Jehad Affoneh: VMWare’s head of design on being a business leader, not a design leader
Mar 17, 2020
auto_awesome
VMWare's head of design, Jehad Affoneh, discusses aligning design and engineering goals, ensuring diverse voices on the team are heard, challenges faced in transitioning to virtual events, and the importance of seeking discomfort for career growth.
Align design goals with engineering goals to bridge the gap between design and engineering and drive meaningful impact.
Enhance collaboration with engineers by gaining a basic understanding of engineering concepts, building empathy, and using analogies.
Organize conferences or gatherings to connect designers, foster empathy, and facilitate discussions with cross-functional partners.
Deep dives
Linking Design Goals with Engineering Goals
One of the key points discussed in this podcast episode is the importance of linking design goals with engineering goals. Design leaders need to understand the overall business vision and goals of the organization, but more importantly, they should focus on how design can help the engineering team or other cross-functional partners achieve their goals. This involves having conversations with different teams, empathizing with their needs, and finding ways to collaborate effectively. By establishing this alignment, design leaders can bridge the gap between design and engineering and drive meaningful impact.
Empathy and Communication with Engineers
The podcast highlights the significance of empathy and effective communication when working with engineers in an engineering-focused company. Designers without a computer science background can enhance their collaboration by gaining a basic understanding of engineering concepts, such as the development process, implementation, and architecture. Sitting next to engineers, observing their work, and engaging in shared experiences can help build empathy and facilitate better communication. Additionally, using analogies that resonate with engineers' language, such as comparing mockups to implementation, can aid in bridging the communication gap.
Bringing Designers Together for Collaboration and Alignment
The episode emphasizes the value of bringing all designers within an organization together for a conference or gathering. This provides an opportunity to connect faces with names, create a sense of unity, and foster empathy among team members. It also enables designers to invite their cross-functional partners, facilitating discussions and collaborations that go beyond product-specific challenges. The conference can serve as a platform to reinforce the company's commitment to design and user experience by involving executives who can articulate the vision and align it with business goals. Additionally, organizing workshops based on shared interests allows designers to engage in face-to-face conversations and exchange knowledge and ideas.
Embracing Risk and Scrappiness
Embracing risk and being scrappy have been instrumental in my career journey. Growing up in Palestine, I learned to take calculated risks and have a perspective that puts risk into context. This mindset has allowed me to tackle challenges that others might shy away from. Additionally, being scrappy has helped me achieve results with limited resources. For instance, when running Clarity, our design system, we were under-resourced but still managed to create a successful outcome. Embracing risk and scrappiness have shaped my leadership style and contributed to my career growth.
Being a Business Leader and Fostering Inclusive Meetings
As a design leader, I recognize the importance of being a business leader. Understanding the business goals and delivering great user experiences to drive success is key. Rather than just focusing on design-related tasks, I focus on how design contributes to the overall business outcomes. In meetings, I prioritize making them inclusive by providing context and giving everyone an opportunity to voice their opinions. One technique I use is sharing an agenda beforehand and encouraging everyone to provide comments and perspectives. This enables diverse voices to contribute and ensures that no opinion is lost. By focusing on business goals and fostering inclusivity, I have been able to make a positive impact in my role.
Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jehad-affoneh
In this episode, we speak with VMWare’s Head of Design Jehad Affoneh about how he measures the business impact of design, and aligns design goals with engineering goals. We learn why he thinks it’s important to lead with context, and how he goes about ensuring that the diverse voices on his team are heard.
You’ll hear:
How OKRs can align goals across design and engineering
Lessons from running an internal conference for designers and executives
Tactics for ensuring diverse voices on your team are heard
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
