Bella Guzmán

During Design Days I expected questions about Salesforce, our hiring processes, and design careers. Instead, I found myself immersed in conversations about life itself. These weren't just 'Millennial or Gen Z problems' or 'first world issues' - they were deeply human challenges, amplified by the megaphone of social media. Wishing I had more time to share my pov from my lived experiences, I'm dedicating this series to young minds grappling with modern-day struggles: agency, procrastination, clarity, overwhelm, anxiety, and more. First things first: you're not alone. These aren't generational problems; they're human problems. We’ve all faced similar struggles throughout history. Let's start with overwhelm. The way to understand overwhelm is the number of passive challenges >> active challenges. In other words the challenges thrown at you is higher than the challenges you pick. When the equation is reversed you are not overwhelmed. On the contrary you get focused. The key is when you choose your challenges actively, you gain focus. People often ask how I manage so much. My answer? I actively choose challenges that ground me, giving less attention to passive ones. Over time, you learn to handle all challenges naturally using systems. You'll see me taking on audacious goals like long water fasts or 15k steps daily, even when work seems all-consuming. It might seem counterintuitive, but choosing exciting challenges focuses your energy. Gradually, attention and focus become allies, and overwhelm diminishes. How did you beat overwhelm whenever you did it ? #lifedesign #series

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I just read Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism by Kyle Chayka, and it got me thinking about the power of minimalism—not just in art and architecture that you hear so much about, but in how we experience the world. Chayka's core message is that minimalism isn't just about reducing clutter—it's about creating space for clarity, intentionality, and deeper meaning... principles that really resonate with me and the UX design discipline. Here are some thoughts looking at Minimalism through the lens of user experience design: https://lnkd.in/gnmJGfyM

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What if measuring design's impact really is this simple? Amy Lokey and ServiceNow linked a product quality metric to business results and just measured it for years. For YEARS. What if it’s just this? Make the experience twice as good and get big results? (It's not this simple, I know) We had to cut the video down, but you can get the whole story in the link below.

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🔊 Design Leadership at Scale has a lot happening in August and beyond. Read on for all the info on Design Leadership at Scale: Operations, plus: ⚡️ Three FREE DLS Lightning Lesson + Team sessions ⚡️ Newly added course dates ⚡️ 20% discount code Design Leadership at Scale: Operations I'm busy putting the final touches on the August course modules, lessons, and projects, but you can expect to dive deep on the following: Module 1: Build and activate high-impact teams Module 2: Define and optimize your operating system Module 3: Identify and address common challenges I'm including many real-world scenarios, and will try to answer pretty much every question you might have during our seven live sessions together. We'll also be joined by special guests with extensive industry experience. If you are still deciding about enrolling in Design Leadership at Scale: Operations, consider joining one of the upcoming free Lightning Lessons or watch my recent Designing your Design Team 30-minute Lightning Lesson to get a better sense for how I teach. And if the August dates don't work with your schedule, I've opened up another cohort October 1-10, 2024. If you have any questions about whether this course will be a good fit for you, let me know, and together we can figure out. Free Lightning Lessons on Maven In August there are three Lightning Lessons from Design Leadership at Scale. All are free to attend. Join live or view the recordings after the session dates. ⚡️ Org Design For Your Design Org – Aug 7, 8-9am PT, with me ⚡️ Team Tactics For Increasing Influence + Impact – Aug 8, 1-1:30pm PT, with Doug Powell ⚡️ How Top Design Leaders Influence At Scale – Aug 16, 2-2:45pm PT, hosted by Rachel Kobetz with Doug Powell, Bob Baxley, and me Grab your spot then spread the word! (links to register in comments) Quick reference: https://bit.ly/4c3UgNA to sign up for the August 19-28 cohort with a 20% discount code https://bit.ly/4cZcf9d to sign up for the October 1-10 cohort with a 20% discount code If your company offers an L&D or education budget, here's a reimbursement template you can leverage https://bit.ly/4fmDhcs

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The #1 lesson I've learned from a decade of user research in various flavors of enterprise UX is that we should all make a point of telling our coworkers when they did something well. Please tell someone that you appreciate them today.

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Today's meditation: As an architect, there are a few EA-type tools that I have worked with - that I have sworn I will never use again. There is now a new member of that list. I would rather repeatedly slam a small sledgehammer into my hand - than use those tools, ever again. A good test-case for evaluating such tools: Creating a moderately complex UML Sequence Diagram - and then making non-trivial updates, to include changing the sequencing of messages. For those who foisted such abominations upon the world of EA, I wish them a speedy journey to Dante's Seventh Circle of Hell. [image credit: Helping1 (Vinay Gupta) on pixabay.com]

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🎨 Product Designers: The Strategic Partners Every Team Needs 🚀 In today’s fast-moving product landscape, product designers are no longer just task executors—they’re strategic partners shaping product direction, innovation, and user delight. Yet, some organizations still treat them as order takers, missing out on their full potential. Here’s why treating designers as strategic partners is critical: 1. Design Is Strategy in Action Great design solves real user and business problems. Involving designers early aligns creative insights with company goals, ensuring every decision drives user satisfaction and measurable results. Without this, design becomes reactive rather than purposeful. 🎯 2. Designers See What Others Miss Sitting at the intersection of creativity, empathy, and problem-solving, designers offer unique perspectives. Their user-focused insights elevate product experiences, identify opportunities, and advocate for meaningful innovation. 🌟 3. Collaboration Fuels Better Products Strategic designers unite cross-functional teams. Engineers build with empathy. PMs focus on user-centered priorities. Designers connect these dots, turning ideas into impactful solutions while fostering collaboration. 🤝 4. From Vision to Execution Strategic designers think beyond visuals—they craft scalable, accessible, and user-friendly experiences. Their early involvement ensures a clear vision that translates into successful execution, delivering real value. ✨ 5. Design Drives Growth and Differentiation User-focused design improves retention, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty. Companies empowering designers to take strategic roles stand out in competitive markets, driving growth through innovation. 🚀 The Bottom Line?  Designers aren’t just artists; they’re architects of user and business success. Treating them as order takers wastes their potential. By elevating them to strategic partners, teams unlock innovation, enhance collaboration, and create products users truly love. 💡 How does your team empower designers to take on strategic roles? Let’s share insights and elevate design leadership! 👇 #DesignLeadership #StrategicDesign #UserExperience #Collaboration #Innovation #ProductManagement #Collaboration #CrossFunctionalTeams #LeadershipInDesign #Teamwork #DesignLeadership #EngineeringLeadership #TransparencyInWork

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Research is a function of strategy.  "According to CB Insights, over 90% of all products fail, most commonly due to no market need." Leave yourself time to ask big questions about whether any actually needs your product or service before you decide to launch it. #UXstrategy #UXresearch #Marketresearch

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Is it me, or does Workday not have the concept of a user profile that sits above corporate sites? It seems like a huge UX problem to solve right now. Why do I need to connect to LinkedIn (which consistently pulls over scrambled info, misses or disorganizes key data points, or just plain does not work)—when I could have my own profile that is already connected to all of the companies I used to work for that use Workday? * Applying for a UX lead role at Workday now...*

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Design Leaders - do you have an Operating Plan? If so, do you use it to articulate how teams are working? Or do you use it as a diagnostic to identify areas to start/stop/continue working in certain ways? Have you created a version that you update as you learn, focusing on a future state? I find Design Leadership Operating Plans to be most useful for teams when they're aligned to the key principles of org design: Systems, Strategy, Groups, and Links, and utilized when moving from strategy to planning (and back) and visualizing staffing + capabilities. Yet many leaders either don't have one, have one that they started to use but stopped, or haven't quite landed on something that accurately reflects their company/org/team. This is an area I've spent a lot of time on in my in-house and advisory roles. Last month, I spoke about it at DMI Design Management Institute's Design Leadership Conference in Cambridge, and next month, I'll share more at Product Design Week in London. If you're interested in learning more, my cohort-based course Design Leadership at Scale: Operations covers this topic in depth, along with building and activating high-impact teams and identifying and addressing common team challenges. There are a few spots remaining for my Q4 cohort. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/g77qEbTJ #dls #designleadership #designops

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What ehancements do you want from the Salesforce Design System? 🤔Check out our new RoadmapExchange, a way to preview what’s coming and make suggestions for Adam Doti and our Design System team to consider.

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👋🏽 UX folks in and around the Richmond, VA area? We need your help. The UX Census (RVA) Survey is crucial for understanding how UX is practiced in #RVA. Unfortunately, participation is down a bit this year and we only have 5 days left to gather the insights we need. Please take a moment to fill out the survey and encourage at least 3 of your friends or colleagues to take the survey. Why should you complete the survey? - Your Insights Matter: Your insights help deliver a comprehensive report that provides information on job titles, skills, salaries, industries, tools,  etc., how jobs are changes, and more. - It’s Quick, Easy, and Anonymous: The survey takes less than 12 minutes. - Prove UX Happens in RVA: It’s an opportunity to get counted and show depth and breadth of the local user experience community from Designers and Researchers of all types (#UX, #CX, #Product, Experience, etc.) to Information Architects to Content Strategist and UX Writers to UX/UI and UI/UX, and more. Special Thanks to: Our Donors Our Sponsors: VCU da Vinci Center, ServiceEase, and Rosenfeld Media Promotional Partners: Ladies that UX Richmond, Richmond Design Group, and RVA Content Strategy. #design #informationarchitecture #rvatech #uxcareers #uxd #uxr #richmondva #technology #ui

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Reading Usability and UX Design this weekend. Now you know why users love my solutions in Adobe Workfront. I prioritize enterprise UX in everything I do. When creating custom forms, I can explain every choice: dropdowns, external lookups instead of typeaheads, and why I establish field naming conventions, applying them consistently across every object in the system. I’ve developed automation to quickly evaluate the usage and value of each field, whether across all records or segmented into categories for targeted evaluation based on forms. I also care about metrics, not just for business success but for the system itself. I analyze key indicators such as the proportion of functions used, pauses between interactions, completed workflows, user paths, and the time and number of desired actions achieved. By quantifying user behavior in Adobe Workfront, I can leverage this data to inform and implement future enhancements. I apply a human-centered design process and design thinking to my solutions. While some may perceive applications like Adobe Workfront and Workfront Planning as limiting, their flexibility and configurability allow me to design UX that breaks constraints. I love working closely with users: understanding, observing, defining points of view, brainstorming, and identifying opportunities to enhance UX. Rapid prototyping is one of my favorite methods for aligning on POC designs, helping users see possibilities. During the usability engineering process, I present solution options, evaluate them through user testing, and rely on data-driven decisions to select the best one. Workshops with stakeholders are another passion of mine. These interactive sessions empower users to learn the system, explore its potential, ask questions, and get inspired by best practices. They gain an appreciation for the system’s design and functionality. I pay attention to every detail: colors, contrasts, spacing, structure, forms, naming conventions, etc. I also incorporate Gestalt principles such as proximity, similarity, closure, continuity, symmetry, figure/ground, common fate, and visual hierarchy. These principles guide my work in Adobe Workfront, whether designing custom forms, project templates, views, reports, dashboards, or configuring layout templates tailored to specific personas. If someone says a particular solution isn't possible in Adobe Workfront, I take it as a challenge. With creativity, problem-solving, and understanding of UI/UX, project management, software architecture & system integration, I ensure users enjoy their experience with enterprise software. I love turning complex requirements into effective, user-friendly solutions that deliver immediate value. Extending these capabilities to the content supply chain by integrating Adobe Workfront and Workfront Planning with Firefly, Photoshop, AEM, and Assets using APIs through Fusion, I drive efficiency and value, transforming how organizations innovate and collaborate. I love my job.

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If you’re solely relying on your UX team to solve all your product usability problems, you’re in trouble.   Don’t get me wrong, a kick-ass UX team is mandatory, not a luxury, but if you expect to hire a couple of designers, pat them on the back while saying, “Go get ’em,” and expect that to make your product a delight for your customers, you’re in trouble. I’m not trying to minimize the importance of good designers, and I assure you that this isn’t another “UX needs a seat at the table” screed. Rather, I’m telling you that building functional, usable products your customers love is a team effort.   If your Product Managers can’t (or *gasp* won’t) find space in product releases to prioritize design quality and improvements alongside new feature requests, technical debt mitigations, never-ending backlog excavations, etc., etc., you’re in trouble.   If your Development Teams can’t (or *horror* won’t) school themselves on the tenets of solid UI development practices and seek guidance on usability questions when they don’t have the answer instead of just winging it, you’re in trouble.   But it doesn’t stop there!   If your Technical Writers aren’t flagging 20-step documentation guides as usability issues that need to be fixed in the product and not with pages of text descriptions and countless screenshots, you’re in trouble.   If your QA Testers don’t tag in, or better yet, assign the UX team as owners of usability defects instead of engineering, you’re in trouble.   If your Account Teams don’t know when or why to bring designers into customer conversations to hear feedback firsthand, ask questions, and trust them to build their own relationships with said customers, you’re in trouble.   If your Salespeople can’t sell usability upgrades as equally beneficial to customers as new features, you’re in trouble.   If your Technical Support doesn’t know when a problem needs UX participation to help address it or how to bucket related usability issues common across customers for UX follow-up, you’re in trouble.   This isn’t about spreading around the problem, nor the responsibility!, of poor usability; it’s about realizing that delivering good UX is a team effort accelerated by shared responsibility and process redundancies to catch even minor issues before they wind up in the customer’s hands. And if you don’t understand that, you’re in trouble.

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Are you unknowingly sabotaging your design efforts, authority, and product experience goals when you present your work? I'm on a mission to ensure that product designers make a lasting and meaningful impact in the world. In my experience, how designs are presented can either amplify impact or diminish one's expertise and even frustrate the entire team. Failing to present with authority can turn designers into order-takers, losing sight of design direction. On the other hand, failing to listen and facilitate effectively can make designers appear defensive and inflexible. It happens in product teams more often than you think, but we can change that!! Here are 5 ways to help product designers nail a design presentation and facilitate feedback: 1. Present a Vision 2. Informed Design Decisions 3. Keep Focus on User 4. Facilitate Feedback 5. Keep Organized and Tidy #UXDesign #ProductDesign #PresentationSkills #Collaboration

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This is an article I wrote 13 years ago, and it still holds true today. It was in response to someone criticizing American Airlines and redesigning the airline ticket, which alone is a challenging experience. There are all kinds of reasons why the experience isn't what we want it to be, many of them very legitimate reasons. We have to practice empathy and compassion because we aren't in their shoes. Scott Berkun and Bryan Zug's book "Why Design Is Hard" also covers those business reasons. Read on... https://lnkd.in/gCzncE5u

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I've been thinking a lot this year about how to make sure service designers have the right artifacts to help their customers and teams understand, contextualize, plan, solution. The more I've thought about it, the more I think there are 6 major groups of design artifacts.   🗓️ Project Planning Artifacts -- like a project plan or a well-built-out JIRA backlog   🗺️ Context Artifacts -- stakeholder maps, ecosystem maps   💁‍♀️ User Artifacts (my favorites!) -- personas, archetypes, mindsets (❤️), empathy maps, user/employee/customer journeys   🧭 Process Artifacts -- service blueprints, process flows, user/employee/customer journeys (yes, I believe they live in both user and process artifact categories!)   💻 Product Artifacts -- wireframes, prototypes, design systems, document templates, communications plans   🔮 Future-State Artifacts -- roadmap, now/next/later, vision statement You need at least one from each category, but you might not need more than one in each; and what type of deliverable you make might depend on the type of design you do, your role on the project, the project needs, and more.   Thoughts? What would you add? What would you move?

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Relying on the valuable knowledge of my esteemed colleagues, what term would you use to convey the notion of free stuff being offered? I've seen Freebie, Giveaway, etc., but we are looking for a more professional term to indicate a section of a professional website that provides various types of free artifacts (quizzes, templates, checklists, photos, books, etc.). What ideas do you have for a more professional label for this section?

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The article is a little older, but really appreciate the discussion on how experience design isn’t synonymous with UX design. https://lnkd.in/gUKrw5Ed

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