You're a founder/CTO/engineer/product manager and you need to hire a designer. DON'T PANIC, you can do this.

by Jen Williams | at Minnebar spring 2020 (canceled)

It's one thing to recognize that your product needs good design. It's a whole other thing to figure out what kind of design skills you need, find the right people (or person) to hire, and successfully integrate design into your organization.

Startups and tech companies commonly struggle with design, often because the people tasked with "making design a thing" at an organization aren't designers and aren't sure what to look for. If you're a founder or product or engineering leader who's responsible for bringing design to your organization, and you (secretly) have no idea how to do that, this session's for you!

I'll teach you how to assess:

Whether it's the right time for you to hire a designer
Which design skills your organization needs most (UX? UI? Research? Product design? WTF do all these terms even mean?)
What kind of designer to hire first, second, third, etc.
How to integrate design within your product development processes and teams

You'll walk out feeling better equipped to hire and manage designers and build better digital products.

[Wondering why I'm qualified to talk about this stuff? I'm an independent UX designer who's worked with companies of all sizes and in all industries. Along the way, I've developed knack for advising organizations on how to invest in design in a way that works.]

All levels

Jen Williams

I'm an independent UX consultant specializing in UX strategy + design, user research, and content strategy. I also consult with companies on optimizing design process and operations.

I'm fluent in human-centered design and design thinking methodologies, and a range of user research techniques. I combine those technical skills with empathy, curiosity, a keen eye for design, and business acumen to help clients define and execute digital projects that meet business goals and user needs.

Leveraging experience and insights from nearly 10 years working with design teams at a range of companies, I advise and coach product delivery teams on how to best use design talent to add value to their products.