Corporate Underpants

Dana Chisnell did not set out to work on elections. She was a freelance UX consultant doing work for Intuit and Cisco when she watched the 2000 election returns and thought, "this is an interesting design problem." That thought turned into a twenty-year arc through ballot design, federal government, and eventually a meeting with a sitting president. This is Part 1 of 2. Dana tells the story of the butterfly ballot, the gorgeous 350-page design guide that nobody could implement, and how a warmup presentation for Jared Spool led to an unexpected call from someone at the White House. The Corporate Underpants moments along the way are classics: great design that did not survive contact with the ecosystem, government websites that served the administrative process instead of the voter, and one very honest admission about not doing enough homework.

Julie Francis and I have been solving the same problem from two different angles for over 20 years. She does it through journey mapping. I do it through alignment personas. This week we finally compared notes—and discovered we’ve been circling the same uncomfortable truth: it’s not about better deliverables. It’s about better alignment. We get into why the map isn’t the point, what “there’s nothing new in here” actually means, why shared documents are not shared understanding (cake wrecks, anyone?), and what it looks like to do senior product work when your job is facilitation, not output.

Seven months after Part 1 of my conversation with Josh Dulberger, the energy around AI hadn’t disappeared. But it had changed. Josh had left Zoom, joined a startup, watched it get acquired, and then stepped into running an internal AI product lab. Now the question wasn’t what could we do. It was what’s actually worth building. The work sounds exciting from the outside. Inside, it’s a lot of small experiments, dead ends, and decisions to stop. Teams build quickly. Test quickly. Most ideas don’t go anywhere. That’s the point. This is what happens after the initial wave. When the organization has to turn possibility into something real. Key Topics What an internal AI product lab actually does Running fast experiments with small teams Why most ideas don’t make it Deciding what not to build What companies are actually looking for now

FINALLY! A new (old) episode of Corporate Underpants has dropped! This is a two parter with Josh Dulberger. Part one is the story of what happened when AI “showed up” at Zoom. Spoiler alert: it didn’t show up as a clear opportunity. It showed up as noise. Josh was leading AI product work at Zoom when suddenly everyone had an idea, a request, or a question. Slack filled up. None of it connected. It was the organization trying to react to something it didn’t understand yet. What followed wasn’t a clean strategy process. It was sorting through fragments. Figuring out which signals mattered. Ignoring a lot that didn’t. Somewhere in that, they landed on something simple: Meeting summaries. Not because it was flashy, but because it finally made something people already had usable. This is what senior product work looks like in moments like this. Less building. More making sense of chaos. Next week you can tune in for Part 2: What happened seven months later when the hype turned into actual product work in the AI lab he runs today.

Information architect and UX strategist Andy Fitzgerald joined me to talk about what happens when content systems reflect silos instead of shared understanding. We unpacked how messy navigation, broken taxonomies, and unclear content flows often reveal misalignment inside the org—not just design problems on the screen. We also talked about: Using architecture to surface conflict Why navigation is a trust signal The difference between content systems and strategy How cartography, not templates, might be your best metaphor Why users—and teams—get stuck without context Whether you’re working in higher ed, government, or any content-heavy org, this one’s packed with alignment gold.

Why do so many UX researchers end up doing the wrong work for the wrong reasons? In this episode of Corporate Underpants Live, I talk with Bill Albert—author of Measuring the User Experience and founding director of Bentley’s Design and Usability Center—about the sneaky ways research gets misused, the traps UX teams fall into, and how to start being strategic before you’re invited to be. We cover: How research becomes a performance instead of a process The hidden cost of acting like an internal agency Why UX maturity models don’t equal real buy-in What to do when you get pulled into stakeholder tornadoes How to step into strategy without permission Red flags like “we already know the users” Why mapping stakeholders is just as important as mapping users This episode is a guide to getting unstuck, getting heard, and doing research that actually matters.   Subscribe for more uncomfortable truths, sharp tools, and real talk about leadership, politics, and UX strategy.   #CorporateUnderpants #UXResearch #UXMaturity #StakeholderManagement #UserExperience #BillAlbert #TamaraAdlin #DesignLeadership #ProductStrategy #ResearchOps

David Bland, co-author of *Testing Business Ideas*, joins Tamara Adlin for a candid conversation about what *actually* holds teams back from testing well, building great products, and aligning around a strategy that works. Spoiler: the biggest barriers aren’t lack of data—they’re misalignment, culture, and invisible power dynamics. This episode digs into the difference between performing strategy and actually having one, why VC culture often disincentivizes good product decisions, and how to prioritize what to test when everything feels risky. 🔥 Key Takeaways: – Testing is not about proving you’re right. – Strategy without alignment = chaos disguised as agility. – Even CEOs need facilitation. – You can’t outsource clarity. 💬 Favorite Quote from David: “You can do all the testing in the world, but if you didn’t prioritize your risk—or even agree on what your biggest risk was—you’re just running really fast in all directions.” 👤 Guest Info: David Bland — Innovation coach, startup veteran, and co-author of *Testing Business Ideas*   https://davidjbland.com 📚 Mentioned: – *Testing Business Ideas* – Strategyzer value proposition canvas – Corporate Venture vs. traditional VC 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: Find more at www.adlininc.com

Ever felt like the goals are fuzzy, the execs are fighting, and your roadmap is just a wish list? You're not alone. In this episode of Corporate Underpants Live, I talk with Bruce McCarthy, co-author of Aligned, about what really derails progress in product, UX, and leadership—and how to build alignment even when it feels impossible.  We cover:  💥 Why tornadoes = political power struggles  ⚠️ What to do when execs don’t agree (or even know the goals)  🧠 How “mining for conflict” can surface the truth  🛠️ Using Daci to clarify decisions  🙃 Why facts don’t win arguments (and what to use instead)  ⏳ And yes—you can change a system, if you’re patient enough Whether you’re managing up, navigating cross-functional chaos, or trying to make sense of your OKRs—this one’s for you. Check out my interview with Bruce's co-author Melissa Appel for more Alignment deliciousness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDav6y647vk&t=11s 🎥 Prefer to watch the video version? Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/69QqD0etKvA Watch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7304991585195155456/ 💬 Let’s talk about it: Got stories of your own corporate chaos? Drop a comment or tell me about it on adlininc.com.  

Information architect and UX strategist Andy Fitzgerald joined me to talk about what happens when content systems reflect silos instead of shared understanding. We unpacked how messy navigation, broken taxonomies, and unclear content flows often reveal misalignment inside the org—not just design problems on the screen. We also talked about: Using architecture to surface conflict Why navigation is a trust signal The difference between content systems and strategy How cartography, not templates, might be your best metaphor Why users—and teams—get stuck without context Whether you’re working in higher ed, government, or any content-heavy org, this one’s packed with alignment gold.

Why do so many UX researchers end up doing the wrong work for the wrong reasons? In this episode of Corporate Underpants Live, I talk with Bill Albert—author of Measuring the User Experience and founding director of Bentley’s Design and Usability Center—about the sneaky ways research gets misused, the traps UX teams fall into, and how to start being strategic before you’re invited to be. We cover: How research becomes a performance instead of a process The hidden cost of acting like an internal agency Why UX maturity models don’t equal real buy-in What to do when you get pulled into stakeholder tornadoes How to step into strategy without permission Red flags like “we already know the users” Why mapping stakeholders is just as important as mapping users This episode is a guide to getting unstuck, getting heard, and doing research that actually matters.   Subscribe for more uncomfortable truths, sharp tools, and real talk about leadership, politics, and UX strategy.   #CorporateUnderpants #UXResearch #UXMaturity #StakeholderManagement #UserExperience #BillAlbert #TamaraAdlin #DesignLeadership #ProductStrategy #ResearchOps

David Bland, co-author of *Testing Business Ideas*, joins Tamara Adlin for a candid conversation about what *actually* holds teams back from testing well, building great products, and aligning around a strategy that works. Spoiler: the biggest barriers aren’t lack of data—they’re misalignment, culture, and invisible power dynamics. This episode digs into the difference between performing strategy and actually having one, why VC culture often disincentivizes good product decisions, and how to prioritize what to test when everything feels risky. 🔥 Key Takeaways: – Testing is not about proving you’re right. – Strategy without alignment = chaos disguised as agility. – Even CEOs need facilitation. – You can’t outsource clarity. 💬 Favorite Quote from David: “You can do all the testing in the world, but if you didn’t prioritize your risk—or even agree on what your biggest risk was—you’re just running really fast in all directions.” 👤 Guest Info: David Bland — Innovation coach, startup veteran, and co-author of *Testing Business Ideas*  https://davidjbland.com 📚 Mentioned: – *Testing Business Ideas* – Strategyzer value proposition canvas – Corporate Venture vs. traditional VC 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: Find more at www.adlininc.com

Ever felt like the goals are fuzzy, the execs are fighting, and your roadmap is just a wish list? You're not alone. In this episode of Corporate Underpants Live, I talk with Bruce McCarthy, co-author of Aligned, about what really derails progress in product, UX, and leadership—and how to build alignment even when it feels impossible. We cover: 💥 Why tornadoes = political power struggles ⚠️ What to do when execs don’t agree (or even know the goals) 🧠 How “mining for conflict” can surface the truth 🛠️ Using Daci to clarify decisions 🙃 Why facts don’t win arguments (and what to use instead) ⏳ And yes—you can change a system, if you’re patient enough Whether you’re managing up, navigating cross-functional chaos, or trying to make sense of your OKRs—this one’s for you. Check out my interview with Bruce's co-author Melissa Appel for more Alignment deliciousness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDav6y647vk&t=11s 🎥 Prefer to watch the video version? Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/69QqD0etKvA Watch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7304991585195155456/ 💬 Let’s talk about it: Got stories of your own corporate chaos? Drop a comment or tell me about it on adlininc.com.

What if the real reason your product failed wasn’t the team or the timeline—but that you were solving the wrong puzzle entirely? In this episode, I talk with Mike Neff, a seasoned product design leader, about what happened when he joined a company headed for IPO—and discovered that everything he thought he knew about success, alignment, and leadership was just one small piece of a much bigger picture. We cover: Why “doing everything right” isn’t enough How to spot invisible misalignment before it wrecks your roadmap Using design tools to align stakeholders (not just users) What to ask when nothing makes sense Why puzzle perspective is a leadership superpower If you're a designer, PM, or exec trying to make a real impact in a complex org—this one’s for you.

What if the real reason your product failed wasn’t the team or the timeline—but that you were solving the wrong puzzle entirely? In this episode, I talk with Mike Neff, a seasoned product design leader, about what happened when he joined a company headed for IPO—and discovered that everything he thought he knew about success, alignment, and leadership was just one small piece of a much bigger picture. We cover: Why “doing everything right” isn’t enough How to spot invisible misalignment before it wrecks your roadmap Using design tools to align stakeholders (not just users) What to ask when nothing makes sense Why puzzle perspective is a leadership superpower If you're a designer, PM, or exec trying to make a real impact in a complex org—this one’s for you.

I quiz Melissa Appel, the co-author of 'Aligned,' on the intricacies of corporate misalignment and its impact on developing and launching successful digital products. We discuss the importance of stakeholder alignment, how to tackle internal politics, and various strategies to address misalignments effectively. Melissa shares insights from her work as a coach for product leaders and her extensive experience in product management. We also delve into practical tools like alignment personas and stakeholder canvases, and offer advice for those looking to make impactful changes within their organizations.   02:06 Meet Melissa Appel! 03:18 Meeting Bruce & Writing Aligned 06:04 "Us Vs. Them" Mentality 07:38 Mining for conflict (even when you have clear goals) 09:27 Seniority means becoming a stakeholder manager 10:53 Underpants Story: A 'delivery' problem was actually a 'culture' problem. 16:06 Melissa's two-pronged approach: quick fixes plus longer-term culture shifts 19:35 Find champions by figuring out individuals' goals 20:40 The bad apples & two kinds of assholes 25:19 Glossaries: the unsung heroes of alignment 27:36 Being brave enough to say "let me get this straight..." 30:58 How to tweak the language you use to get results 33:14 How Alignment Personas fit with Aligned the Book 39:42 Get Melissas & Bruce's Free Stakeholder Canvas 45:07 Politics vs Alignment vs Agreement vs Acceptance 49:02 How Melissa builds roadmaps 50:50 Melissa's Pre-Quit Checklist For Changing Jobs

I quiz Melissa Appel, the co-author of 'Aligned,' on the intricacies of corporate misalignment and its impact on developing and launching successful digital products. We discuss the importance of stakeholder alignment, how to tackle internal politics, and various strategies to address misalignments effectively. Melissa shares insights from her work as a coach for product leaders and her extensive experience in product management. We also delve into practical tools like alignment personas and stakeholder canvases, and offer advice for those looking to make impactful changes within their organizations.   02:06 Meet Melissa Appel! 03:18 Meeting Bruce & Writing Aligned 06:04 "Us Vs. Them" Mentality 07:38 Mining for conflict (even when you have clear goals) 09:27 Seniority means becoming a stakeholder manager 10:53 Underpants Story: A 'delivery' problem was actually a 'culture' problem. 16:06 Melissa's two-pronged approach: quick fixes plus longer-term culture shifts 19:35 Find champions by figuring out individuals' goals 20:40 The bad apples & two kinds of assholes 25:19 Glossaries: the unsung heroes of alignment 27:36 Being brave enough to say "let me get this straight..." 30:58 How to tweak the language you use to get results 33:14 How Alignment Personas fit with Aligned the Book 39:42 Get Melissas & Bruce's Free Stakeholder Canvas 45:07 Politics vs Alignment vs Agreement vs Acceptance 49:02 How Melissa builds roadmaps 50:50 Melissa's Pre-Quit Checklist For Changing Jobs  

Oh. My. God. You guys. Jared Spool is on Corporate Underpants. 🎉 In this episode, I sit down with the Jared Spool to talk about UX, product, and—of course—the corporate messes that make our jobs way harder than they need to be. We kick things off by diving into the early, wild days of UX (back when “user experience” wasn’t even a thing), and Jared shares hilarious and infuriating stories about fighting for better design before anyone knew why it mattered. Then we get into the real stuff: ⚡ Why proving UX’s value is still an uphill battle (and what to do about it) ⚡ How business metrics—not just usability—can make UX indispensable ⚡ How to stop waiting for a seat at the table and make leadership pay attention Jared also casually drops the fact that he accidentally invented voicemail (oops), helped define the way we use keyboards, and somehow made usability testing sound fun. If you’ve ever had to fight for UX, justify your work, or convince execs to stop launching terrible products, you need this episode. 04:24 Jared's Early Badassery: The 70's and 80's 07:15 The Era of "Computer Operators" 09:49 The First Word Processors in the Era Before UX 13:27 Jared Accidentally Invents Voicemail 17:06 Getting People To Think About "Users" 18:23 Early 2000's: The First Research Into "What Makes A Good Website?" 21:05 The Trick: What Does Great UX Mean To Your Team or Org? 23:40 De mocratization vs. Delegation 25:14 The First Usability Lab 30:39 Jared's Work Today: How To Get A Seat At The Table 31:26 We Know How To Design Things. So Why Are Things Still Poorly Designed? 32:31 The 2010s' Boom: 6,221 Days Without Becoming a Bank 36:12 Our Snobbishness About "The Bottom LIne" 38:28 The Face Weasel 38:58 How To Become Hyper-Valuable To Mount Olumpus 41:59 Tamara And Jared Argue Over Job Titles 43:12 How To Become Powerful In An Organization 46:49 Leaders Of Awesomeness Helps You Become Undeniably Valuable 48:30 Pro-tip: Metrics Aren't "Numbers." They're "Measuring Change." 49:22 Shifting from Tactical Research to Strategic Research

Oh. My. God. You guys. Jared Spool is on Corporate Underpants. 🎉 In this episode, I sit down with the Jared Spool to talk about UX, product, and—of course—the corporate messes that make our jobs way harder than they need to be. We kick things off by diving into the early, wild days of UX (back when “user experience” wasn’t even a thing), and Jared shares hilarious and infuriating stories about fighting for better design before anyone knew why it mattered. Then we get into the real stuff: ⚡ Why proving UX’s value is still an uphill battle (and what to do about it) ⚡ How business metrics—not just usability—can make UX indispensable ⚡ How to stop waiting for a seat at the table and make leadership pay attention Jared also casually drops the fact that he accidentally invented voicemail (oops), helped define the way we use keyboards, and somehow made usability testing sound fun. If you’ve ever had to fight for UX, justify your work, or convince execs to stop launching terrible products, you need this episode. 04:24 Jared's Early Badassery: The 70's and 80's 07:15 The Era of "Computer Operators" 09:49 The First Word Processors in the Era Before UX 13:27 Jared Accidentally Invents Voicemail 17:06 Getting People To Think About "Users" 18:23 Early 2000's: The First Research Into "What Makes A Good Website?" 21:05 The Trick: What Does Great UX Mean To Your Team or Org? 23:40 De mocratization vs. Delegation 25:14 The First Usability Lab 30:39 Jared's Work Today: How To Get A Seat At The Table 31:26 We Know How To Design Things. So Why Are Things Still Poorly Designed? 32:31 The 2010s' Boom: 6,221 Days Without Becoming a Bank 36:12 Our Snobbishness About "The Bottom LIne" 38:28 The Face Weasel 38:58 How To Become Hyper-Valuable To Mount Olumpus 41:59 Tamara And Jared Argue Over Job Titles 43:12 How To Become Powerful In An Organization 46:49 Leaders Of Awesomeness Helps You Become Undeniably Valuable 48:30 Pro-tip: Metrics Aren't "Numbers." They're "Measuring Change." 49:22 Shifting from Tactical Research to Strategic Research

In this episode of Corporate Underpants, I sit down with Adam to dig into the messy world of early-stage alignment in higher ed and non-tech-first organizations. Spoiler: It’s nothing like working at a tech company. Adam shares war stories from two major web strategy projects—one that went off the rails thanks to (surprise, surprise) misalignment, and another that actually worked (because alignment wasn’t an afterthought). We talk about why clarity on business goals is everything, how to get stakeholders on board early, and why adaptability is your secret weapon when dealing with large, bureaucratic orgs. If you’ve ever been stuck in a project with 40 stakeholders, changing priorities, and no clear direction—this one's for you. Timestamps: 00:00 Corporate Underpants Live S1E4 – Managing 40 Stakeholders 01:45 Welcome! 04:27 Starting the next project with alignment 06:35 Asking for four days, getting four hours 07:53 What’s the actual goal here? 09:07 Overview of The Five Conversations 10:13 Adam’s zero-resistance feedback hack 12:47 Yes, you CAN meet hundreds of user needs 16:33 “Doing personas” whether they think they are or not 17:13 Why personas have a bad rap 18:56 Higher ed stakeholders actually talk to users—so their assumptions aren’t just “assumptions” 19:45 What about bias? 21:08 Proto personas, presumptive personas, alignment personas, archetypes… what’s the difference? 22:26 If your team hates personas, just don’t call them personas 23:03 HYPOTHESIS! 27:32 Everyone freaks out about stereotypes… 29:28  People have a hard time working together—this helps fix that 30:35 Four hours later, we had clear goals! 32:53 The result? Three months, under budget… and thank-you notes. 34:46 "Where’s the big red button?" 36:12 The Lifeboat 37:14 This work requires political capital 39:24 Start small! 41:11 The politics are always the hard part 51:47 Why agencies should bake alignment into their projects 52:08 Word choice makes a difference 53:37 Why goals never exist 58:22 Tech people need to adjust when working with nonprofits 59:43 Not everything can be fixed 01:05:07 Final thoughts

In this episode of Corporate Underpants, I sit down with Adam to dig into the messy world of early-stage alignment in higher ed and non-tech-first organizations. Spoiler: It’s nothing like working at a tech company. Adam shares war stories from two major web strategy projects—one that went off the rails thanks to (surprise, surprise) misalignment, and another that actually worked (because alignment wasn’t an afterthought). We talk about why clarity on business goals is everything, how to get stakeholders on board early, and why adaptability is your secret weapon when dealing with large, bureaucratic orgs. If you’ve ever been stuck in a project with 40 stakeholders, changing priorities, and no clear direction—this one's for you. Timestamps: 00:00 Corporate Underpants Live S1E4 – Managing 40 Stakeholders 01:45 Welcome! 04:27 Starting the next project with alignment 06:35 Asking for four days, getting four hours 07:53 What’s the actual goal here? 09:07 Overview of The Five Conversations 10:13 Adam’s zero-resistance feedback hack 12:47 Yes, you CAN meet hundreds of user needs 16:33 “Doing personas” whether they think they are or not 17:13 Why personas have a bad rap 18:56 Higher ed stakeholders actually talk to users—so their assumptions aren’t just “assumptions” 19:45 What about bias? 21:08 Proto personas, presumptive personas, alignment personas, archetypes… what’s the difference? 22:26 If your team hates personas, just don’t call them personas 23:03 HYPOTHESIS! 27:32 Everyone freaks out about stereotypes… 29:28  People have a hard time working together—this helps fix that 30:35 Four hours later, we had clear goals! 32:53 The result? Three months, under budget… and thank-you notes. 34:46 "Where’s the big red button?" 36:12 The Lifeboat 37:14 This work requires political capital 39:24 Start small! 41:11 The politics are always the hard part 51:47 Why agencies should bake alignment into their projects 52:08 Word choice makes a difference 53:37 Why goals never exist 58:22 Tech people need to adjust when working with nonprofits 59:43 Not everything can be fixed 01:05:07 Final thoughts

This is a great 2-parter, people. The first part is all about how uniquely challenging Higher Ed and other non-tech-first orgs for website strategist and product people. Adam shares his experiences working in higher education and other sectors, where unique and complex Governance structures, diverse stakeholder groups, and entrenched institutional politics create substantial obstacles. You'll hear about how the first big project he did was chaos due to misalignment. In part 2, you'll hear about the magic of stakeholder Alignment, alignment Personas, and clear goals! Hint: the second project came in early and under budget. Have YOU ever gotten hate mail after launching? Adam has. Have YOU ever turned that hate mail into thank-you notes within months? Adam has.   00:27 Welcome!   05:14 We're going to start talking about the solution to underpants! 08:02 Introducing Adam Staffa 10:45 Stakeholders and Governance in Higher Ed Projects 11:46 Stakeholders in Higher Ed, and Understanding Governance 19:53 #The Value of Being One Step Behind 23:44 In higher ed, the pipeline is YEARS. 25:18 The Scale of Content is Mind-Boggling 26:47 A Story of Educational Underpants 32:38 No matter how successful a project is, if everyone doesn't think it was successful, it wasn't. 33:04 Stakeholders were popping up everywhere! 35:05 Endless Meetings = Jenga 36:29 How the  project  ended

This is a great 2-parter, people. The first part is all about how uniquely challenging Higher Ed and other non-tech-first orgs for website strategist and product people. Adam shares his experiences working in higher education and other sectors, where unique and complex Governance structures, diverse stakeholder groups, and entrenched institutional politics create substantial obstacles. You'll hear about how the first big project he did was chaos due to misalignment. In part 2, you'll hear about the magic of stakeholder Alignment, alignment Personas, and clear goals! Hint: the second project came in early and under budget. Have YOU ever gotten hate mail after launching? Adam has. Have YOU ever turned that hate mail into thank-you notes within months? Adam has.   00:27 Welcome!   05:14 We're going to start talking about the solution to underpants! 08:02 Introducing Adam Staffa 10:45 Stakeholders and Governance in HIgher Ed Projects 11:46 Stakeholders in Higher Ed, and Understanding Governance 19:53 #The Value of Being One Step Behind 23:44 In higher ed, the pipeline is YEARS. 25:18 The Scale of Content is Mind-Boggling 26:47 A Story of Educational Underpants 32:38 No matter how successful a project is, if everyone doesn't think it was successful, it wasn't. 33:04 Stakeholders were popping up everywhere! 35:05 Endless Meetings = Jenga 36:29 How the  project  ended

In this episode of Corporate Underpants, host Tamara Adlin delves into the complex relationship between politics and product success with guest Jillian Hudson, a seasoned UX researcher and strategist. Through Jillian’s story, we learn about the unexpected challenges she faced when hired for a role that didn't match the initial promise, working under a manager who was often absent and dealing with a company in chaos prioritizing stock prices over UX maturity. Jillian shares how she built strong internal relationships by understanding the true needs of her stakeholders, organizing educational sessions, and advocating UX despite internal resistance and misalignment. Her narrative offers valuable insights for UX professionals on how to navigate organizational politics to achieve product success. 00:00 Corporate Underpants Live_ Episode 3_ A True Story of UX Democratization Go 03:40 Introducing Jillian! 05:44 What is UX Strategy? 06:16 Pisces Vesica 07:16 Diving int the story: Jillian got the job 09:02 No France for you! 11:24 And then they laid off most of the team. 12:30 Turns out, it was all about the stock price. 14:49 Jillian invited everyone to see her work - and found a fan! 18:05 How to build a UX Champion: "How can I help you?" 19:25 Discovering a whole team of "Systems Coaches" built to satisfy research cravings 21:28 "UX Democratization" in the wild 23:16 They were powerful, but they weren't trained. 26:07 If you can't beat 'em, train 'em: launching "UX Snacks" internally 28:12 Seeing results: building bridges with the system coaches 30:42 New thoughts on "UX Maturity" 33:50 Turning the UX lens on your own teams and company 36:32 Building more champions 38:43 Attract UX Champions with research bait 39:17 Networking skills are key 44:40 Lessons were learned.

Jeff Verona recounts the chaos caused by hidden misalignments and untested assumptions that ultimately derailed an initiative to streamline loan officer workflows. Woven into Jeff's tale are seven actionable "gems" that can help you spot and fix the kind of problems that left his team reeling.

Are your Corporate Underpants showing? In this first episode of Corporate Underpants, we dive into the messy realities of workplace politics and uncover what it really takes to gain influence and grow as a product manager or designer. Learn from Scott’s journey as he reflects on the cultural biases that shape UX and product teams, why rigor isn’t always the answer, and how to align with decision-makers to drive meaningful impact. What’s Inside: Why some UX pros feel stuck while product managers rise. The truth about navigating workplace politics and egos. How to turn constraints into career growth opportunities. 💡 Take Action: If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the disconnect between your vision and your organization’s reality, this series is for you. 🔔 Subscribe for raw, actionable insights on mastering the underbelly of corporate life.