Reframing our lane

Empathy, logic, craft, outcome and the drive to create meaningful experiences for users are design’s bread and butter. In many cases, delivering a holistic systemic solution is design’s intended aspiration. And yet, at some point, many of us might hear (explicitly or implicitly): “Stay in your lane”. It might come from a stakeholder, a product owner, or from ourselves. Sometimes it’s protective; most of the times it’s limiting. This session is an open invitation to reflect on how “our lane” is shaped, stretched, challenged, and sometimes misaligned with the impact we hope to have. Together, we’ll explore where we are, how we work, what we value, and how our lane might evolve.

 This session will be interactive and reflective. We’ll share experiences, patterns, and questions around what it means to “stay in your lane”. And what happens when we try to stretch beyond it.

 At Keen Design, we see Value Driven Design as part of our lane and we’ll touch on that for a bit. And as that vision won’t resonate with everyone, we won’t be focussing on that framework or a formula. By drawing on the perspectives in the room, we’ll surface shared reflections and insights. And consider how each of us might redraw the boundaries of our role with more clarity and intent. You will leave with sharper language, clearer questions, and a stronger sense that you’re not alone in the ambiguities of design work.