Katie Koch discusses the journey of transforming a startup design team into a stable in-house team at American Express, emphasizing the importance of solving real user problems and delivering excellent products. She highlights the need for collaboration, user-centered design, and ongoing learning within a flexible process. Koch advocates for hiring passionate individuals while prioritizing impactful design over merely meeting project demands.

1. From Startup to Stable
From Startup to Stable
Katie Koch, Design Director
American Express, Enterprise Growth

2. From Startup to Stable
My team is special.

3. From Startup to Stable

4. From Startup to Stable

5. From Startup to Stable

6. From Startup to Stable

7. From Startup to Stable

8. From Startup to Stable

9. From Startup to Stable

10. From Startup to Stable

11. From Startup to Stable

12. From Startup to Stable
Fix a Problem
It isn’t good enough to just bolt a bunch of features onto a product
and say “voila!” Building it does not mean they will come. Every
product should be viewed through the lens of “what problem does
this solve?” If it doesn’t solve a problem, don’t do it. If it won’t
improve the lives of a user base, don’t do it.
Best in Class.
Or Go Home.
Why do it if it isn’t great? “Meh” isn’t a strategy. “Me too” is a waste
of time. Things are moving too fast to settle for middle of the road.
Resist the impulse for death by slicing – a little fee here, a
loophole there – the incremental surrenders that stack up to a bad
experience. Not everything will be perfect out of the gate, but the
goal is to create something that is better for consumers than
anything else in market. Be excellent.

13. From Startup to Stable
Fix a Problem
It isn’t good enough to just bolt a bunch of features onto a product
and say “voila!” Building it does not mean they will come. Every
product should be viewed through the lens of “what problem does
this solve?” If it doesn’t solve a problem, don’t do it. If it won’t
improve the lives of a user base, don’t do it.
Best in Class.
Or Go Home.
Why do it if it isn’t great? “Meh” isn’t a strategy. “Me too” is a waste
of time. Things are moving too fast to settle for middle of the road.
Resist the impulse for death by slicing – a little fee here, a
loophole there – the incremental surrenders that stack up to a bad
experience. Not everything will be perfect out of the gate, but the
goal is to create something that is better for consumers than
anything else in market. Be excellent.
“You’re the ones who use the
plotter… and post-its!”

14. From Startup to Stable

15. From Startup to Stable
“Design is really cool!”

16. From Startup to Stable

17. From Startup to Stable
Design intrapreneurs
Business owners
of design

18. From Startup to Stable

19. From Startup to Stable
What are the choices we’ve made
that helped us get from a startup
design team to a stable in-house
team?

20. From Startup to Stable

21. From Startup to Stable

22. From Startup to Stable

23. From Startup to Stable

24. From Startup to Stable

25. From Startup to Stable

26. From Startup to Stable

27. From Startup to Stable

28. From Startup to Stable
Our Guiding Principles
We Collaborate! We’re User Centered! We are Process Driven!

29. From Startup to Stable
Our Roles

30. From Startup to Stable
Our Design Process

31. From Startup to Stable

32. From Startup to Stable
Doesn’t have to be proprietary or unique. If it’s clear,
people will remember it.
There’s no right or wrong, only what works for your
team and how you want to work.
Process

33. From Startup to Stable
Activity Cards

34. From Startup to Stable
Design Principles

35. From Startup to Stable

36. From Startup to Stable
Design Templates

37. From Startup to Stable
We make time to build the
foundation and share it with
others so everyone knows the
rules of the game.

38. From Startup to Stable

39. From Startup to Stable
Get in the zone

40. From Startup to Stable
We work differently.

41. From Startup to Stable
Adapt to changing needs

42. From Startup to Stable
Hire the best, most awesome
people you can find.

43. From Startup to Stable
MAVERICKS!!

44. From Startup to Stable
Everyone shares, teaches and learns.
Weekly XD meeting devoted to the practice of design.
Always be learning

45. From Startup to Stable
Code share!

46. From Startup to Stable
Year end awards

47. From Startup to Stable
Bring on awesome people
who get excited about change.
Reward them for acting like
mavericks.

48. From Startup to Stable

49. From Startup to Stable
Our charter is to make live
products, not design deliverables.

50. From Startup to Stable

51. From Startup to Stable
Keep stakeholders close

52. From Startup to Stable
“Blow it up!”

53. From Startup to Stable
Take small bets to enroll others
in the process along the way.

54. From Startup to Stable

55. From Startup to Stable

56. From Startup to Stable
We say no if we don’t think the
project will be good for users, or
if we feel the design team can’t
add meaningful value.

57. From Startup to Stable

58. From Startup to Stable

59. From Startup to Stable

60. From Startup to Stable
It’s awesome to
be an in-house
designer!

61. From Startup to Stable
Be smart about the business.
Work on our partners’ schedules and cadence.
Know our customer data.
Consume

62. From Startup to Stable
Go to fewer meetings.
Be an advocate for the user.
Be in person for design reviews.
Influence

63. From Startup to Stable
Design Toolkit

64. From Startup to Stable

65. From Startup to Stable
Consume vs. influence
is a choice.

66. From Startup to Stable
Today:
A stable team

67. From Startup to Stable
This didn’t happen overnight.
It is the result of years of making
active choices.

68. From Startup to Stable

69. From Startup to Stable

70. From Startup to Stable
Email
katie.koch@aexp.com
Around the internet
@pixelkated
Thank you!