Designing Small in Agile: Why Smaller Slices Are Harder Than Full Systems
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Summary
Päivi Salminen argues that the real challenge of Agile for designers isn't speed—it's learning to design smaller, more focused slices that deliver immediate value. Drawing on over a decade of experience in Agile marketing teams, she contrasts the designer's natural instinct for holistic, full-system thinking with Agile's demand for incremental, horizontal slices. She explores the tension between wanting to design the "whole cathedral" and the need to deliver "one brick" that works now, offering insights on how to find the smallest slice that still provides real value without losing sight of the bigger picture.
Source
UX MagazineDesigning Small in Agile: Why Smaller Slices Are Harder Than Full Systemsuxmag.comKey quotes
· 5 pulledAgile rarely asks designers to move faster—it asks them to design smaller.
Most designers are trained to think in full systems, but agile teams don't want the whole cathedral; they want one brick that delivers real value now.
You think you know agile until you really have to design in agile.
The far less obvious skill of designing smaller, not faster.
Understanding the difference is everything.
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