Calvin Robertson gave a presentation at UX STRAT USA 2021 on the topic: "Developing and Implementing a Strategic Design Framework"

1. Developing and
Implementing a Design
Strategy Framework
Calvin Robertson
Director of Experience Design
Retail Technology
Best Buy
@calvinrobertson
Linkedin • Instagram • Twitter

2. The Strategic Theme
from Cli
ft
onStrengths assessment:
• Create alternative ways to proceed
• Faced with any given scenario, one can spot the
relevant patterns and issues
• Sort through clutter and
fi
nd the best route
• You see patterns where others see complexity

3. People don’t like
being TOLD what to do,
But people don’t mind
being told WHAT to do.

4. Locate.
Navigate.
Assimilate.

5. Design Maturity Models
Absent
Limited
Structured
Integrated
User-Driven
Emergent

6. Product Development Lifecycles
Discover Design Develop Monitor
Align

7. Absent
Limited
Structured
Integrated
User-Driven
Emergent
Discover Design Develop Monitor
Align

8. Absent
Limited
Structured
Integrated
User-Driven Emergent
Design Strategy Framework
Discover Design Develop Monitor
Align
Design
Maturity
Model
Product
Development
Lifecycle

9. Develop
Maturity Level
Challenges
• Insu
ffi
cient planning or
budgeting
• Inconsistent e
ff
orts
• Indistinguishable gains
• Poor developer-to-designer
ratios
• No impact on strategy
• Urge to “sell” the ROI of UX
• Lack of a design process
Emergent
Design
Maturity
Level
Development
Lifecycle
Phase
Lifecycle Phase
Opportunities
Conduct a heuristic analysis or
usability test to
fi
nd ways to
improve the design of the
product. Use this activity to
develop advocacy with your
manager and developers.
Document time to quantify
design enhancements and
other relative e
ff
orts.

10. Design
Maturity Level
Challenges
• Growing pains
• Knowing who owns what
• UX for big initiatives only
• Leaders still don’t support
• Success is measured by
visual e
ff
ects, not
e
ff
ectiveness of design
• Research is easily dismissed
• Employed as a agency,
instead of a partner
Structured
Design
Maturity
Level
Development
Lifecycle
Phase
Lifecycle Phase
Opportunities
It feels good when a
structured design team is
created, but don’t become
too settle here. Avoid
miscommunication and
misalignment by inviting cross-
functional teams into your
design activities. Build
comradely amount teams by
facilitating collaborative
workshops. This could surface
opportunities to conduct
additional research.

11. Discover
Maturity Level
Challenges
• Process fatigue
• Lack of user-centered
metrics
• The “6 months of research”
myth
• Derailed by competing
business priorities
Integrated
Design
Maturity
Level
Development
Lifecycle
Phase
Lifecycle Phase
Opportunities
Find organizational priorities
and success metrics that keep
your leaders up at night.
Conduct research aimed at
those priorities and metrics.
Turn insight from research into
outcomes and key results
(OKRs) that are user-centered.
Your documented OKRs
should clearly connect to the
priorities and metrics.

12. Align
Maturity Level
Challenges
• Di
ffi
cult to attain and sustain
this level of maturity
• In
fl
uenced by market
growth/market share (per
the Business Growth Share
Matrix, are you a star, cash
cow, or dog?)
User-Driven
Design
Maturity
Level
Development
Lifecycle
Phase
Lifecycle Phase
Opportunities
Use design thinking to align
and strengthen all disciplines
within the organization. This
enlightens your business
leaders, giving them the
con
fi
dence to promote growth
initiatives over detracting
initiatives. Pairing user-
centeredness to organizational
success is vital for sustaining
momentum.

13. Absent
Limited
Structured
Integrated
User-Driven Emergent
Design Strategy Framework
Discover Design Develop Monitor
Align
Design
Maturity
Model
Product
Development
Lifecycle
Locate: Where are you? Where is your team or organization? Do you see yourself in the lifecycle?

14. Design Strategy Framework
Navigate: The lifecycle is continuous. Constantly look for ways to mature the discipline within the lifecycle.
Limited
Structured
Integrated
User-Driven Emergent
Discover Design Develop Monitor
Align
Design
Maturity
Model
Product
Development
Lifecycle

15. Design Strategy Framework
Discover Design Develop Monitor
Align
Limited
Structured
Integrated
User-Driven Emergent
Assimilate: At every phase of the lifecycle, design has an undeniable role. Maturity and lifecycle are one.
Design
Maturity
Model
Product
Development
Lifecycle

16. Design
Discover Develop Monitor
Align
User-Driven
Limited
Structured
Integrated
Emergent
Product Development Lifecycle
Design
Maturity
Model
Shi
ft
ing Le
f
Use frameworks to model
design maturity earlier in the
product development
lifecycle.

17. Locate.
Navigate.
Assimilate.

18. People.
Process.
Tools.

19. Thank you.
Calvin Robertson
Director of Experience Design
Retail Technology
Best Buy
@calvinrobertson
Linkedin • Instagram • Twitter