Design x Rachael Stefanussen
Innovation Executive at Salesforce
Illustration by Bonnie Kate Wolf
Interview conducted by Jennifer Kumura on February 24, 2020
Tell us about your journey of becoming a designer.
One of the most interesting things about design—especially right now—is how flexible it is. There are so many different things that you can do, and so many different paths you can take. It’s a really empowering place to be.
My journey started in architecture, which was inspired by a love of designing houses in the game The Sims. I learned more about the different types of design and decided to switch from Architecture to the University of Cincinnati’s Design program.
I didn’t even know what industrial design was until I was applying and found myself randomly clicking boxes. It proved to be a serendipitous, happy accident. Industrial design is such an incredible combination of creative and analytical work. Understanding people and the physical elements of industrial design is really rewarding. I really miss sanding models for hours on end, and tinkering and making things that you can touch and hold—it’s a really special feeling.
My first job was at Astro Studios in San Francisco. They did a really good job of defining themselves as disruptors, and I’m so proud to have come from there. It really felt like a family and a home for a time.
Astro began as a really irreverent design firm; they did Alienware gaming consoles, which isn’t seen as quintessential clean high design, but it was fun and successful and really iconic. I worked on some really cool stuff. There was never a dull moment.
How has your experience shaped you as a designer?
Just a couple months ago, I went to Astro’s 25th anniversary party. It’s such a special place. It will always be something that’s really emotionally charged for me because it was my home and I loved my time there. It’s where I “grew up” professionally, and that impacts me to this day. Every single thing that I do has Astro’s mark on it, in some way or another. Adding a little bit of irreverence into the work is always satisfying.
It was definitely a different flavor than traditional design thinking or the methodology you see from Stanford’s d.school. The work coming out of Astro was very expressive, and it came from the passion of the people who were doing the work. A good portion of the time it was really successful, even though we often didn’t do tons of user research.
I’m grateful, in today’s world especially, to have a background that isn’t traditional design thinking or human-centered design. I find myself pausing and saying, “Hey, hang on. You have a great process, but where is your passion? Where is your art?” I have since had the privilege of working at Boston Consulting Group’s Digital Ventures, at a marketing technology startup, and now Salesforce’s Ignite team.
It sounds like Astro Studios was such a monumental experience. What made you decide to depart from it?
Knowing when to move on is really important. The worst thing you can do is stagnate. The second that you feel really comfortable, you need to go. Design is all about passion. It’s about loving what you’re doing and feeling challenged. If that’s not happening, you’re probably not doing great work.
What topics are currently in the design industry that you care a lot about?
There’s been a lot of thinking around ecosystems and bringing people together through data. We’re starting to see more and more projects and customers, focusing on very large, complex ecosystems.
This challenges traditional approaches. There’s something beautifully simple about crafting an experience for a single user segment. But what do we do when we have 12 groups of people who want conflicting things? What do we do when those 12 groups of people have deeply nuanced relationships and varying levels of trust with the others? How do we design a platform or experience that accommodate all of our stakeholders?
Continuing to push the boundaries of what you can do with data and personalization is another big topic. How do you fully leverage data without crossing the line?
And lastly, sustainability continues to be more and more important.
What are some challenges that designers are facing today?
Every industry is struggling with rapid change, and it’s hard to have an evolving role. There’s so much ambiguity and uncertainty around what our job will look like in 5 years, and that can be unsettling.
I’ve had the privilege of wearing many hats: I’m lucky to be able to do lots of research and storytelling, as well as strategic thinking, project management and product development. For me it can be scary to step away from singular focus and deep expertise. The imposter syndrome is always there in one form or another.
Despite the intimidation and challenge of professional breadth, it’s important, and it’s inevitable. Designers need to lean into the expansion of our capabilities and continuously venture outside of our comfort zones. One of the most empowering capabilities for designers to foster is business understanding: being able to prove the business value of your design decisions, and being able to show the concrete results of your craft and your effort.
Do you have any tips for designers to back these business arguments for design decisions?
It’s more accessible than some think, and it’s something that we all just need to do. We can’t be intimidated by it. It can be tempting to fall into a binary and say, “I’m a creative. Business strategy isn’t something I do.” We can and must figure it out and build that capability. A lot of it is just putting in the time. It sucks having extra work to do after school, or after your 9-to-5. Sitting down to take an online course about business or strategy is hard, but it’s really important.
You mentioned earlier that design and design thinking is often the glue that brings different groups together. We need to have a distinct voice and point of view that is our own, and in addition we need to build the ability to communicate with other groups, speak to what they care about, and not let ourselves get bossed around.
Returning to the challenges of a quickly evolving profession, and all of the options we’re fortunate to have, it’s good to continuously check in on two things.
One: Is the work I am engaged in turning me into the professional I want to be, and what are the tradeoffs? If I dabble in other spaces, I am going to lose some of the depth of my core expertise, and I need to be ready for that.
And two: Am I doing work outside of my day job that nurtures my passion? I lean into illustration to stay creative and make sure my hand doesn’t go cold. This lets me dive into more analytic pursuits at work without jeopardizing my craft and creativity.
What is your definition of design?
I define design as problem-solving. I realize that can be applied to a whole host of other industries, but for me that’s what it’s always meant.
For people who will be industrial designers until the day they die, that’s not what design means to them. There’s a level of artistry and craft they engage in that is going to influence their definition, but that was never true for me. That’s probably why I wandered over to strategy. What I love is solving problems, and you can solve problems in many different ways.
What is the role of design in your organization?
The role of design on my team is improving the human experience in a way that is in synchrony with strategic business decisions. We do a lot of research, spend a lot of time with customers and end users, create and test visions and concepts. We also collaborate with other teams to design the deployment and execution of the recommendations we’re making.
We’re also able to provide value to many different teams because our job is to understand and provide empathy. We know how to listen to make someone feel heard, and our methods are really approachable. We’re great at bringing people together and facilitating and convening. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like design, but you’re helping people make decisions much more effectively than they could before. And that in itself is a creation of something new.
Design thinking came into its own some time ago, and many companies actually invested to develop it as a capability. Other companies just made it lip service that was never actually executed. One of my worries is that another five years will pass, and decision makers will start to think this design thinking stuff is fluffy and doesn’t actually improve things. I hope that we get to the point where we can point at hard numbers and say, “This is what we did. This is what we delivered.” I worry when things get too abstract and feel a little fluffy.
Describe your leadership style.
This will probably change in the future, but right now, I like to lead by showing that I can do the jobs I’m asking people to do. I’m a big fan of rolling up my sleeves and cranking out a lot of work. It helps me build rapport with a team, but also set the bar high.
I’m also learning the importance of developing a fine level of attunement with your team, and being empathetic to the point that you’re constantly trying to pause, looking at the people across the table from you and asking yourself, “What do I think this person is feeling? What do they want? What do they need out of this moment? How can I really show that I understand their perspective?”
It’s nice being around people who value that and prioritize it. It’s a level of intention and mindfulness that will be a life-long effort.
What advice do you have to give to fellow or junior designers, or people just starting off their design career?
Embrace the change that is going to come. You have to be okay with ambiguity. This is a really dynamic profession, and it’s going to continue to be really dynamic. And the more that you can embrace that rather than fight against it, the better off you’ll be.
The second thing I would encourage young designers to do would be to not get too rigid about your process. My experience has not been purist in any way, shape, or form, so other people may have different opinions. But in my experience, the more flexible you can be in getting things done, the more buy-in you’ll be able to build with different teams, and the further you’ll go.
Lastly, be careful how you invest in your education. Do a cost/benefit analysis for all of your options. I can’t help but wince when I hear of designers with large amounts of debt from school, especially when there are so many affordable programs available.
Rapid fire questions:
What’s your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Drawing.
What’s your favorite book or podcast?
Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast.
What or who inspires you?
Right now, I’m digging bluegrass. I’m going back to Alison Krauss and finding a lot of love there.
If you could live anywhere, where would that be, and why?
Portugal, man. I just want to disappear in Portugal—it’s just a dream place. It just feels fantastical, like when you read old myths of disappearing into a resting place. It just felt like that.
Describe yourself in three words.
Driven, genuine, still learning.
