Conway's Law explained - Required knowledge for designers

In this video, I'm hanging out in Palm Springs, I discuss Conway's Law and how it applies to companies that build digital products. Conway's Law states that "organizations which design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structure of these organizations". In other words, the way your company is structured determines how you produce your digital products.

I have seen this play out in many places, including my current organization. This is why it is so important to build effective teams that are balanced and have the right people in the right places to make the right decisions. A cross-functional team with a product manager, product designer, data analyst, data scientist, and engineering lead creates a powerful communication structure for producing digital products.

There is a gradient of design, ranging from self-design (made by a team of engineers or designers) to user-centered design (considering the full range of human experience). If your team is all comprised of one gender, one type of role, or a certain level of experience, this will have an impact on the product. If you are trying to build something that reaches a broad audience, it is important to have a diverse team of cross-functional collaborators.

Conway's Law is an interesting concept to think about and can have a huge impact on the type of products you build. It is important to keep this in mind when building digital products.

Conclusion

Conway's Law is an important concept to understand when building digital products. It is important to build effective teams that are balanced and have the right people in the right places to make the right decisions. A cross-functional team with a product manager, product designer, data analyst, data scientist, and engineering lead creates a powerful communication structure for producing digital products. It is also important to consider the full range of human experience when designing products. Keeping Conway's Law in mind can help ensure that products are built to reach a broad audience.