Frank Harris

You've likely seen the headlines of executives issuing AI mandates for internal teams, some of which hasn't landed well internally (or externally). Prior to these headlines making a splash we opted to take a slightly different approach. A set of expectations for the entire Design org: 1. You’ll experiment with AI and share what you’re learning. 2. You’ll become proficient at prompting. 3. You’ll stay alert to opportunities for which AI can improve the products, services, and workflows you’re responsible for. 4. You’ll maintain a very high bar for design quality, regardless of whether humans or bots do the work. 5. You’ll never lose touch with the ability to craft with your hands, mind, heart, and gut. How are we making these actionable so they're not just frothy maxims? One of the ways we're doing this is through a monthly series called "AI Playdates" where volunteers or delegates present on design-related AI topics to the entire org. Today was the second instance in our series, with four presenters sharing their experimentation with Lovable, Bolt, Replit, v0, and ChatGPT for generating UI concepts and complementing their design workflows. Through Playdates, we're directly chipping away at 1 and 2 above, and indirectly at 4 and 5. Expectations (or guiding principles) such as these aren't likely to make headlines. In fact this post isn't likely to garner much attention either. Yes, sometimes we need to act boldly as leaders, and yes even with mandates. But there is also wisdom, sometimes greater wisdom, in acting with more thoughtful judgment and more flexible guidelines. Slow and steady. Measured and principled. These don't make headlines as much, but gosh they sure can be an effective way to lead. #ai #design #leadership

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My work is different these days. I still lead big design projects for Big Medium clients, but I’m also doing lots more product strategy intensives, or stepping in as fractional chief product/innovation officer. Lots of intimate, high-impact engagements. It’s a sign of the times. The call I keep getting: “We’re facing a big shift, and we’re not sure what to do next.” Frequently that’s about AI, of course; our Sentient Design work offers fresh direction for creating meaningful new products. But there’s also more going on. Clients are asking: - Why don’t our products and processes work like they used to? - How do we respond to seismic changes in [insert: business / government / media / culture]? - How do our teams keep up with technology that moves faster than we do? - Do we have what we need to adapt—people, skills, process, imagination? I mean, that’s a lot. Sometimes you just need a little help. I’m curious if you’re feeling that? In only the past few months, we’ve helped People Inc., Cigna, Stanford, Indeed, and a raft of startups with these questions. All of those were nimble engagements working closely with execs or innovation teams. The small, personal approach was especially powerful to find both clarity and action. So many of our recent engagements have started there that we’ve formalized some new offerings: product strategy intensives, strategic retainers, and of course Sentient Design workshops and design sprints. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, because what companies need from agencies and consultancies is changing. Strategy decks or production builds aren’t enough. Clients want fresh ideas for hard new problems. But it has to be paired with action. Hand-wavey powerpoints don’t cut it. Production shops don’t bring vision. We’ve always been more than all that, but I’ve been seeing a new kind of partnership emerging: more intimate, more focused, more open-ended to start. I’ve always been centrally involved in all projects, but now sometimes the projects are “just Josh.” Sometimes clients need the strategic guidance of a solo advisor like me, sometimes a full design team. We’re flexible enough to cover the range. One often leads to the other. It’s a different client-agency relationship, but Big Medium’s always been a little different. We’re small but work with giants. We’re a design agency that’s also a strategic consultancy—both and neither, the best of each. I think it lets us focus on real partnership. The word’s been cheapened through overuse. But to me it means solving hard problems with kindness, offering compassion and permission to be wrong until you’re right. The thing I love about these new engagements is that we’re digging into those hard problems together, learning as we go at a time when there's so much to figure out. Does this sound right to you as a product or design leader? I’d love your thoughts. And if you think we can help, give me a shout.

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How companies build design teams is changing. Roles are merging, AI is forcing companies to re-think about who they need to hire, how they hire and if indeed they need to make so many hires. I put together some updated thoughts on recent observations in hiring designers. TL;DR of the article: - Different requirements of designers - The bar to get a design role is higher - Interviews are more practical - The rise of super senior IC - The need for hands-on Design Directors - Roles are merging - Be prepared to sell an opportunity to designers

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When kids are left out of the design process, we end up with products that treat them as problems to manage rather than people to serve. Not enough product teams ask kids what they actually need. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop did. Their newest report, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘊𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦: 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢, by Senior Fellow Amanda Lenhart, is the result. Through nine youth co-design sessions with families across the country, the report centers the voices of children ages 4-14 alongside their parents. That's UNCRC Articles 12 and 13 in practice: children's right to be heard, and their right to seek and receive information in ways that work for them. What emerged is a clear framework: the 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘊𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦, a repeating pattern of deciding on, setting up, and managing devices and platforms as kids grow and technologies evolve. It's not a moment. It's a continuous journey, and families are exhausted from navigating it alone. The report delivers concrete recommendations for designers, educators, and policymakers on how to build technology that actually serves children and families, not just the bottom line. Thoughtful design has the power to strengthen family relationships rather than strain them. This one is worth reading end to end. Full Report: https://lnkd.in/gDPfnUPZ #ChildRights #WellbeingByDesign #KidTech #UNCRC #YouthCoDesign #ProductPolicy #EdTech

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Fun call with Stephany Bader, VP of Product, is what is the future title for designers and PMs? We've been blown away with what our team can build now with AI. Feels like there's a new working title in motion for designers and PMs. Curious what if other builders feel the same way.

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Onboarding isn’t a feature. It’s a first impression, a trust test, and a shot at creating real momentum. This piece lays out how behavioral design can shift onboarding from clunky to compelling. Worth a read if your product greets new users like a PowerPoint deck. https://lnkd.in/eHkYrH2U

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Want to design products that make the market move first? Jess Schram (Partner at Remedy Product Studio) unpacks the 3 principles that shape how she builds for scale: 1. Iterate in the loop: Continuous discovery > one-time validation. Stay close to customers. 2. Test for pull: Don’t push—observe switching barriers, adoption friction, and real behavior. 3. Know when to step aside: Founders launch; operators scale. Recognize the inflection. Take this lens: Demand isn’t a feature of your product—it’s a reflection of your execution. Link to the full episode in the comments. Future Fit in 15™ Unconventional growth levers—for CEOs and founders ready to go contrarian. ***** Hi, have we met? I'm Regan, and I build revenue engines for companies at inflection points—by aligning what they say, sell, and scale around the edge only they can own.

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Designing the right tool stack is critical to the success of a modern research team. In the past few years, I've run research team transformations at three deeply different organizations with wildly disparate cultures, operating models, and goals - which means that each time, we've settled on three different toolkits. Given how quickly the UXR tools landscape is evolving, an always-on approach to scanning the market is critical. But knowing how to look for what's best suited to you is even more so. Can't wait to hear these folks share their wisdom and help me get better at it! You know if Rosenfeld is convening a panel on UXR tools, it'll be the best panel on UXR tools around.

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Leaders from the Massachusetts AI Coalition are working with their teams to drive impact across the Commonwealth. Here's a quick update for those interested in following along. - Beacon Taskforce: A Founder Starter Pack is being assembled from the feedback of 30+ founders. Consistent themes are present (fast/flexible capital, free work space, GPU credits, connections to founders/operators), making consistent solutions testable. Excited for the first Founder Starter Pack to go live in early H1. - Tavern Taskforce: Tomorrow's event is ON. Excited for Luke Winston-Almanzar, Co-Founder & CEO of Reservoir, Ryan Jacobs, Co-Founder & CEO of Agency Robotics, and Shilpi Gupta, Founder & CEO of her company will be speaking on the "Industrial AI Builders Panel." - Banners Taskforce: Heads down. Cranking away. Working on a launch of our first big initiative on April 1st. Remember folks: The weather in New England is a feature, not a bug. 😉

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