DESIGN THAT UNLOCKS BUSINESS VALUE Archives

THE GROWTH MINDSET

The concept of a growth mindset, popularised by psychologist Carol Dweck, has gained widespread attention. Her talk “Not Yet” is a must-see in many environments. I have watched it and wondered what it means and how it relates to my profession as a designer.

In short, my understanding of the growth mindset is that people equipped with it see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow rather than obstacles to their success.

In this post, I’ll summarise what I focused on to familiarise myself with the growth mindset and the actionable steps I can take to foster a growth-oriented outlook and unlock value in my private and professional life.

THE FEEDBACK RECEIVER

Feedback culture, with a strong focus on learning to be a receptive feedback receiver, collaboration, and innovation have become buzzwords many companies proudly advocate. It is fascinating to see how companies, especially incumbents, include these values in their journey to unlock business value.

In the next few paragraphs, I’ll share my perspective on the value of developing the feedback receiver’s soft skills and my angle on how becoming a better feedback receiver can unlock business value.

THE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

The concept of a design portfolio dates back to when designers were called “graphic designers”, and their artefacts had a longer life span. Nowadays, designers involved in delivering digital experiences know that their work will last in the blink of an eye.

My approach to not creating and curating a design portfolio started many years ago. I decided to avoid this task because it offers a low return on investment.

In this post, I’ll share my thoughts on why design portfolios aren’t that helpful in showing recruiters and managers how real design talent can unlock business value.

THE FEEDBACK CULTURE AND ITS VALUE

Feedback culture, collaboration, and innovation have become buzzwords many companies proudly advocate. In the next few paragraphs, I’ll share my perspective on the value of fostering a feedback culture. I will pinpoint the potential pitfalls of misunderstanding this concept and highlight how the feedback culture can unlock business value.

BACKGROUND TASKS: HOW TO IMPROVE THE UX?

Background tasks often need significant technical resources to handle complex user journeys. In addition, these complex user interactions can be overwhelming for users since they have to focus and engage with the system in a detailed way.

In the next paragraphs, I will share my perspective on the best design strategy for delivering a seamless background tasks user experience that unlocks business value.