DesignedUp A designer’s guide on how to lead inside the tech industry

Top tech companies have realized that technology's survival requires more developers; it requires designers. That’s fundamentally changed the role of designers. This book shows designers how to lead inside today's tech industry, steer the direction of projects; be the glue between technology and customers, and change how designed is valued.

"Carter’s new book, DesignedUp, is a useful guide for the modern design practitioner who sits at the intersection of the IT consultancy and agency world — someone who chooses to plot their own course across many companies’ diverse set of interests instead of being loyal to just one. In doing so, they have selected an exciting path that will bring them many heralded victories and challenging pitfalls, which Carter has aptly navigated over her impressive career. If you have been in the field for a while, I think you will find Carter’s book to be a refreshing antidote to any career doldrums you may have."— Dr. John Maeda, VP of Design and Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft

"Designers have long asked for a ‘seat at the table.’ What Emma Carter has done is given them the roadmap to not only get that seat, but to redesign the table to fit what tech-driven organisations need to succeed today."— Jeff Gotthelf, Author "Lean UX" and "Sense & Respond"

Are you struggling to get non-designers to understand the value of what you do?

Tech companies and consultancies can feel like an inhospitable landscape for designers. Too often, design is seen as a ‘nice extra’, rather than an integral part of the process, and designers find their voice overshadowed by decision-makers who don’t understand or appreciate the power of design.

DesignedUp will help you eliminate obstacles and become a design leader who can effectively influence everyone from engineers to C-level execs. By sharing perspectives, methods, frameworks and hero stories from global Tech & Design leaders, including Rebecca Parsons, CTO at Thoughtworks; Andreas Markdalen, Global Chief Creative Officer at frog; Lauren Pleydell-Pearce, Executive Creative Director at PwC UK, Dr. Andy Polaine, Ex-global Group Design Director at Fjord, the book shows you how to:

• Assess and harness your strengths
• Understand and communicate in the language of business and tech
• Develop your influencing skills to bring tech leads and stakeholders on board with design
• Present compelling design arguments that resonate with decision-makers
• Turn execs into design evangelists
• Spread the love for human-centred design far beyond your deliver