Designer, illustrator, and all-around nice North Carolina guy Matt Stevens is doing a rad Good Movies as Old Books project on Dribbble. This excellent Knives Out cover caught my eye first. Bring on more For The Fun Of It projects!

Organizations that design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations.

In other words, the things we make are a reflection of how the people making them talk to one another. Conway was talking about software development, but Iâ€ve found the concept applies to a broad spectrum of disciplines and fields.

Product as Projected Org Chart

Do org charts, job titles, and internal corporate communication structures matter to the end user/customer of a product? On their surface, no. People care about their problems being solved, and they want products, services and experiences that do that well for a price they can live with. But if we buy into Conwayâ€s Law, then yes, those communication structures matter a great deal because the way things are made is woven into their DNA.

Your organization is optimized to get exactly the results youâ€re currently getting. For good or ill, we optimize our organizations to make the product(s) we have.

Is there a disconnect between the on-boarding experience of a web app and the typical use cases for its logged in users? My guess is the teams or individuals responsible for those features and flows donâ€t talk enough. Does a guest at a hotel have a vastly different experience talking to the late night concierge versus using the hotelâ€s app? My guess is the organization doesnâ€t have a cohesive department whose mission is taking care of customers — they likely have a software team and a front desk team (and never the two shall meet).

In each of those examples there are only two constants: the organization, and the individual interacting with the organization. Everything in between — the teams, departments, personnel, tech, and resources, endless org charts and corporate layers of responsibility — doesnâ€t ultimately matter to the customer. They just want a great experience. But it matters to the customer because itâ€s ruining their experience. And it matters to the organization because enough ruined experiences will eventually lose you customers.

If there are disconnects in your product, there are disconnects in your org chart. So fix the internal structures, and incentivize, organize, and optimize around the outcomes you want for your customers. Out of that holistic structure will flow holistic products, services, and experiences.

Healthy people make healthy things. Healthy orgs do, too. 

Mildred passed away quietly the week my son Moses was born. Moses turns 2 this week. I miss my Grama.

As the Earth spins, the constellations in the northern hemisphere sky currently revolve around a single star called Polaris. Itâ€s a “Pole Star,” a near foolproof way for sailors to find their bearings on a clear night.

A brandâ€s mission is no different. Every decision, every nook, cranny, fringe, and faction in the organization should revolve around their mission — spinning â€round the thing the organization exists to make happen. Defining that constant is literally mission critical.

I run a design studio, but our mission isnâ€t design, brand identity, or websites — those are just tactics. The tactics should never become the mission. When we work with new businesses and established organizations, first we have to understand their version of Polaris, then we can plot a course from where the brand is, over the visible horizon, to where it needs to be.

Design isnâ€t magic; itâ€s the disciplined process of changing existing situations to ideal ones. But to do that well, we need a destination beyond the craft. Without a shared destination, we lack shared mission. Arguing about taking a left or a right at the fork doesnâ€t matter if the designer and the client are operating off of two different maps.

Define whatâ€s true, first. Then you can start your journey.

Amateur Celestial Navigation Tips

If you donâ€t know how to find Polaris, two constellations will help you see it—Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (aka The Big Dipper and The Little Dipper). Look at the front edge of The Big Dipperâ€s ladle, follow the path like youâ€re liquid being poured out, and youâ€ll run right in to Polaris, the last star in the handle of The Little Dipper.

Iâ€m creating rules for the game so that I can have my little business support the life I want to live.