"We'd like to extend you an offer."
Usually a welcome phrase. But when it's tied to building a UX team from nothing, it carries a very different feeling.
They said they wanted me to help build a design organization. What they really meant: we have no idea about design, UX, research, or content. We want you to swim upstream to hire a team we didn't actually allocate budget for. We also want you to get design ingrained in the company—or maybe not, we haven't decided.
The company has no clue what it takes to have a successful design organization. None. They think designers are pixel pushers who make pretty pictures. They have no idea about the process, what's included, how long things take, what's acceptable for a UX team to take on. But they know "UX" is needed to be successful—even if that success metric isn't concrete and no one can truly tell you what's wanted.
How do I know this? I've done it twice. I've seen it multiple times at different companies. It isn't unique to anything—it's across the board.
You may be thinking: I'm at a Fortune 500, we already have UX, this doesn't apply to me.
You might be right. You could also be dead wrong.
Just because a UX team exists doesn't mean it's where it should be in maturity. Having a "seat at the table," functioning properly, ingrained in the process—none of that could be happening. You could be an external agency operating internally. I've been there. The same work applies to that scenario as starting from zero.
So what do you do about it?
You must prove your worth. My father drilled it into us growing up: "Show me, don't tell me."
You can tell everyone in the company what you intend to do. It means nothing until they see outcomes. Talk only goes so far, and when you're establishing a new organization against the status quo, it isn't far enough. Roll up your sleeves and do the work to prove what UX can do. If you're the only UX person, get ready to get dirty.
You need to find allies.
There's a range of people you'll work with. Some have never experienced UX before. Others had a great experience. Still others worked with a non-functional team and have a tainted view.
Capture alliances where you can. Typically these are people who know UX and value it—an engineer, a manager, a PM, doesn't matter. The more you can partner and execute to show value, the better.
Understand how the organization operates and who the real decision makers are.
This is normally easy but critically important. Make sure you're targeting your outcomes to impress the right people. Your immediate manager, while holding your cards, may not be the one with sway. They might be on the hook to prove UX matters just as much as you are.
Not just who—but how decisions are made. Is this a data-driven company where you can gather metrics and show results? Do they not care about data and want something else? Figure out what makes them tick and how to influence decisions.
Typically you have very little budget.
You may get one hire. Maybe two or three. I've never seen a situation where you get to hire a full team outright.
Understand the weakest area—both for you and the org. What will create the biggest impact and show UX outcomes? Hire that talent first.
Don't hire your visual designer friend from your last company just because you like them. A visual designer might be hire number three or four in the sequence of needed roles. Hire for impact and actual organizational needs.
Make sure whoever you hire can handle ambiguity and isn't afraid to wear as many hats as necessary. You better work well with them—they'll essentially be your right hand for your entire tenure. You'll live through the trenches together and bond through those tough times. You need to be compatible. If they have aspirations to take your role and act on that early, there's gonna be problems.
Shifting a culture is extremely difficult.
Getting UX invited to things is hard. You can't wait for people to invite you—you need to actively get yourself into meetings. Get ingrained as best you can.
The ideal process flow probably won't happen first. You'll cobble together something that just works initially. That's fine. It gets your foot in the door so you can start learning and delivering.
Once you're in, you need to execute. And document.
Document everything. Make sure you have evidence and solid proof for outcomes. Pearl-clutching, anti-UX folks exist and will try to take credit for things you did. You need documentation to prove it was UX, not something else.
When that happens—and it will—don't be confrontational. Not everyone will love you. You may be disrupting someone's fiefdom. Convert them to an ally, not an adversary. Building UX in an org is as much about understanding people as it is about design. You must be a bridge builder.
Match your outcomes and wins to what the org actually cares about.
If they don't care about monthly active users, don't tout that you helped increase that metric. No one cares. Those auxiliary wins matter later. For now, move the needle on what matters to them.
The slog to build a UX org takes quarters to years. It is not quick.
You'll know you're approaching stabilization when cross-functional people start promoting UX without you in the room. When you're invited as a critical attendee to meetings instead of fighting your way in. When leadership opens up to conversations about becoming a design-led organization—that's when you know you're on solid footing.
One last thing: don't become a yes-man.
It will be tempting to just do whatever is asked. That's the trap that lands you in the external-agency-operating-internally situation. It will be uncomfortable, but push back. Have difficult discussions.
I've had my share of disagreements with C-level people. I've had to prove them wrong to their face. And while I would have loved to say "told you so," you can't do that. But you also can't let them steamroll you—otherwise you become the pixel pusher no UX person wants to be.
There are tons of nuances here and a lot I've glossed over. I love this stuff.
If you're in this situation and need guidance or just an ear to listen and offer advice, I'm here. Don't worry—I'm not looking for a paycheck from our conversation. I genuinely want to help my fellow UXers when and where I can.