Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams

The minute I started reading Org Design for Design Orgs, I couldn't tear my eyes from it. It was almost 2am when I found myself in the middle of chapter 7, and had to talk myself into getting some sleep.This book was so rich with personable, practical advice on how build design culture that I felt like I was in a cozy fireside chat with a design mentor. It was like listening to stories from someone who has lived through it all. Someone who could relate and empathize deeply with the issues I'm facing with my design organization, and give smart, actionable advice on how to proceed forward.I’m a designer and researcher at a startup that has been through many ups and downs in the past 2 years. Our design team has struggled with getting design recognition and getting research to be valued and integrated. We've had designers hit career ruts and stunted growth, and have had friction with aligning with leadership. This book covered all these issues in well organized manner, supported by clear diagrams and real world stories. If you work on or with an in-house design team, this book is an ABSOLUTE must-read.This truly is the book I wish I had since the beginning of my design journey. It’s the book I would reference with, write proposals and plans with, wallow in sorrow with, get uplifted with hope with. It confronts the reality of being an in-house designer straight on. I always have it with me at work, showing highlighted sections to my design manager, to product managers and engineers.It’s not only a book that I know will be useful throughout my career in design, it’s the greatest design mentor I could ever ask for, always in my back pocket.

Most business books contain a nugget or two of knowledge surrounded by two-three hundred pages of fluff. This is not one of those books. Peter provides a strong high-level argument for making design the center of your organization, then dives into exactly how to do so, covering everything from team organization to reporting structure, to day-to-day management advice. Whether you're in the weeds as a design practitioner or team leader or an executive at an organization that wants to be design-centric, you'll find value in this book.

Reading this book for the second time, because there are so many helpful nuggets of wisdom. Like a great cookbook, this book is a valuable reference to help you develop your design organization. There are actionable insights to guide design leaders in refining their design organization, team structure and operations. It breaks down core areas and you can hop around to different chapters and dive into topics that are most relevant to you. Glad that we are elevating this discussion as the value of design organizations, to design deeper human connection to products and services, will be the great differentiator in the competitive marketplace. Thank you Kristin and Peter for writing this book. This is a keeper!

Regardless of your title, if you manage a design team in any capacity read this book. Right now. It accounts for scale, business context, and vision in a quickly digestible manner. The authors are seasoned design professionals — to say the least — and tackle their subject matter with good humor, depth, and passion.

Great practical approaches to make sure that Deign has the leadership, structural, and operational chops to take full advantage of the seat it has gained at the business leadership table. Fully recommend for design and business leaders who want to grok the advantages and structure of great design orgs.

It gives you valuable insights on how to design a design organization! The book is too focused on product design organizations, so maybe a better approach might be focusing it on other areas, like how to be a design manager in an advertising environment.

I manage a team of Learning Experience Designers and wanted to think outside the box by looking at a different industry. I found most of the stories in this book relatable and the information relevant. The chapter on recruiting was a little too rudimentary, but loved the rest of the book.

Incredibly useful advice for design organizations that are on a growth trajectory and for individuals who want to take part on leading this journey