What Design(ers) Needs to do to Stay Relevant / Yvonne Tran / Episode #199

Service Design Show

Is design facing a crisis? You don't have to spend much time on LinkedIn to read about the recent layoffs, studio closures, and debates about our value. Whether or not you call it a crisis, it's hard to deny that things have been shaken up recently. But instead of focusing on surface level symptoms, let's dive deeper. In this episode, we sit down with Yvonne Tran, design director at the New York Times, to explore the underlying forces that shape design. Where are we coming from, and what could be its next destination. Why is design in its current state? Is this a backlash against the widespread understanding of "design thinking"? If everyone's a designer, what's the unique value a professional brings? Despite the challenges, Yvonne still sees a bright future for design. As our clients and colleagues evolve and mature, so must we. In our conversation, Yvonne outlined three key areas where design can continue to provide unique value. A thought-provoking episode for anyone interested in new ways to think about how to keep playing a meaningful role in the future. It's all too easy to get bogged down in the daily grind. What I enjoyed about this conversation with Yvonne is that we zoomed out and challenged our perspectives. Let's look beyond the horizon of this quarter and make decisions that are grounded in a long-term perspective. Inspired? Share this with someone who needs to hear it. Take care, ~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 199

03:30 Who is Yvonne

04:30 How she stumbled to SD

06:00 Lightning Round

10:00 Design, Designers, & Innovation

14:00 The promise of design thinking

17:30 What's the impact

27:00 The new role of design community

37:00 Aligning people's expectations

39:30 How to accelerate demand

44:00 How to measure success

48:30 One takeaway

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonnetran/
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Book) - https://a.co/d/3Jho54D

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle