64: The State of Design Orgs—Growth Paths, Quality Standards, and Empowerment Gaps

64: The State of Design Orgs—Growth Paths, Quality Standards, and Empowerment Gaps

From Finding Our Way by Jesse James Garrett and Peter Merholz

January 24, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

Peter and Jesse discuss findings from a survey of UX practitioners regarding organizational health and challenges in the design field.

Peter and Jesse discuss findings from Peter's survey of 750 UX pracitioners on organizational health. Designers feel good about their work but struggle with quality standards, staffing, and career growth. Senior practitioners are the unhealthiest group. Reporting structure predicts team health. Consulting teams outperform in-house teams, where visionary design capabilities have atrophied and empowerment remains elusive.

People in this episode

Hosts: Peter, Jesse

Topics covered

  • organizational health
  • design quality standards
  • staffing challenges
  • career growth
  • consulting vs in-house teams
  • empowerment in design

Keywords

  • UX
  • design organizations
  • career growth
  • quality standards
  • staffing
  • consulting teams
  • empowerment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UX practitioners

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