Lance Cassidy

Profit is killing our planet. And your business can save it. For too long, we've chosen profits over the planet and growth over global responsibility. But what if we could have both? With ZenShifu and Unlimited Designz, I'm on a mission to prove that success and sustainability can coexist. I'm planting trees, investing in green initiatives, and making every client interaction benefit the Earth. It's a small step, but it's a catalyst for change. Imagine if every business joined in. We could create a network of enterprises that heal rather than harm, that grow responsibly and give back to our planet. The future of business - and our world - depends on the choices we make today. Let's build a sustainable future together. Your move could inspire a movement. How will you redefine success? I'd love to know.

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🤹‍♂️ “I had no idea you could do that” As we attempt to scale and white-label our design systems, we've run into providing some options that leave our team a bit stumped and scratching our heads. After doing some research, I’m appreciating all the efficiency gains you can pull off with just a few Figma tricks and tutorials. → Small components are easy, but as components get more complex or resemble layouts, tracking all the possible nested variations is impossible. → Sometimes components have optional elements that show and hide depending on the needs of a specific client or context. → “You get a logo, you get a logo, everyone gets a logo“ Everyone has their own branding, which means toggling between multiple logos and lockups. With some digging, we found resources to help with all of these use cases: 🖼 Building flexible components with "slots" by Luis Ouriach is a super useful walkthrough for experimenting with the concept of slots in Figma. “Slots” allow you to create a placeholder component inside a more complex “container” component allowing you to build more flexible and context-specific layouts. https://lnkd.in/gp2JEFFU 🙈 An Introduction to Boolean Variables in Figma by UI Collective offers a simple overview of how to apply use the hidden gem of variables options. Boolean variables allow you to show and hide elements not just in prototypes but in component variants. This was useful when we wanted to toggle elements within components for various themes. https://lnkd.in/gWt8QRit 🎭 Modes: Changing a Branded Header by Nate Greenwall was exactly the solution I was looking for when I needed to offer multiple logo options from a centralized library. The playground file maps out how you can pull this off with string variables and modes. https://lnkd.in/gJhcemcm 💎 I hope some of the resources that we've leveraged at Exygy can be helpful for you and your teams working in Figma. → Leverage slots for nesting smaller components within larger container layouts. → Utilize boolean variables to show and hide elements across variants. → Experiment with using string variables to switch elements like logos for different brands. #figma #ui #design #DesignSystems #variables

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Accessibility and design systems tend to go hand-in-hand. Why? Well, they're both horizontal in nature. They both are rooted in the development of standards and guidelines. They both delve deep into the details others don't have time to focus on. And more, but I'll stop there. In our latest episode, Davy Fung and I discuss the topic of accessibility within design systems both from a responsibility standpoint as well as an operational standpoint. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/g_gabFX9 #designsystems #accessibility #podcast

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Excited to dive deeper into design systems! 🌟 This article breaks down the “parent-child” relationship between design systems and style guides, showing how they work together to keep designs consistent and efficient. A great read for anyone passionate about design! #designsystem #styleguides #uxdesign https://lnkd.in/eUamsNTH

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Hey industrial designers check out this informative AI event Thursday for IDSA, RSVP in the link below!

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New Article Alert: "A VP of Design Portfolio: Insights from an Industry Leader" I'm excited to share my latest Substack article diving into the crucial elements of a VP of Design portfolio. If you're a design leader or aspiring to be one, this is for you! Key takeaways: - Strategic focus: Showcase how you drive business results through design leadership - Team achievements: Highlight successful product launches and tangible growth - Metrics matter: Quantify your impact with clear, visual data - Bridge the gap: Help recruiters understand the true scope of design leadership As one VP shared, "I use my design skills now for designing teams that design products." Ready to elevate your design leadership portfolio? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e_nXvh2J 📅 I publish new articles every Monday and Thursday. Don't miss out on future insights! Subscribe to my Substack for regular updates: https://lnkd.in/eT3g9eCD #DesignLeadership #UXDesign #CareerDevelopment #PortfolioTips

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I talk to senior designers and design leaders every day and there is one thing that became evident to me: In the current market there is no clarity about the career paths and what would be the right step for them. Choosing your future role requires a clear understanding of your aspirations, motivations, and chances for success. For this reason, Dilara Cumhur Neutze, Kate Syuma, and I will be hosting a session to discuss the nonlinear design careers and how these two incredibly successful design leaders have found their path. Join us for this discussion on November 26th. We will cover: - Embracing Non-Traditional Design Careers - Creating Space for Reflection and Vision - Choosing What's Right for You: IC vs. Manager - The Power of Execution in Achieving Success Sign up and share your questions in the comments! We will cover some of them in the session!

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Applications are now open for Designer Fund Partnership, the best design support and investment offer of up to $1 million for Pre-seed to Series A startups! Apply by October 4th here: https://bit.ly/3WWNq74 Here are a few reasons why we’re opening up an application: We’re increasing access to funding - I’ve seen first hand that some of the best founders and outlier companies can come from unexpected places. Rather than just rely on in-network referrals that favor certain backgrounds, we want to give founders from anywhere a fair shot at getting funded. In addition, applications allow us to connect founders to more sources of capital from angels to VCs more efficiently. We’re increasing access to design resources - We can’t possibly help every company succeed with design alone. This year we invited 17+ angel investors with design backgrounds from companies like Figma, Notion, Stripe to co-invest alongside us. This means way more opportunities to get design support on your cap table. We’re also continuing to double down on our community of top designers and network of pre-vetted design freelancers and studios. We’re offering founder-friendly terms - The reality of today’s fundraising environment is that founders will often raise multiple times during the early phase of a company. That’s why we’re offering up to $1 million with flexible ownership terms for Pre-seed to Series A companies because one size doesn’t fit all. We can also invest alongside angels, accelerators, seed funds and VCs so you have the best possible people around the table. Interested in learning more? Join us Tuesday, September 10 at 1PM PDT for Designer Fund Partnership Office Hours - https://lu.ma/o2om8b59 We’ll discuss what we're looking for in founders, best practices for a great application, and our decision-making process and timeline.

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Design reviews can make or break your product—and your team’s morale. For first-time founders, knowing how to give actionable, constructive feedback is key to unlocking better product decisions. It also goes a long way in building a healthy design culture. I wrote a quick guide on running effective design reviews here: https://lnkd.in/gDz4eN7V

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A snippet that stuck out to me from a recent piece by Noelle Lansford: "As you reflect on your own journey, pause and celebrate the fact that you are still here reading this article and caring about how design systems operate. As a design system practitioner, you know the work is still important. It solves critical problems the world faces. If you are job searching currently, let me affirm your suspicions, and offer encouragement: The hiring process is broken. I’m sorry for what you are going through. Keep finding ways to be kind to yourself. It’s not your fault, you’ve got this." Give the article a read! The snippet above was a nice breather, but it hits on a lot of the common mental spirals we practitioners find ourselves in AND, more often, are up against with some reminders on ways to untangle them (by challenging our own perception/charters). Link in comment.

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I'd argue that design system adoption is going through the typical cycle of novel thought to accepted practice to braindead, box-checking obligation. And this is coming from someone who considers adoption measurement invaluable... There's a lot of detail and qualifications to adoption measurement. Ignoring them turns a valuable health marker into a quota. In our latest episode, Davy Fung and I talk all about adoption, our relationship with it and how use the measure in our work. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gGy2FSSf #designsystems #podcast #adoption

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“…design thinking is the methodology that we teach [The Stanford d.school], that’s the secret sauce … The result of that is if you take students, or companies, or anybody, and you get them to use design thinking as a tool, my belief is that builds their creative confidence.”   Quote by David Kelley, precursor of design thinking, founder of IDEO and The Stanford d.school, on interview with Maria Camacho. https://lnkd.in/emErXWwM As the old adage goes, ‘Practice makes perfect.’ The same applies to design thinking with its focus on creativity, empathy, and systems thinking. The more you engage in ideating 💡 , building, testing, evaluating, and learning from positive failures, the more confident you'll become. This process encourages you to push boundaries, challenge paradigms, embrace openness, and drive change 😊 #DesignThinking #CreativeConfidence #change #PositiveFailure #creativity #empathy #systemsThinking

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Design systems practitioners are being presented two choices for the future. One: design the mechanisms and rules for automated systems only concerned with greater and greater scale and efficiency. The other: be erased by those systems. I believe queer theory can help broaden our perspective and imagine alternative futures. I explore in this essay based on my #clarity2024 talk. Clarity: A design systems community conference

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❓ What makes designers great leaders ⁉ Well...designers possess unique qualities including empathy, active listening, storytelling, and systems thinking (dot connectors). Learn more from Evan English, VP of Design & User Research at American Express on Episode 8 of Season 2 of UX Leadership By Design. Other takeaways from the episode: * Leadership behaviors, such as communication, collaboration, and empathy, are crucial for UX leaders. * Shared goals with product partners and design maturity goals are important for driving business value. * Information architecture and design systems play a critical role in supporting the evolving business needs. * Measuring metrics and setting goals are essential for tracking the impact of design efforts and improving customer satisfaction. ____________________________________ Full episode details: Watch on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/en3GJYNu Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/dRZ6xeXv Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dNGHihRw All Episodes of UX Leadership by Design Podcast: https://lnkd.in/dVe2fggN #UXLeadership, #DesignLeaders, #ProductManagement, #BusinessValue, #DesignSystem, #InformationArchitecture, #TeamAlignment, #LeadershipDevelopment, #DesignOps, #StrategicDesign

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2 years with Nectar! 🤘🔥 My favorite highlights: → Our team’s growth from 23 employees to 90 employees. Product alone grew from 6 of us to 21 strong now 🙌🏼, and we’re a sleek, efficient, resilient team under Brian Cressall and Nate Tingey. → Established Nectar’s Design System and built our component library, significantly improving speed, consistency, and quality of design and implementation. → Completed a massive UI design refresh for the existing product (bless the devs still building it 🫡 ). → Launched Nominations, the largest and most impactful new feature we’ve built at Nectar yet. → Completely scrapped a project, because it was the right thing to do. Grateful to work on a team that’s hyper-focused on our ultimate goals, and is sincerely willing to let sunk costs be irrelevant. → Ideated, designed, and launched our new product Internal Communications in 8 weeks with a small, mighty team 🤯 I’m still amazed we managed it. → $40M Series B funding in April 2024 with PeakSpan Capital. → Saw our efforts, motivation, and passion pay off when Nectar was recognized as the 2nd Fastest Growing Company in Utah County, 1st fastest growing software company in Utah, 8th fastest growing software company in the U.S., and 87th fastest growing company in the U.S. (across all industries). → 300% increase in revenue in Q3 2023 vs Q3 2024 (Q3 was also 50% above our revenue Q2 2024). → Saw every department at Nectar grow in excellence. I’m in awe of the caliber of Engineering, CS, Marketing, Sales, and what they accomplish. → Relished the challenge and variety of asks in the beginning as Nectar’s sole designer, including working on print design (looking at you, 28’ tradebooth) and animations for the first time. That animation announcing Nectar’s new logo a year ago? That was my first animation, and I’m still proud of myself for figuring it out enough to make that 😂. → Spent way too much on Holiday gas station runs (RIP old office). This is a long list, but for the record I cut it in half from what it was 😅. I’m grateful Nate reached out on LinkedIn right at the perfect time when I was looking to switch things up, and that we’ve made a great team ever since. Getting to work closely with our little product design team—Nate, Mason, Tyler, and Maya—and many, many others keeps me growing and keeps me motivated on the daily. Nectar’s mission and way of working resonated with me from the beginning. It’s rewarding to see our company continue to gain momentum and maturity, all while seeing how much room we still have to grow. Very, very grateful to be part of the journey. As we say, it’s still Day 1 at Nectar. 🚀

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In my latest podcast, Dr. Jodi Forlizzi and I discuss a subject key to designers working today: the impact of AI on the discipline. Check it out! 👂👇 https://lnkd.in/gEKbvFQ6 #Design #UxDesign #InteractionDesign #AI #ArtificialIntelligence

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Exciting news! 🎉 My book Design in Context: A Framework for Strategic Differentiation is now available on Audible! 🎧 If you’re a design driven company or a designer driving companies. This is the book for you ✌️ Design Thinking has evolved 🤔... meet Context-based Design 🚀 --- https://lnkd.in/eJqHAYVy #DesignInContext #Audible #BusinessStrategy #DesignThinking #Innovation #DesignInContext

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🚀 Exciting insights are here! We just wrapped up two dynamic panel discussions in the Ecosystem Leadership Report: Design 2024 series, and I’m excited to share some key takeaways. In these panels, we explored essential themes for today’s design leaders: Cross-Functional Collaboration and From Design to Business Leadership. Here’s a quick look at what we covered: 💡 Building Bridges Across Functions: Breaking down silos to foster stronger collaboration between design, product, and engineering teams. 💼 Design as a Strategic Partner: Practical steps for positioning design as a key player in achieving business goals. 🚀 Transitioning to Business Leadership: The mindset shifts and skills design leaders need to step into broader roles. 📈 Driving Organizational Impact: Aligning design efforts with business priorities to create measurable value. 👉 Want to dive deeper? Subscribers get exclusive insights straight from industry leaders on strengthening cross-functional teamwork and elevating design’s role in business. Gain access to the full panel recordings by joining the diegoNMTZ community here: https://lnkd.in/eHriBjSb At diegoNMTZ, we’re an agency dedicated to empowering leaders and building solutions for organizations, their customers, and teams. Our team is here to support your growth and impact through strategic consulting, thought leadership content, and customized leadership workshops. Thank you for being part of this forward-thinking community. We look forward to collaborating with you to navigate the evolving challenges in leadership!

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Designers care about different things than business leaders. Arguing for design’s own sake won’t cut it: to have an impact, designers must be aligned with business goals. While true in all businesses, it’s especially salient in venture-backed startups, which are under pressure to deliver quick growth. Design can help, but both designers and founders must think differently about design. 👨🏻‍💻 Andy Budd has written a wonderful book on how designers can help early-stage startups succeed. It’s called “The Growth Equation,” and I recommend it to all founders — and to all designers. To learn why, listen to the latest episode of my podcast, where Andy explains how design can help drive startup growth. 👇 https://lnkd.in/g9Nsy-hA #UxDesign #Startup #UxUi #ProductDesign

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