Dive Club 🤿 Episode Summary: "How to Increase Your Influence as a Designer 💡"

Release Date: January 21, 2025
Host: Ridd

Introduction

In this insightful episode of Dive Club, host Ridd delves into strategies for designers aiming to amplify their influence within their organizations. Drawing from interviews with seasoned designers like Kat Small, Mia Bloom, Soren Iverson, Femke, and Kathy Zhang, the discussion centers on elevating one’s role from execution to strategic impact.

Building Strategic Relationships with Product Managers

Key Insight: Establishing a strong, collaborative relationship with Product Managers (PMs) is foundational for designers aspiring to influence broader business strategies.

• Kat Small emphasizes the importance of regular one-on-one interactions with PMs. (00:51)

  “I found that when I actually scheduled one to ones with my PM once a week, that was a time where we could start to have more strategic conversations and I could just learn more about them and their challenges.”

• Mia Bloom echoes this by highlighting the value of friendship and open communication with PMs. (01:20)

  “Becoming good friends with my PMs gave me the context, the conversations, the support system that allow me to ask the right questions at the right time to understand what's important to the business right now and why.”

Actionable Steps:

1. Initiate Regular Meetings: Schedule consistent one-on-one sessions with your PM to foster deeper discussions.
2. Express Intent to Learn: Approach your PM with a willingness to understand business strategies by asking insightful questions.

Deepening Collaboration and Visibility

Key Insight: Increasing involvement in strategic meetings and co-presenting initiatives can significantly enhance a designer’s visibility and influence.

• Mia Bloom discusses the benefits of co-presenting with PMs, ensuring alignment on business language and goals. (02:26)

  “A lot of conversations had to take place before to make sure that they were aligned on the why and the how and the language was aligned with the business.”

• Femke encourages proactively joining strategic conversations. (03:17)

  “Invite yourself into those conversations as much as you can and let your PM know that you want to be a part of that stage of the process.”

Actionable Steps:

1. Co-Present Initiatives: Partner with PMs to present ideas, showcasing a unified front and strategic alignment.
2. Attend Strategy Meetings: Request to join planning and strategy sessions to gain firsthand insight into business decisions.

Providing Tangible Value Through Design Expertise

Key Insight: Designers can significantly reduce risks in product development by offering informed, strategic input that aligns with business objectives.

• Kat Small highlights how designers can assist PMs in making informed decisions by leveraging their expertise. (04:30)

  “Designers can actually be really great resources for reducing risk... I can help a PM make good decisions that are informed.”

• Soren Iverson shares his experience at Cash App, noting that PMs appreciate designers who take initiative in documentation and strategy. (05:23)

  “I've never had a PM be upset by trying to take work off their plate... there’s a product designer that is part of what you should be doing.”

Actionable Steps:

1. Assist with PRDs: Offer to help create or refine Product Requirements Documents to demonstrate your strategic involvement.
2. Link Design to Business Goals: Frame your design ideas in the context of how they serve business objectives and customer needs.

Proactively Shaping the Future of the Product

Key Insight: To ascend to a strategic role, designers must go beyond assigned tasks by envisioning and advocating for future product directions.

• Kathy Zhang discusses dedicating personal time to design visions that may influence future product developments. (08:03)

  “I spent evenings, like, jamming on a design vision thing that I understood may or may never happen. If I didn't do it, then it's definitely true that it will never happen.”

• Soren Iverson advises leveraging PM partnerships to propose long-term product visions that align with business and customer benefits. (08:35)

  “Show people that you're thinking strategically about what the product can look like in the future and mapping that back to how it will help the business and how it will help the customer.”

Actionable Steps:

1. Develop Visionary Ideas: Invest time in creating design concepts that envision the product’s future.
2. Collaborate on Strategic Plans: Use your relationship with PMs to integrate these visionary ideas into the broader product strategy.

Conclusion

Increasing one's influence as a designer is a multifaceted endeavor that involves building strategic relationships, deepening collaboration, providing tangible value, and proactively shaping the product’s future. By implementing these strategies, designers can elevate their roles, contribute more significantly to business outcomes, and foster a reputation as indispensable strategic partners within their organizations.

For more episodes, key takeaways, and bonus resources, visit Dive.club.