What happens when your system can’t support your flagship product? with Adriana Morales

🎧 listen to Episode #08 with Adriana Morales on what happens when your design system can’t support your products.

Read on for a peek into the episode.

Adriana Morales from HEB (aka the best grocery store) poses a tricky question for the show: what happens when your design system can't support all your products, or your flagship product? Hashtag enterprise organization problems. Adriana and I explore some of the scenarios where this might occur, the "system of systems" concept, product team autonomy, and pace layers. Don't miss Adriana's explanation of her "ways of working" workshops and thoughts on creating empathy across your org.

🎧 What happens when your system can’t support your flagship product?, with Adriana Morales — #08 (57min)

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Elyse: 

So let's, let's talk about some of the more emotional or political elements of this. I think a lot of people listening are probably really familiar with some of the technical ways that you might deal with a problem like [multi-platform or system of systems] but, I think one of the harder challenges is how you actually manage this internally in an emotional way, in conversations, in interpersonal, interpolitical, interorganizational disputes and debates.

I mean, even just like, you get somebody in your office hours or a product manager or a lead on a team that's coming to you and going, y'all are just leaving us behind. And that can be really, really challenging. So, what are some of the the ways that you're handling those conversations or some of the scenarios that you've had to work through?

Adriana Morales: 

Well, this is a really good question. Because I think what sometimes isn't talked about is the receiving end of how the design system team feels when people come to them with disappointment, frustration, sometimes anger.

And the way that I've always handled situations is to, one, remember, don't take things personally, especially, you know, with design systems, they're very service facing. And oftentimes you will experience a revolving door of different people who may be coming to you at different points in life, or maybe they are trying to meet a really tight work deadline, and something just breaks and they are tired, they are frustrated.

I have also been on the receiving end too, where teams feel like they were never heard or listened to.

And one of the key pieces to working through this stuff is to create spaces where people can share with you those frustrations. Whether it's anonymously or directly, tailor that method of feedback in ways that make people most comfortable with.

But also going on a listening tour and interviewing those teams, who maybe are frustrated, or maybe feel like a design system completely skipped them. … But it also helps those teams to be heard, seen, and feel like they have, and do have, a direct influence in the design system. Because at the end of the day, design systems are for the teams and for the end users who are using those experiences.

Part of it is also being empathetic and kind. No matter how exhausting it can be at times, especially when you have a design system team, feel like everyone is coming at you with daggers and such. And then also reflecting and remembering and celebrating those moments where people did tell you they did a great job or that they really appreciate something that you did that made a huge quality life improvement for them. It's all about balance.

Elyse:

It really can be so hard when the majority of what you hear from the design system consumers is frustrations and complaints. I'm not at all going to dismiss the emotional, challenge. That is very, very real. And at the same time, I love that you would call this service facing. This is a role in a team that is meant to help all of these product teams get stuff done.

And especially , when you have [execs] at the top level [of the organization saying], you have to use this, you have to do this. [Teams] are coming to you and going, okay, like here we are, like we have to use this thing, and it's not working for me. And I have a deadline. And I'm just trying to get this thing done. I need support and I need help.

We've all had this experience where you go on like a, a forum for something you're trying to build, or like, your appliance is broken, and you're like trying to read the, you know, support forum or whatever. And you get a response that's like, sorry, you're just screwed. It's rage inducing. Because you're like, will no one help me?

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See you next episode!,

Elyse