Upgrade Your Design Org

Through consulting and masterclass offerings, Peter Merholz helps companies get the most out of their design organizations.

Blog

Critique is not review, and many other thoughts on an overlooked practice

TL; DR: Critique and review are different. 🗣️Critique is simply about making the work better. Review is about assessing readiness for the next stage in the process. Healthy critique requires ✨psychological safety✨. To make the work better means being able to discuss it openly, and frankly, warts and all. To do so in a constructive fashion requires that everyone involved know there will be no retribution for their

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Whither UX Research?

A few years ago, we interviewed Jen Cardello for Finding Our Way, and she shared that her team (UX Research) is peered with “market research, behavioral economics, brand, and advertising research, and customer loyalty” in an independent Insights team. The idea was for research to avoid a functional bias, so that it couldn’t be “weaponized” by marketing or design.   And while UX Research is still typically found

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Consulting

Whether for 2 hours or 2 weeks or 2 months or 2 years, Peter adopts a consulting program that specifically meets your needs to help design organizations amplify their effectiveness. 

Read about how Peter can work with you.

Masterclasses

Peter has conducted training, both internally and at public events, for over 15 years. He has developed a set of workshops and structured conversations to help improve the operations of design organizations, and to improve practices of design leadership. 

Read about Peter’s masterclass offerings

Org Design for Design Orgs

The first book to help people understanding how to best establishing successful in-house design teams. Co-written by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner, and drawing on their experience from building Adaptive Path, and working in-house at such companies as Capital One, Groupon, Microsoft, and OpenTable. 

Covers subjects such as:

  • Organizational models for design teams
  • Recruiting and hiring designers
  • Professional development and career ladders
  • Design culture and collaboration with other
  • People management of designers 

Visit the website for Org Design for Design Orgs, including a blog with plenty of new thinking.