Jason Lim

Design operations (aka DesignOps) is the engine that keeps the design process humming along so that designers can focus on what they do best (you know, designing). 👩‍💻 It ensures your team’s sanity, allowing them to focus on the work itself rather than reinventing the wheel or “how” to get the work done every time. This stuff is especially crucial as your design firepower grows—whether with new designers, devs, or product peeps. Wondering how to get started? Our blog post on Standardizing design through DesignOps has you covered: https://lnkd.in/gfwR2u-6 #DesignOps #UXdesign #designprocess

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Zendesk faced a familiar challenge: the growing demand for UX research outpaced the resources and expertise needed to run research 📬 Discover how Head of UX Research, Reggie Murphy, tackled this hurdle by embarking on a journey to democratize UX research at Zendesk. Reggie shares how he developed new research training programs, automated processes, and ResearchOps to empower cross-functional teams to conduct research independently. This helped elevate research from a supporting function to a strategic partner to the business. Tune in to the Optimal Path Podcast to learn more 🎧 https://buff.ly/4aUwHax #UserResearch #ResearchDemocratization #TheOptimalPath

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For anyone wanting to learn more about how we're working on AI as a design team here at Klaviyo, have a listen to this interview with Alexandra Holness

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Etsy was recently seen A/B testing AND eventually shipping a more visible search with the help of a higher contrast orange background button color (instead of a ghost-like icon only approach). Full screenshots: https://lnkd.in/gVJThW3W Now I don't work for Etsy (as much as I'd love to design some experiments for/with them) so we can't see the actual numbers beyond this feint probabilistic residue from the public domain. However, the amazing Andrey Andreev who runs experiments at Metro recently ran a very similar one and shared a solid result on GoodUI - with a positive impact to sales and searches. N = 896,009 SRM Check = Pass p-val on Increased Sales = 0.0139 (I know some people might like this to be even lower for a primary metric; but there is also reinforcing evidence on increased searches with an even lower p value at "ultra stat-sig" levels using Ron Kohavi's language; p < 0.00000001). I inverted the a/b test and categorized it under the Filled Vs Ghost Button pattern - further weakening the ghosts and strengthening the high contrast filled button styles on multiple metrics. https://lnkd.in/gmD8Exvc Thanks Andrey for a somewhat of an unintended replication, as I know your source of inspiration came from somewhere else on this one. :) Have you tested anything similar or different. If so, what did you discover? I'd be super curious to see more examples where increases to search have either ❌ failed or ✅ succeeded. Please share independent of outcome. ps. We also have a handful of similar "visible search" experiments where companies tested adding or hiding search: https://lnkd.in/gvWqzrK5 - further supporting this direction. [EDIT]: Note the additional confounders / variables in the Metro test - a stronger border, a change in background color of the search box as per Jakob Nielsen comment. They may be similar along the lines of the increased visibility theme - but possible additional variables nevertheless. #experimentation #ecommerce #replication #optimization #ui #ux

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How do design system teams prove their value? Finding hard metrics around the impact of design system teams has historically been a challenge. A year ago, I met the design system team at Eventbrite who could confidently say that they saved 534 days of engineering effort with their design system. Here's their calculation: Time spent to develop a component pre-design system - time spent to install the design system component = Time saved In order to extrapolate this number, though, you need to know how many times a component has been used. And, that used to require a savvy dev on the team to build something custom. That's no longer the case. We built something at zeroheight that will allow you to track component use in a single repo or across all of your repos. This should help teams show how valuable they are, plus do things like: see which components to prioritize based on use see which product teams are adopting As an added bonus, anyone using the new feature set can also monitor design system packages, allowing them to quickly see which teams are using outdated packages. On a personal note, I'm hoping with data like this, more teams can confidently quantify their impact. And along the way, we'll get better as design system practitioners at identifying the right things to work on. This new feature set is in beta and totally free. Even if you aren't using zeroheight to document your design system, you can use it. Takes like 15 minutes and you've got rich data. Here's the sign up:

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Lots of hubbub around Figma's new AI features this morning. Our Technology Director Jarrett Webb brings the hyperbole into perspective. Tl;dr: Yes, these are positive new features for the Figma product, which will empower designers and improve the design process, but it is a great exaggeration to think of it as the end for product designers. These are features that help designers with the tedious and mundane chores of designing and using Figma: -creating filler content that makes the designs more realistic -organizing the entities of Figma -creating mood boards or inspiration boards Yes, it does make the act of "designing" more accessible to those less skilled in design and in using tools like Figma, but it would be naive to stop there. It could be effective for non-designers to express their ideas and concepts more easily. It does not eliminate all the other and most important things designers deal with: -composition of systems -composition of workflows -managing scale -understanding the problem space in both abstract and pedantic levels -articulating problem spaces at multiple levels for various audiences -making good decisions -organizing information -effectively presenting information/data The last three are extremely difficult for non-designers. Businesses are often challenged making product and design decisions that optimally satisfy both user/market needs and business objectives. This is the hardest part of product strategy and design. Product discovery (applies to established products as much as new products) is the process of defining and articulating the product space and is something businesses constantly struggle with. It is also an imperative prerequisite to designing and delivering successful products to market. Design is a strategic process and is far more than setting pixels and making things look pretty.

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🗣 Design is not only about a pretty layout. It's a strategic opportunity to deliver better experiences to your customers and stakeholders. As Nicolas pointed out in his article, "when a designer joins a team to build a product/service, they become the bridge between the company and the customer's feelings". So, here’s three reasons why adopting a design culture is so important for your business. ➡ Read more: https://lnkd.in/d9qZ6bF7

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Our Strategic Approaches to UX Research Intensive led by Jared Spool is this June 3 – 7, 2024! No more guessing. No more betting. Eliminate risk with the magic of Strategic UX Research. Read all about the intensive: https://cstu.io/7cdfbe

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Just listened to this interview with Katie Dill, Head of Design at Stripe - a great listen. 😊 If you're interested in UX leadership and knowing where to add value - this is definitely worth listening to! #uxleadership #designleaders #uxjobs #designvalue #product

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I get asked pretty often what resources are out there that help people break into the UX field. Ryan's great and could offer some really good well informed insights. if you're curious about some interview prep, give this a look

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The UX job market in 2024 is a bit of a mixed bag. There are challenges due to recent economic trends, but also reasons for optimism. ✨ Job openings are down significantly from their peak in 2022, with UX being especially impacted. Competition for jobs is high, with many qualified candidates out of work. Here are some tips to help you carve your own career path in UX design given the current competitive job market: 🔹 Master foundational UX design principles 🔹 Specialize in a niche area of UX 🔹 Explore freelance and contract work 🔹 Contribute to open-source projects 🔹 Focus on transferable skills and consider roles in other industries ✨ Bonus tip: Use Lyssna to gather user feedback and validate your designs. Perfect for updating your portfolio! 🔍 #UXDesign #CareerTips #FreelanceDesign #DesignCommunity #Lyssna #usabilitytesting #userexperience #usertesting #userresearch #designthinking #ux

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🤔 Is UX more than just a functional requirement? Read the full story on our Expert Talks series with Cristina Russo as she shares how UX becomes a game-changer, not just a checkbox! Full article below 👇 https://lnkd.in/des7tcTE #useberry #usertesting #prototypes #ux #uxdesign #uxtools #uxresearch #usabilitytesting #experttalks

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As a design leader, I've always been driven by a company's vision and mission. It's deeply meaningful to me, and I've found joy in igniting that same passion in others by sharing our North Star. Over the years, I've come to realise that nothing is more fundamental than the essence of a brand itself. Inspiring others stems from a shared understanding of who we are and why we do what we do throughout the entire organisation. But how do we achieve this alignment? Sometimes, big changes don't require massive efforts. Investing just three hours in the right discussion with the right people can lead to transformative outcomes. The Brand Sprint: a concise three-hour brainstorming session aimed at making tangible what "our brand" truly represents. Surprisingly, there's a lack of accessible templates for this process. So, I created one myself. In my latest video, I walk you through it and share some valuable insights. Feel free to utilise it and share your feedback.

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I don't know when or how it happened, but Config has become one of the major yearly conferences in our industry. Given how much Figma plays a role in the practice, it's common for design system teams to watch with anticipation/excitement/dread for what's coming. In our latest episode, Davy Fung and I discuss the reveals from Config and what that may mean for folks in the design systems practice moving forward. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gRMBzfbJ #designsystems #figma #congfig #podcast

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Check out the 4 step exercise at the end of the article. Excellent advice.

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Ressource Medium: "The Nuances of Enterprise UX Design An 11-part series exploring the various aspects and intricacies of UX design for enterprise software." #ux #uxdesign

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Well that’s a wrap on Config! It was so great to see so many folks that I’ve worked with, admired, hired, managed, led, followed and best of all loved to work and be around in one place. Last year was epic but this year was sublime. And what a delight it was to see Figma’s new design magazine and little ole’ me playing a small part in this community publication! I’m talking about my favorite topic - data. With the pomp and circumstance of LLMs and “look what I can do,” brag of GenAI people are falling silent on the most important part of all this new technology - the data that fuels it. We’re forgetting the labor that goes into collecting, labeling and making data machine ready and the class of people who aren’t getting fairly compensated for this work. We’re forgetting that entire business models are being celebrated right now that use the stealing and appropriating of other’s creative content as their foundation. First there is awarness. Then anger. Now it’s time for advocacy. Here’s a question how can we make AI development for equitable overall all by fairly compensating those unseen data producers who make the AI tree grow? Check it out! I’m Proud to be part of The Prompt, a print and digital zine from @Figma’s Story & Brand Studios exploring the intersection of AI, design, and code, which launched at #Config2024. My Q&A on the power of input in AL and ML is here:

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I am constantly examining my own limiting beliefs, and that practice has changed my life. What patterns or narratives are so engrained that they hold me back? Where did they come from? What if I let them go? So liberating. Now, what happens if we turn this practice onto our industry? This article is based on a workshop on this topic that I gave last month in NYC at the Advancing Research conference put on by Rosenfeld Media. The set-up comes from the results of a study using dscout's Express tool in which I asked, "Imagine you walk into a museum and see a painting depicting the UXR Landscape right now - describe it." Responses were (um) quite vivid, and got me thinking about the limiting beliefs they represent, the industry orthodoxies they gesture towards, and what it would be like to flip them -- which is work that is both internal and systemic. As Sara Wachter-Boettcher put it so eloquently (as ever) in a chat we had about this, “We can’t heal or change the system until we can see what we’ve internalized and learn to shift those scripts.” Thanks to Stevie Watts for help whipping this into shape, Allison Corr for the *delightful* header illustration, and Katie Johnson who I will always give credit to for introducing me to the power of identifying orthodoxies. May we ever be flipping them! #peoplenerds #humancentereddesign #UX

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