First presented at the O'Reilly Design Conference San Francisco March 21, 2017 Watch the video of this talk on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/220150905 User experience (UX) designers add necessary perspective and skills to early-stage companies, which are often overweighted with technical and business expertise. UX designers’ aptitude for considering holistic systems, desire to understand human motivations, visual thinking superpowers, and dedication to validated learning make them valuable early hires for startups. Increasingly, designers are taking more strategic roles at early-stage companies, but founders with a background in design are still relatively rare. Lane Goldstone shares her journey from consultant to entrepreneur and explains how having a background in design impacts her company, Brooklyn Copper Cookware, in order to inspire more designers to consider founding companies. Topics include: Why Lane joined Brooklyn Copper Cookware Ways her UX career prepared her to be a designer founder Consultant thinking versus owner thinking What it means to be a design-led company Examples of UX practices used at Brooklyn Copper Cookware https://conferences.oreilly.com/design/ux-interaction-iot-us/public/schedule/detail/55113

1. Becoming a
Designer Founder
O’Reilly Design Conference
March 21, 2017

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Hi!
I’m a designer-founder.

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7. @thinknow @brooklyn_copperflickr: deliciousblur,

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Organic growth
• Self-funded
• Balance production and marketing
• Learn about our customers
• Smaller mistakes

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Why copper cookware?

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My career journey.

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Short-order cook

15. @thinknow @brooklyn_copperYouTube | 1101com
Production potter

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Interaction Designer

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Design student

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Product Designer

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Hackathon team
member

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Startup coach

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My influence as a designer-
founder.

22. @thinknow @brooklyn_copper*Before Designer Founder (BDF)
BCC 1.0*
2009 - 2012

23. @thinknow @brooklyn_copper*Designer-as-Consultant
BCC 1.5*
2013 - 2014

24. @thinknow @brooklyn_copper*After Designer Founder
BCC 2.0*
2015-present

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What I expected vs. How it is
Planning - Reacting
Control - Surrender
Designing solution - Building company

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How we think and work.

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What’s the desired outcome?
WHO is this for
WHAT do we want to happen
HOW will we know it works?

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Just enough
structure and technology

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Microsegments
instead of demographics

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Small bets
instead of big bang releases

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Evidence
instead of Opinion

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Iteration
instead of Planning

40. SUBSTANTIAL …but not weighty
INTENTIONAL …but not calculated
HANDMADE …but not artisanal
WHOLESOME …but not hygienic
ESSENTIAL …but not primitive

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Just enough structure and technology
Microsegments instead of demographics
Small bets instead of big bang releases
Evidence instead of Opinion
Iteration instead of Planning

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“To plant a garden is to
believe in tomorrow.”
― Audrey Hepburn
Flickr: