Yesterday’s Coffee Hour surfaced two big themes that I think many of us are feeling right now. 1. The rise of the “team of one”We spoke about how AI is accelerating the convergence of roles: UX, product, UI, even front-end dev. In smaller teams and startups, one person can now realistically take a product from idea → design → prototype → build → customer feedback with AI as a co-pilot. That’s exciting… but it also raises questions: - How do we position our value when we’re being asked to “do it all”? - What do we stop doing, so we don’t burn out trying to be designer, PM, dev and support at once? 2. Changing UX maturity without saying “UX maturity”We also dug into the reality of working in low-maturity environments where UX is still seen as “making things look nice”.A key insight: sometimes the most effective way to shift an organisation is to do the work under a language they already accept – things like: - “Let’s map the roles so we can write better user stories” (→ personas) - “Let’s walk through the end-to-end flow” (→ journey mapping) You don’t always have to fight for the label “UX” to start changing how people think and work. Showing the value first, naming it later, can be a powerful strategy. Over to you: - Where are you feeling the “team of one” pressure right now? - Have you ever smuggled good UX practice into a low-maturity environment under a different label? What worked (or didn’t)? - Drop your stories and reflections below – this is exactly why Lead by Design exists. 👇

Hi Lead by Design Community This year both Christmas Day and New Years Day fall on a Thursday - our usual Coffee Hour time slot. So we'll be taking a 2 week break at the end of 2025, and will resume our Coffee Hours again on Thursday 8 January 2026. Wishing you a blessed holiday season 🎅

There's been a lot of discussion on our Community Calls over the past few months about Vibecoding / AI development, and a frequent question or request is for sharing of resources around: 1. Getting started 2. Best practice guidelines Let's use this to share any learnings, useful guidelines or tips about specific tools / agents to use.

Great energy on today’s Lead by Design community call! We explored the value of the network — how this community supports each other not just with knowledge, but with honest reflection and real connection. We also dove into some timely industry topics: - Apple’s “Liquid Glass” design — when visual flair overshadows usability - Vibeworking & MVP culture — the danger of outputs over outcomes - Quiet AI — high-impact applications that don’t always make headlines We wrapped with a great discussion on Vibecoding workflows — how to move fast without losing the depth that real product work requires. I've posted the video here if you are interested in catching up...

Whether you’re a seasoned design leader steering complex digital ecosystems, or an aspiring design executive preparing to step into your first leadership role — you belong here. This isn’t just another design community.This is a home for visionaries, changemakers, and product pioneers who believe that design leadership is more than just pixels and prototypes — it’s about creating a vision, aligning teams, and driving innovation at scale. What you can expect here: ☕️ Weekly Coffee Hours — casual virtual meetups where we discuss real-world challenges, share leadership lessons, and unpack the evolving role of design leadership in the age of AI, remote work, and digital transformation. 📚 Free & Premium Content — from exclusive playbooks and case studies to deep-dive workshops on stakeholder alignment, design strategy, and leading high-performing teams. 🎯 Expert Insights & Peer Coaching — learn not just from me, but from your fellow design leaders across industries, all navigating the same challenges and opportunities. 💬 Open Conversations — this is a safe space to ask hard questions, get unfiltered feedback, and sharpen your leadership craft. New members, please introduce yourself and share a pic of your workspace or your team in the comments!