People often believe that building influence happens overnight, but it actually results from a series of cumulative moments. To do this strategically, one must be intentional in approach, starting with identifying key stakeholders and understanding their impact on design decisions and their familiarity with design. A stakeholder map can help categorize them based on design friendliness and influence, with different tactics for each quadrant. Focus on building relationships with those who understand design and have worked with you before, using case studies to influence others. For less familiar stakeholders, prioritize education about design and how you can support their challenges. When engaging stakeholders, understand their challenges and communication preferences to develop tailored strategies. Communicating broadly through channels like Slack, Teams, newsletters, and workshops can also amplify influence. Keep track of moments when your work makes a difference, both for team reflection and reporting to leadership, aligning your efforts with company goals.

Discover how design leaders can develop an authentic personal brand that reflects their unique leadership style and values while creating meaningful contributions to the broader design community. Learn strategic approaches to crafting your design leadership story, creating resonant content, and building quality professional relationships that elevate both your career trajectory and the design industry as a whole.

Learn to identify when persistent workplace struggles signal it's time to seek an environment that truly values your contributions, especially for professionals from underrepresented groups.

Don't overthink it. Just do the thing. I've spent so much of my life overthinking and sitting on ideas. I've found that I do best when I just go for it and trust that I will figure it out.

Your professional reputation is your most valuable career asset, built through consistency, reliability and effective communication with stakeholders.

Discover how to identify influential colleagues, foster mutually beneficial connections, and transform workplace acquaintances into allies who can advocate for you and your team across the organisation, creating a powerful internal network that enhances your career prospects.

In reflecting on the past year, the author shares key lessons learned from 2024, marked by achievements and setbacks. The importance of slowing down to prioritise tasks, trusting one's instincts in decision-making, and embracing uncertainty within a professional environment are valuable insights. Ultimately, the author views the year positively, recognising the growth and knowledge gained despite challenges.

How to leverage your UX skills to create a better portfolio

Being a Data-driven designer empowers you to identify problems and make informed decisions by leveraging user feedback, analytics, and cross-team insights. Venessa discusses how to become a data-driven designer.

Venessa discusses the importance of staying relevant in an ever-evolving design industry

Venessa discusses essential factors to consider before accepting a job offer, including the quality of management, career growth opportunities, alignment with personal values, and the company's commercial health. Venessa emphasises the importance of treating job interviews as a two-way process, where candidates evaluate the company as much as the company evaluates them.

Venessa emphasises the importance of showing your design process in case studies. Documenting each step, from sketches to final outcomes, helps to show hiring managers how you think.

Nessa’s knowledge bombs are a series of short bite-size bombs of advice that I have learned over my career.

Discover the top three things I've learned in three months since joining a legal-tech company.

I spoke with Penny de Valk last year, and we discussed her tendency to step outside of her comfort zone and how her tribe empowers her.

This year I ventured into the realm of public speaking. It was a big challenge for me, but it was something that I wanted to master. Here are my learnings after a year of speaking.

When speaking to other design leaders, the discussion often moves to the value of design. Reflecting on this, I asked myself why are we still having this discussion. In this article, I explore why that is and what designers can do about it.

I sat down with Louis Badcock as he was leaving Cazoo and about to join Runa. We discussed some of his learnings during his time at Cazoo and our thoughts on AI and the future of design.