How Delta Airlines’ UX Design Leader Solves Sky-high Complex Business Problems | Pulse #27

In this engaging episode of Pulse by Intuji, Julian Wallis speaks with Alex Grinyayev, a seasoned UX design expert with over 20-25 years of experience working with large corporations like GE, Best Buy, and Delta Airlines.

Alex brings valuable insights from his extensive background in electrical engineering and media arts, discussing the evolution of UX design from web design to product design, and sharing his perspective on aligning design with business objectives.

Whether you’re a UX designer, product manager, or business leader, this episode offers practical wisdom on stakeholder alignment and creating meaningful user experiences.

Topics Covered:

00:00:00 – Podcast Intro
Episode Highlights & Guest Background

00:01:31 – Introduction
Alex introduces his 20-25 year journey in UX and experience with major corporations

00:03:49 – Evolution of UX Design
The transformation from web design to product design and changing landscape

00:08:32 – Design Thinking vs Business Thinking
Discussion on the gap between design thinking for business and business thinking for designers

00:14:05 – Managing Stakeholder Relationships
Strategies for identifying stakeholders and using the RACI matrix effectively

00:17:25 – Problems with Stakeholder Assumptions
The challenge of stakeholders thinking they’re end users

00:25:56 – The Big ‘End User’ Problem
Why digital products fail when end users aren’t consulted

00:31:01 – The Rule of Five Method
How to get to the root of problems by asking “why” five times

00:34:40 – Creating Business Cases for Design
How to tie design work to business outcomes and prove value

00:37:48 – Early User Engagement
The importance of involving users from the beginning

00:40:46 – Future of Business and Design
Discussion on including end users in B2B products

00:42:36 – Career Reflections and Legacy
Personal insights on making an impact and lessons learned

00:45:28 – Closing Thoughts
Final advice on business thinking for designers

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

• The evolution of UX from web design to product design
• Strategies for effective stakeholder alignment
• The importance of user research and validation
• Balancing business objectives with user needs
• The value of questioning “why” in design processes

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