Speakers
Jason Mesut
Jason has spent over 17 years working within UX at some of the largest and some of the most respected agencies within the UK. Over these years, he has struggled to know what to call himself. Management consultant, digital strategist, service designer, product manager, interaction designer or user experience consultant. Just some of the labels he has used. Through his work he doesn't think that the labels matter that much. It's more about the specific skills you offer.
Currently, Jason runs Resonant Design and Innovation, a consultancy that gives his clients more of his time. He works with partners to help them with their challenges. Building teams. Creating solutions that push the envelope but are actually delivered. Always focusing on achieving value to businesses, employees, and the users or customers they serve. Jason also runs highly in-demand monthly local IxDA London events with his co-leader, Boon Chew.
About the talk
(Re)Shaping yourself and your design team
Jason Mesut will share an overview of his work over the past fourteen years developing visual frameworks for design teams, leaders and designers to map their skills and define their future professional development.
Through his role as a team leader, and with workshops he runs with the community and his clients, he has seen how valuable it is for designers to self-reflect on who they are, and project the areas in which they feel like they should develop. Whether that’s within, or beyond the context of the organisation in which they work.
He believes using these visual frameworks can help:
- Hire the right people and build the right teams for your organisation
- Reflect on your own abilities as designers, leaders and managers
- Direct your own and your team’s development
- Teams feel better about who they are within their organisation and recognise the opportunities of staying rather than leaving to grow themselves
You'll also hear his story of vulnerability, anxiety and torment that ultimately led into investing in this area over the last year. Something that many designers and design leaders have related to across the globe
About the workshop
Shaping design leaders
There are many positive archetypes and anti-patterns of leadership emerging around the community, but which one is best for you? Or do they all seem so foreign from who you really are or have to be at work?
How do we understand ourselves better to define our own path?
Using a series of self-reflection and profiling tools, Martina and Jason will help you better understand and articulate what you have to offer, what your organisation needs and where you can invest in your own self-development over the coming years.
Using imperfect visual frameworks based on those used in Jason’s popular Shaping Design workshops and written in his Shaping Design series on Medium the workshop will also include new design leader-specific tools that Martina and Jason have been working on over the past 18 months.
This workshop is designed for fresh, experienced and tired leaders or managers alike. Everyone needs some time for reflection and a sense check, especially after an intense two days of brilliant content.
NB, This workshop will allow attendees to keep their reflections private to them, but there will be some sharing and discussion if people feel comfortable.