A Path for Tomorrow - Speaker Deck

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Presented by Nick Finck May 20th, 2021 A Path for Tomorrow

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Founder + Principal Consultant at Craft & Rigor

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The Career Experience Gap @nickf

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Years of Experience @nickf

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Expectations of Junior Level Designers 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 0+ years 2+ years 3+ years 5+ years 2% 3% 15% 80% Expectations by other designers

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Expectations of Junior Level Designers 0% 13% 25% 38% 50% 0+ years 1+ years 2+ years 3+ years 4+ years 5+ years 13+ years 2% 2% 0% 12% 26% 50% 8% Expectations in job postings

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No, it doesn’t add up.

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Expectations of Senior Level Designers 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 3+ years 4+ years 5+ years 6+ years 7+ years 8+ years 8% 12% 6% 36% 18% 20% Expectations in job postings

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Years of experience is not a good qualiﬁer for measuring skill + quality of work.

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It probably needs to die a quick + painful death.

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But there is a bigger problem…

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The big problem • Product Design: For every 1 entry-level job openings there are 29 senior job openings • UI/UX Design: For every 1 entry-level job openings there are 19 senior job openings Source: “What 4,000+ Job Posts Say About the Design Industry” Molly Norris Walker

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Paths and Leveling @nickf

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Factors for retention, employee engagement, + satisfaction • A formalized career progression ladder • Separate paths for individual contributors and managers • Career progression models focused on competencies that covered a spectrum of people, process, and product knowledge • Design leadership at the executive level Source: "Design career index" by Todd Zaki Warfel

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Junior Mid Senior Principal Sr. Principal Typical IC Career Path

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Junior Mid Senior Principal Sr. Principal Manager Senior Manager Director VP Senior VP IC Path vs Manager Path

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Mid Senior Principal Sr. Principal Manager Senior Manager Director VP Senior VP Not hiring juniors

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Senior Principal Sr. Principal Manager Senior Manager Director VP Senior VP Mids move to senior

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Structure of the workforce • Junior-level individual contributors make up only 13% of the workforce in the design ﬁeld • Mid-level individual contributors make up the second largest part of the workforce at 25% • Senior-level individual contributors make up the largest part of the workforce at 28% Source: "Design career index" by Todd Zaki Warfel

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…The current demand for Senior UX Designers exceeds the actual available pool of candidates. — Jill DaSilva “

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Gates + Keys @nickf

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As an industry, we need to look at building new routes into the design industry. Routes that are accessible + desirable to people who have the potential to be brilliant designers, but look at the people already there and just see barriers. — Dean Vipond “

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These are who I call gatekeepers. We need to overcome the need for job assurance overriding the collective longevity of our ﬁeld.

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No content

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Diversity & Inclusion @nickf

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Diversity is an action, inclusivity is cultural, and belonging is a feeling. Change doesn’t start from top-down leadership; it happens at every level. — Shelley Zalis, Forbes “

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It’s not just a feel-good move; it’s good for business. Study after study has shown that diversity leads to more creative teams and increases a company’s bottom line. — Shelley Zalis, Forbes “

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…the chances are they look like you, the chances that they think like you, the changes that they are like you are very low, and that’s a great great thing. — Dan Mall “

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Mentoring + Apprenticeships @nickf

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It costs a business roughly 140% of the annual salary of a Sr Designer each time a Sr Designer leaves. A key reason they leave is the lack of opportunity & support for their growth. Mentoring & coaching provides this support. Want to invest in your talent? “

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Differentiating Factors • Drive & passion for the craft • A growth mindset + learning from failure • Patience + persistance • Somewhat self-sufficient

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Create a safe environment where your talented designer feels the freedom to make mistakes. — Tim van Asch “

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Yes, it is true, junior designers tend to require a bit more support + guidance.

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Good thing you hired all of those senior designers, eh?

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Mentoring needs to be built into job expectations for seniors. If you can’t start to teach your craft, you’re not “senior.” This also helps seniors grow more. — Kim Goodwin “