This document discusses the need for resilient enterprise application design. It advocates adopting a platform mindset by starting with specific solutions and generalizing, designing for the ecosystem not just features. A design system with guidelines, code, and components can create flexibility, consistency and scale. Influence over control is important - make it easy for users to do the "right" thing. Design principles should drive decisions and be prioritized, distinct and consumable. Consumerization and customization are increasingly important for enterprise applications.

1. Resilient Enterprise Design
Craig Villamor • VP Product Experience, AppDynamics •
Photo: Design Northwest
@cvilly

2. Consumerization

4. A new class of enterprise applications emerged

6. Is consumerization over-hyped
and over-simplified?

7. Your expense
report has been
approved, bro!

8. Consumer: “Make me happy”

9. Consumer: “Make me happy”

10. You @ work
Photo: Office Space

11. You @ workYou @ work
Photo: Office Space

12. You @ workYou @ work
Your Peers
Your Boss
The Execs
The Company
The Culture
Your Customers
Your Shareholders
Legal - don’t forget legal!
Photo: Office Space

13. The software you use at work needs to account for
the context and realities of your life at work.

16. Enterprise: “Make me effective”

17. –Steve Vassallo, GP @ Foundation Capital
“Designing for the real world means
dealing with the practical constraints of
that reality and trying to make
refinements in the face of compromise”
https://www.fastcodesign.com/90112320/design-thinking-needs-to-think-bigger

18. The Changing Role of Design

19. “All I'm asking for is total perfection.”
–President Business, LEGO Movie

20. Photo: LEGO Movie

21. David Shrigley

22. we are not in control
Photo: Brad Frost

23. “With the rise of mobile devices and
now tablets, we have to give up this
shared hallucination that we have all
been operating under, that we have
any control over the presentation”
–Karen McGrane

24. • Fluid layouts
• Media queries
• Proportional grids
• Flexible Images
Responsive Web Design

25. http://www.dtelepathy.com/blog/design/responsive-design-great-ux

26. Responsive Web Design is awesome, but it’s
only focused on layout and it’s only the beginning.

27. Responsive Web Design is awesome, but it’s
only focused on layout and it’s only the beginning.
awesome

28. Customization
Rules
Everything
Around
Me

30. “Over 60 percent of Snaps
every day are enhanced
through Bitmojis or tools like
geofilters and lenses”
–Snap IPO Prospectus

31. Every organization is unique.

32. Customization isn’t just a nice to have, it’s a must have.

34. Accounts Contacts Opportunities Leads

35. Accounts Contacts Opportunities Leads
[ CUSTOM ]

37. When users have control over the experience,
what kind of experiences will they create?

38. –Johnny Appleseed
“Type a quote here.”
LEGO Movie

39. –Johnny Appleseed
“Type a quote here.”
LEGO Movie

40. –Emmet, Administrator
“Introducing the double decker couch!”

41. If Responsive Web Design lets us
manage the lack of control over layout,
how might we manage the lack of control
over the application experience?

42. How might we design for a
universe of outcomes, not just a
single outcome?
Image: archive.nyafuu.org

43. http://www.mercurynews.com/2012/05/23/the-day-the-golden-gate-bridge-flattened/

44. http://www.mercurynews.com/2012/05/23/the-day-the-golden-gate-bridge-flattened/

45. http://www.mercurynews.com/2012/05/23/the-day-the-golden-gate-bridge-flattened/

46. Resilient Application Design

47. Resilient Application Design
1. Design Principles - drive design decisions

48. Resilient Application Design
1. Design Principles - drive design decisions
2. Platform Mindset - solve the specific, then generalize

49. Resilient Application Design
1. Design Principles - drive design decisions
2. Platform Mindset - solve the specific, then generalize
3. Design System - create flexibility, consistency, & scale

50. Resilient Application Design
1. Design Principles - drive design decisions
2. Platform Mindset - solve the specific, then generalize
3. Design System - create flexibility, consistency, & scale
4. Influence > Control - make it easy to do the “right thing”

51. Design Principles
David Shrigley

52. indecision = debt

53. In the absence of principles and
insights, you just have opinions.
HiPPO
(Highest Paid Person’s Opinion)

54. Good Design Principles

55. Good Design Principles
Prioritized

56. Good Design Principles
Prioritized
Distinct

57. Good Design Principles
Prioritized
Distinct
Consumable
by everyone, not just designers

58. Salesforce Design Principles

59. Salesforce Design Principles
1. Clarity
Eliminate ambiguity. Enable people to see, understand, and
act with confidence
2. Efficiency
Streamline and optimize workflows. Intelligently anticipate
needs to help people work better, smarter, and faster
3. Consistency
Create familiarity and strengthen intuition by applying the
same solution to the same problem
4. Beauty
Demonstrate respect for people’s time and attention through
craftsmanship

60. Example: Clarity > Consistency

64. If your design principles don’t drive decisions,
re-work them until they do.

65. Platforms
Flickr Image: Shinichi Higashi

66. The most successful platforms started as apps.

67. The most successful platforms started as apps.
Salesforce Automation
Bookstore
Search
University
Social Network
Rides On Demand

68. –Kat Holmes, Principal Director of Inclusive Design, Microsoft
“If you design for everyone, no one is satisfied.”

69. Designing for a platform

70. Designing for a platform
• Build specific solutions, then generalize

71. Designing for a platform
• Build specific solutions, then generalize
• Design for the product and ecosystem, not just the feature

72. Designing for a platform
• Build specific solutions, then generalize
• Design for the product and ecosystem, not just the feature
• Ask: “What happens when…?”

73. Designing for a platform
• Build specific solutions, then generalize
• Design for the product and ecosystem, not just the feature
• Ask: “What happens when…?”
• Share designs with peers early and often, identify patterns
and components

74. Designing for a platform
• Build specific solutions, then generalize
• Design for the product and ecosystem, not just the feature
• Ask: “What happens when…?”
• Share designs with peers early and often, identify patterns
and components
• Contribute to and draw from a Design System

75. Design Systems
Microsoft Fluent Design System

77. This can include your users!

78. Guidelines Code
http://lightningdesignsystem.com

79. “We’re investing in code as a design tool.
Moving closer to working with assets that don’t
only include layout and design, but also logic
and data. This helps bridge the gap between
engineers and designers”
— Alex Schleifer, VP of Design, Airbnb

80. https://airbnb.design/painting-with-code/

85. 1. Optimize for innovation over
compatibility with PowerPoint

86. 1. Optimize for innovation over
compatibility with PowerPoint
2. Cinematic quality

87. 1. Optimize for innovation over
compatibility with PowerPoint
2. Cinematic quality
3. Difficult to make ugly presentations

88. Influence > Control
David Shrigley

89. Make it easy to do the right thing

90. 10x
Better
https://hbr.org/2006/06/eager-sellers-and-stony-buyers-understanding-the-psychology-of-new-product-adoption

91. Josh Clark, Design Systems are Boring

92. Provide Support

93. Field Service
Finance & Banking
HR
Model Desired Output

94. In summary…

95. Enterprise design is
uniquely challenging
Photo: Office Space

96. Customization is king

97. Photo: LEGO Movie
Control is a
hallucination

98. Enterprise design needs to become resilient,
to bend without breaking

101. Craig Villamor • VP Product Experience, AppDynamics •
Thank you
Photo: Design Northwest
@cvilly