frameworks and language 5:08 - What is organizational development, and who does it? 6:24 - Being aware of what’s weird and doing something about it 9:43 - The triggers that expose the need for an organizational development specialist 14:21 - Creating space that invites change and creativity 17:15 - 5 things about the Rosenverse 19:53 - How Amanda’s experience with the National Health Services in the UK has influenced her work today 27:27 - Amanda’s gift for listeners Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Advancing Service Design Conference - December 3-4, 2024 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/ Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection―Now and in an Uncertain Future by Martin Seligman and Gabriella Rosen Kellerman https://www.amazon.com/Tomorrowmind-Resilience-Creativity-Connection_Now-Uncertain/dp/1982159766

What do music and DesignOps have in common? So much that Rachel Posman and John Calhoun use music as a framework for their new book, The Design Conductors: Your Essential Guide to Design Operations—the first book written about the subject. Both of the authors come from creative backgrounds (John as a musician, Rachel as a ballet dancer), and they describe how their personal experiences influenced their approach to the book and their work. The music analogies are plenty. One example is the importance of orchestration in design operations, equating it to coordinating a team to work harmoniously, much like a conductor leading an orchestra. Rachel and John explain that design operations is a creative process, blending design and management, and that those creative aspects are often underestimated. They highlight the maturing nature of design operations as a discipline, noting that the book fills a gap in resources for both newcomers and experienced professionals. The book is structured in two acts (another musical metaphor): the fundamentals of DesignOps, and the practical, tactical methods for building and scaling teams. Rachel and John also discuss some common challenges in DesignOps, like making the invisible work visible and advocating for the value of the discipline. They stress the importance of "working loudly" to ensure that the contributions of design ops teams are recognized so that teams are properly resourced. What You'll Learn from this Episode: - Why Rachel and John chose a musical metaphor to use in their book - Why Rachel and John decided to write the first book on Design Ops - How the book is formatted and why there is something for everyone - Why Rachel encourages her team to “work louder” Quick Reference Guide: 0:24 - Introduction of Rachel and John 2:45 - Brining a music metaphor to design ops and highlighting the creativity within operations 6:53 - The design materials of operations 7:42 - Communication 9:40 - Building the plane while flying 11:06 - What the book covers and who it’s for 14:22 - 5 reasons you need the Rosenverse 17:14 - The journey readers can expect to take 21:07 - The big errors and challenges in design ops 23:34 - Ideas for working loud and being visible 27:06 - Gifts for listeners

The best operating models for design orgs are mission-driven, evolving, and team-developed. Those criteria might seem daunting, but Daniel Orbach, Lou’s guest and a speaker at September’s DesignOps Summit, explains how he facilitates a dynamic culture of co-creating with his team at JP Morgan Chase. Daniel outlines his framework, one where the whole team is involved. It’s a dynamic, fluid process that builds teamwork, creates buy-in, and establishes a framework of periodic review, which encourages continual evolution. Lou and Daniel discuss the impact of rituals and mission statements on both teams and individuals. They also explore the impact of a team’s operating models on the broader organization and how interactions with various teams can foster shared understanding within the broader context of the organization. What You'll Learn from this Episode: - How mission statements can inspire and drive operating models - The power of organic rituals and the unusual, unifying ritual of Daniel’s team at JP Morgan Chase - How cross-pollinating between teams can create a shared vocabulary and increase understanding Quick Reference Guide: 2:36 - Introduction of Daniel 3:14 - Co-creating operating models with a team 4:33 - On mission and operating models 7:19 - Quarterly impact retrospectives 9:16 - Rituals and mission 12:55 - Co-creating operating models 15:34 - Why you need the Rosenverse 18:39 - Operating models’ effects on broader organizations 21:00 - Shared vocabulary 23:07 - Cross-pollinating in organizations to facilitate shared understanding 25:05 - Operating models and the individual 28:09 - Daniel’s gift for the audience Resources and Links from Today's Episode: DesignOps Summit https://rosenfeldmedia.com/designops-summit/2024/ Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by John Coram https://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Fighter-Pilot-Who-Changed/dp/0316796883 Pieces of the Action by Vannevar Bush https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Action-Vannevar-Bush/dp/1953953204

Being simultaneously data-driven and creative seems paradoxical. So does building statistics into the creative process. John Paul de Guzman has managed to do both. As the founder and chief creative of Frost Design and Consulting Group, and speaker at the upcoming DesignOps Summit, millions of Filipinos have been impacted by their work with major FinTech and telecom projects. Much of the UX/UI talent in the Philippines is self-taught, often struggling with the gap between academic training and industry expectations. To address this, John Paul developed a systematic approach to training and design processes. John Paul and Lou discuss how Frost has embraced data-driven design, which, contrary to the creative chaos one might expect, has led to more efficient workflows and better client outcomes. By integrating tools like Trello and Figma, and leveraging AI for task management, John Paul has significantly reduced administrative overhead. This approach allows designers to focus on their work rather than getting bogged down in busy work. They can track work in real time, eliminating the need for status meetings and improving overall productivity—a win-win for both the team and their clients. What You'll Learn from this Episode: - How John Paul and his team at Frost systematically integrated data into their creative processes - How John Paul addressed the talent gap in his company The tools he uses to track workflows and achieve always-current status on projects - How probabilistic analysis helps predict project timelines and manage client expectations more accurately - How John Paul is integrating AP in the project-tracking process Quick Reference Guide: 0:13 - Introduction of John Paul 2:16 - The path that got John Paul where he is today 5:18 - What it means to be data-driven 8:39 - Systematizing the data-driven design process by tracking workflows 11:58 - Mapping the workflow 16:01 - Break 18:45 - Tools for probabilistic analysis and managing time 24:11 - The level of granularity John Paul’s team tracks 25:56 - Handling aspects of work that are more conceptual and difficult to atomize 30:46 - John Paul’s gift for listeners Resources and Links from Today's Episode: DesignOps Summit 2024 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/designops-summit/2024/

Giving feedback to subordinates can be just as stressful as receiving it. Yet evaluations are a critical component of retention, employer/employee expectations, and production in general. Having an evaluation framework and system in place creates efficiencies, fills voids, and benefits everyone on the team. Enter Ignacio Martinez, associate director at Grand Studio in Chicago. He’ll be delivering a talk at the Design Ops Summit in September, “Fair and Effective Designer Evaluation”. In this podcast episode, Ignacio and Lou explore the importance of a well-structured evaluation framework that highlights “glows and grows” in the areas of craft, quality, client interaction, and teamwork. Ignacio’s system, built on the very accessible Google Sheets, combines quantitative metrics with qualitative feedback to reduce bias and offer a comprehensive assessment of designers' performance. His framework allows for continuous feedback from peers, project directors, and supervisors. What You'll Learn from this Episode: - The principles and methodologies behind creating a fair and effective designer evaluation system - How contributions from peers, career managers, and directors can create a robust evaluation system - The importance of a structured framework with clear categories and traits such as craft, quality, client interaction, and teamwork. - The benefits of incorporating both quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback to minimize bias and provide comprehensive evaluations. - How to create a framework for continuous ongoing feedback from peers, project directors, and supervisors - How evaluation criteria may evolve based on internal priorities Quick Reference Guide: 0:13 - Intro of Ignacio 3:54 - Evaluating designers then and now 6:32 - Gut feelings versus using a system 8:27 - Defining desired traits and levels 11:49 - The framework of the documentation 14:54 - The Rosenverse 17:34 - Who are the evaluators? Are they biased? Are they anonymous? 21:33 - The frequency of evaluations 22:36 - Consider what makes the business run 26:05 - The importance of transparency 26:51 - Ignacio’s gift for listeners Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Blurb of Ignacio’s “Fair and Effective Designer Evaluation” https://rosenfeldmedia.com/designops-summit/2024/sessions/fair-and-effective-designer-evaluation/ DesignOps Summit virtual conference - September 23-25 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/designops-summit/2024/ Rosenverse https://rosenfeldmedia.com/rosenverse/ Donald Glover https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2255973/

Kate Towsey has certainly left her mark on research operations, pioneering the practice, helping launch the ResearchOps community, and now through writing Research That Scales: The Research Operations Handbook, which Rosenfeld Media is publishing in September of 2024. In her interview with Lou, Kate reflects on her journey from content strategist to a pivotal figure in the research operations community. She recounts her early days at the UK Government Digital Service, where she unexpectedly found herself building research labs, and later at Atlassian, where she helped develop systems to manage vast amounts of research data. Through her work, Kate realized the need for a more structured approach to research operations, leading to facilitating a global ResearchOps community. Oh, and along the way, she coined the term “PWDR” (“People Who Do Research”). The conversation delves into the strategic importance of ResearchOps, emphasizing that it’s much more than just administrative support—it's about designing systems that enable organizations to effectively learn and innovate. Kate likens research operations to city planning, highlighting the need for strategy to build successful, sustainable systems. What You'll Learn from this Episode: - How Kate’s early work in content strategy and her experiences at the UK - Government Digital Service (GDS) led to the work she does today - The importance of aligning research operations with a clear research strategy - How research operations have evolved over the years - The distinction between research and insights, and the value of turning research findings into actionable insights that drive decision-making Quick Reference Guide: 0:27 - Introduction of Kate and her book 3:32 - Kate’s ah-ha moment 9:38 - Facilitating a global conversation before writing the book 11:47 - 8 elements unique to operations 14:09 - The Rosenverse 16:56 - Defining research operations 16:15 - Strategy in operations 20:50 - A story from overlooking the Hudson River in 2018 23:58 - On insight 27:14 - Human-centered research 32:04 - Kate’s gift for listeners Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Research That Scales: The Research Operations Handbook by Kate Towsey https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/research-that-scales/ Cha-Cha Club https://chacha.club/

Is it time to advance the practice of service design? Ben Reason and Patrick Quattlebaum think so. They’re veteran service designers and co-authors of a pair of Rosenfeld books—Service Design: From Insight to Implementation and Orchestrating Experiences respectively. Ben, founder of LiveWork Studio, and Patrick, who founded Harmonic Design in Atlanta, join Lou to talk about launching a new Rosenfeld conference—Advancing Service Design—designed to highlight the service design’s potential for a new generation. They see opportunities for service design to go deeper—by integrating with and strengthening existing practices, like product management and agile, and broader—by better connecting systems that span multiple organizations (think healthcare). Working with the Rosenfeld team, they’re creating a conference program that you can be a part of—they describe the kinds of presentation proposals they’re looking for from prospective speakers. Patrick and Ben hope you’ll join them in advancing service design; the conference will take place virtually December 3-4. What You'll Learn from this Episode: - The real meaning of service design - How service design is evolving - Some crucial differences between work in the North America and Europe - Why communication between organizations is so important - How the upcoming conference will inspire and support you - How to contribute and become part of the upcoming case studies - How the panel discussions at the December conference will be different Quick Reference Guide: 0:15 - Introduction to Ben and Patrick 1:50 - Being change agents to take Service Design to the next level 5:03 - Announcing a new conference: Advancing Service Design– Looking at Service Design Through Different Lenses 6:05 - Perspectives on different sides of the Atlantic 11:30 - Why service design exists in the first place 12:38 - More about the upcoming December virtual conference 17:40 - Call for proposals for the case studies and what they are looking for 19:00 - Ben’s ideas for the conference: The next iteration of service design going from within an organization to between multiple organizations 21:09 - Patrick’s ideas for the conference: Getting the people who want to transform things to communicate and the complexity of partnering together 23:05 - Bringing success from the inside 24:45 - Commercial break 27:10 - Personal story from Patrick about communication highlighting the broader concept of the case studies for the conference 32:30 - Personal story from Ben about connection across systems 37:16 - A different type of panel discussion to be at the conference 40:15 - Gifts for listeners Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Apply to speak at ASD2024 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/apply-to-speak-at-advancing-service-design-a-new-conference-from-rosenfeld/ LiveWork Studio https://liveworkstudio.com/ Harmonic Design https://thisisharmonic.com/ Service Design: Form Insight to Innovation by Andy Polaine, Ben Reason & Lavrans Løvlie https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/service-design/ Orchestrating Experiences: Collaborative Design for Complexity by Chris Risdon and Patrick Quattlebaum https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/orchestrating-experiences/ Movie: Clueless https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112697/ The Ready https://www.theready.com/ Brave New Work by Aaron Dignan https://www.bravenewwork.com/

Leah Buley and Joe Natoli have teamed up to make something great (check out the reviews on Amazon!) even greater. How? Well, considering that The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide was written more than a decade ago, it was time to revisit the content and make it even more relevant for today’s UX teams. After all, times have changed. But the fundamental principles of the original book haven’t changed. They are as solid today as they were 11 years ago. What has changed is that the methods have been adapted for the speed of change in today’s businesses. Joe says it best: “These methods are shorter. They're simpler. They’re more direct in a lot of ways, and they cut to the chase in a way that longer processes don’t. I've met plenty of senior people who are throwing up their hands and going, ‘We're doing all the things. Why isn't this working?’ And the truth is, they're kind of overworking and overthinking. Everything in this book is practical and direct and gets you from point A to B. I just don't think there's any better way to get there.” What You'll Learn from this Episode: - About Leah’s experience as a solo UX practitioner and the inspiration behind the first edition of UX Team of One - How the UX field has changed over the past decade - How the second edition aims to provide comprehensive yet practical UX methods that can be applied in various organizational settings - About the shortcomings of UX boot camps and educational programs - A perspective that balances UX advocacy with business objectives and the reality of corporate politics - How to navigate and thrive in a UX career despite industry challenges, focusing on practical, adaptable methods and tools. Quick Reference Guide: 0:46 - Introduction of Leah and Joe 1:33 - The User Experience Team of One, second edition 6:46 - Large or small team, Leah and Joe’s book is comprehensive without being overwhelming 8:58 - Righting wrongs 12:14 - What’s new in the second edition – striving to do more with less 15:58 - Break - plug for the Rosenverse 18:20 - The current shitstorm 21:39 - On speed 24:40 - On toolkits. Tools and methods are two different things. 28:16 - Who needs The User Experience Team of One? 30:45 - Leah and Joe’s gifts for the audience Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886 Jakob Bro, jazz guitarist https://jakobbro.com/web/ Confessions of a Pricing Man by Hermann Simon https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Pricing-Man-Affects-Everything/dp/3319203991 Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe https://www.amazon.com/Bonfire-Vanities-Tom-Wolfe/dp/0312427573 The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide by Leah Buley and Joe Natoli https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-user-experience-team-of-one-second-edition/

Have you ever thought about the similarities between art and science? Or about how math is the language of the universe? No? Welcome to a perspective shift. Ultimately this episode is about making things better, not just different. But how we get there is through a thoughtful and entertaining discussion with the witty and philosophical Erin Weigel. Erin Weigel wants us to make things better, not just different. But how do we get there? Lou had a thoughtful and entertaining discussion with Erin, always witty and philosophical—and often funny as hell. Join them on a perspective-shifting conversation that bridges disciplines and challenges conventional thinking, all in the pursuit of genuine improvement. Erin is the author of the recently published Design for Impact: Your Guide to Designing Effective Product Experiments. She brings a fresh, accessible, and humor-filled take on what may seem like a dry topic: experimentation. Erin digs into the role of experimentation in design, advocating for always defaulting to experiments even if they’re the quick and dirty kind. Erin and Lou also cover the following: - Wonky stuff like normal distributions, the central limit theorem, and what can be learned from outliers - The power of experiments to unite multidisciplinary teams by getting away from opinions and finding the truth - How professionals can use the principles of experimentation to navigate uncertainties and drive meaningful improvements - Discerning the impact of changes made What You'll Learn from this Episode: - How Erin, with a fine arts background, became the principal designer at Booking.com and the Senior Group Product Design Manager at Deliveroo - The fundamental similarities between art and science - Why you should never skip the experimental phase - How experimentation unites people across disciplines - The difference between making things different and making them better Quick Reference Guide: 0:32 - Introduction of Erin; similarities between art and science 4:05 - Barriers between art and science 5:58 - Statistics is fun! 12:37 - Defaulting to experimentation 18:06 - Break - 5 reasons to use the Rosenverse 20:36 - Experimentation as a uniting force 25:49 - Make things better, not just different 28:32 - Erin’s gift for listeners Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Design for Impact: Your Guide to Designing Effective Product Experiments by Erin Weigel: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design-for-impact/ Ologies Podcast with Allie Ward: https://www.alieward.com/ologies Rosenverse: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/rosenverse/ Factfulness: 10 Reasons We’re Wrong About the World and 10 Reasons Why Things are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling: https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814

In the latest episode of the Rosenfeld Review, Lou sits down with old friend Peter van Dijck, author of Information Architecture for Designers: Structuring Websites for Business Success, one of the first books ever written on Information Architecture. Peter is now a partner of Simply Put, a Colombian company that builds and designs useful AI Agents—including the soon-to-launch Rosenbot! Peter offers insight into the world of AI. Having been one of the first to speak about IA, it is fascinating to hear what he now has to say about AI. Join Lou and Peter as they take you through the journey where language itself is transforming from design to technology. What You'll Learn from this Episode: - An introduction to the Rosenbot, an AI bot that Peter’s company is developing for Rosenfeld Media - Some basic vocabulary for speaking about AI and ML so you “don’t feel like an idiot” - Mind-blowing truths about the potential of Generative AI’s language capabilities - How writing has transformed from a design to a technology and learn what that means for how we interact with the data - About the importance of highly curated information when training bots and the tricky balance that comes when you want to present less polished sources like unedited conversations - The importance of the human side of things - The biggest surprise that has come from working in the industry Quick Reference Guide [0:15] - Lou’s introduction of Peter Van Dijck [3:00] - AI on a basic level [4:59] - Generative AI’s language capabilities [18:08] - How we interact with metadata and writing as a technology [20:00] - How real-use cases make technology more exciting and instantaneous [22:19] - Information about the new Designing With AI Conference [23:33] - Some of the jargon around AI and IA [24:16] - Introduction to Lou’s Chat Bot, the Rosen Bot [24:39] - The importance of training bots on highly curated information [28:34] - The tricky balance of curated and less polished content [30:26] - The human side of things [31:55] - Different interaction models [37:58] - The biggest surprise working in the industry [38:30] - A Gift For You Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Peter Van Dijck Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petervandijck/ Peter’s Company, Simply Put: https://www.getsimplyput.ai/ Information Architecture for Designers: Structuring Websites for Business Success https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YDJPPCM The My Climate Journey Podcast: https://www.mcjcollective.com/media/podcast