“Until designers can speak the language of business (and to some degree talk their talk), we’re just going to be the people that make things look good."
About
An apology: I had some unknown issues with my gear during this recording so the quality suffered a bit. However, it was such a great conversation I just had to post it!
Greg Storey is an Executive Director of Design at USAA, captain of industry, and an all around badass designer and leader of designers. It’s been a while since Greg and I caught up and so we covered a bunch of important design business topics in this extra long episode of Hustle. I hope you enjoy it.
Also check out Greg's podcast Sprints and Milestones where he and Brett Harned share war stories, tips, tactics, and anecdotes on navigating the sometimes rough waters of getting digital projects done.
On this episode, we discuss:
- The team that Greg leads at USAA, which focuses on investment products
- What it was like using Iomega zips and Jaz drives. The biggest challenges that design organizations at large companies face
- What it was like using Iomega zips and Jaz drives
- The biggest challenges that design organizations at large companies face
- Design has it’s seat at the table but we don’t realize that we have to push the campaign further
- Why designers should look to the IT industry for inspiration for communicating our value, how we impact business, and how to engage
- The impact of modeling your team and pace after the Bay Area “move fast” culture and failing cheap vs. failing fast
- Why designers needs to be good at business and be put on the hook and share responsibility for the performance of the things we make
- How agencies can be more involved in all of the hard design work that's needed after the initial design is delivered
- Why organizational empathy is just as important as user empathy
- Developing the skill of asking and understanding the “Why, What, and How”
- The book “Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win"