S2.E4 Leading Design Teams in the Age of Commercialization

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Apple Podcast Episode: Season 2 Episode 4: Leading Design Teams in the Age of Commercialization

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YouTube Episode: Season 2 Episode 4: Leading Design Teams in the Age of Commercialization

Remember in the ZIRP days when design was all about "the art of the craft"? These days, the best design leaders are thinking differently about design. We met with Juli Duffer, who has been leading design and research teams for 20 years, and is currently the SVP of Design at FactSet. As an established design leader, her emphasis has been in defining and driving UX strategy, establishing UX as a key business function, and building and scaling design organizations. She spent seven years teaching and loves mentoring and coaching the wonderful humans on her team.

This episode explores how design teams are adapting to a more commercial, resource-constrained tech environment - highlighting how to assess org maturity, tie design to business outcomes, operate in different team models, and stay relevant amid AI, CMS tools, and rising complexity.

Time Stamps:

00:30 Major tech trends impacting how we approach design

03:00 Designing for business impact

05:10 Design and the customer journey

07:15 Business metrics for designers

10:10 Finding design-friendly environments

14:35 How to measure research and design impact

16:15 Finding design leaders in the age of commercialization

17:55 How designers can work better within their teams, post ZIRP

26:05 Setting up the best organization structure for design

27:45 Best design resources

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