Understanding Design "Maturity"

Hey Everyone, in this issue we will dive deeper into the design maturity topic, trying to find answers to some interesting questions :

• What’s design maturity? how is this connected to the overall maturity of other teams (Product, Engineering… )
• What should designers do if leadership doesn't see the value of design? or do they have a different perspective on its value? What can they change, and what should they focus on?

Maturity scales

• NNgroup's UX-maturity model has 6 stages that cover processes, design, research, leadership support, and longevity of UX. Use our quiz to get an idea of your organization’s UX maturity.
• There is also In-vision's Design Maturity Report, The widest-ranging report to date examining design’s impact on business.
• A constantly growing and regularly updated collection of UX, CX and usability maturity models. More than 40 maturity models and variations by Jacob Nielsen, Jared Spool, Bruce Temkin, Forrester Research, Adaptive Path and many others.

About these models :

Design maturity models are oversimplified frameworks that mask the necessary nuance to understand and develop an organization’s ability to get the most out of a Design function. That said, used responsibly, they can be a helpful heuristic, particularly early on, for orienting yourself in an organization. — Peter Merholz

Check the full discussion here

Is it only about Design?

• Ovetta Sampson has a take on this one

• Jared Spool talked about Driving Product Teams to Become More Design Mature.

As our organization’s user experience design leaders, our responsibility goes beyond the UX designers, researchers, and content professionals we work with. We’re also responsible for designs our organization’s product and service teams deliver. If we want to see those teams deliver better-designed products and services, we need them to attain the skills, knowledge, and experience to get there.

How can designers navigate politics and design immaturity?

Hang ?? Xu & Sally Carson have an amazing live stream about this make sure to check it out here

Takeaway :

1. Know Your Business ??: Grasp your company's growth strategy and revenue model.
2. Tackle Design Debt ??: Be aware of existing design backlog and process flaws.
3. Evaluate Early ??: Conduct an initial assessment of the situation and stakeholders.
4. Focus on Impact ??: Prioritize strategic tasks over urgent but less important ones.
5. Demonstrate Value ??: Highlight design's role in startups not focused on UX.
6. Form Alliances ??: Seek influential partners in PM and other fields.
7. Strategize Upwards ??: Align your efforts with the financial model and leadership goals.
8. Set Clear Goals ??: Articulate how your design work supports overall business objectives.
9. Push for Change ??: Identify and advocate for one significant design improvement.
10. Measure Success ??: Understand that true performance is about impact, not just tasks.
11. Reassess Position ??: If your design value is overlooked, consider exploring new opportunities.

Thanks for reading : )