USAA Design — Amateurs Discussing Topics
ADT is a speaker series where your colleague is given 1-week to research any subject of their choosing, followed by a presentation & discussion of what they uncovered over lunch with co-workers.
It’s kinda like doing a Book Report as an adult, except your summary is in Keynote slides.
It’s kinda like doing a Book Report as an adult, except your summary is in Keynote slides.
WHY ADT?
In 2019, the USAA Design Studio saw an increase in employee attrition due to the competitive Austin landscape and an unestablished design culture — creating poor morale amongst designers. Studio leadership needed a better way to: improve talent retention, build studio culture and increase studio attitudes with locations in Austin, San Antonio and Plano. Designers on the other hand needed a better way to: build community with their peers within the context of their day and experience their studio as an inspiring place to work.
In 2019, the USAA Design Studio saw an increase in employee attrition due to the competitive Austin landscape and an unestablished design culture — creating poor morale amongst designers. Studio leadership needed a better way to: improve talent retention, build studio culture and increase studio attitudes with locations in Austin, San Antonio and Plano. Designers on the other hand needed a better way to: build community with their peers within the context of their day and experience their studio as an inspiring place to work.
THE RESULT:
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Amateurs Discussing Topics include:
Time-Travel
The War of 1812
Squatter’s Rights
Invasive Species
Doomsday Prepping
Mahjong
Camels
Consciousness
Texas BBQ
The Secret Dreams of Octopuses
The Uncanny Valley
“This is literally the best thing we’ve done in the studio all year”. -Melissa, Design Lead
MY ROLE:
I founded the speaker series and organize the monthly meet-up.
OUTCOMES:
KEY LEARNINGS:
I founded the speaker series and organize the monthly meet-up.
OUTCOMES:
- Voted top 2 studio event of 2019
- 92.8% approval rating from peers (4.64 out of 5)
- Average 27 attendees/per session
- 18 speakers over an 18 month period
KEY LEARNINGS:
- ADT drives a culture of curiousisty and learning. It creates the environment where designers want to work.
- ADT takes studiomates outside their conventional 9-5. Bonus: you get to hangout, without having to talk about work!
- ADT is successful because the speakers aren’t 100% polished. Speaker: it’s a low-stakes way to practice their presentation skills. Audience: they get to learn something new while being entertained.