the game is never done

“Seek simplicity, and distrust it.” alfred north whitehead

Erin Hoffman-John

DESIGN LEADERSHIP TECHNIQUES FROM THE VIDEO GAME WORLD

erin hoffman-johng a m e d e s i g n h i s t o r y

I’m an innovation-centered game designer; I follow trends in technology and leap from startup to startup.

let’s talkfish tanks

Your product isn’t a perfect bubble — it’s an ecosystem. So is your team.

but first

some boring slides

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries

Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

passionate players

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries

Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

absolute consistency

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

superconnected users

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

critical delight

why this is difficult

Uber

vsUber World of Warcraft

YOURTITLE HERE

so what do we knowabout building highly complexsystems for extremelypicky audiences?

it’s about this choice:

keep the big picture in mind

the devil’s in the details

system says:

keep the big picture in mind

the devil’s in the details

it’s both

system design connectsthe ‘big idea’ to the details

and now

the fish tanks

think ecosystem

Your product isn’t a perfect bubble — it’s an ecosystem. So is your team.

YOURTITLE HERE

so how doecosystems work?

(a triptych)

ecosystems have

loops

+#1:

Balancing loops have STASIS. As one thing INCREASES, another thing DECREASES, keeping the system in a stable state.

If I had enough algae eating fish and snails, as the algae grew it would be consumed in a stable NEGATIVE loop.

balancing (negative) loops --

there are two kinds…

Reinforcing loops INCREASE a resource in the system. This POSITIVE FEEDBACK loop nets a CHANGE in the system.

I am in a neverending battle with the reinforcing algae growth loop in my fish tank.

reinforcing (positive) loops ++

askyourself:

what positive feedback loops are we creating?this is the ‘virtuous cycle’ - what do you want more of? what mechanics would get you there?

what balancing loops are we maintaining?where is the symbiosis in your org? where is the healthy balance, and do we acknowledge that push-pull relationship? how are we embracing conflict to create trust and productivity?

ecosystems have

leverage points

+#2:

YOURTITLE HERE

B R E A K S L I D ES U B T I T L E H E R E

Sign

B r e a k s l i d e B r e a k s l i d e

�����

twelve, to be exact

YOURTITLE HERE

B R E A K S L I D ES U B T I T L E H E R E

Sign

B r e a k s l i d e B r e a k s l i d e

�����

twelve, to be exact

how many rocks? how much sand?

how much water? how big a heater?

how much food/fish? how many plants?

what kind of filtration system?

what kind of tank?

fine-tuning operates down here - what are your constants?

this is the operational level - the rules by which you work. pretty big leverage.

up here lives the ‘why’. change the why and you change your whole org.

askyourself:

do we need big change, or small change?for big change, you need a powerful leverage point; for small adjustments, small leverage

are we getting where we want to go?if you’re spinning your wheels, you may be trying to effect big change by adjusting small points of leverage.

during regime change especially, big orgs tend to turn big leverage dials this scrambles the system

when big leverage points are twisted, massive system disruption results - and you have to state change into recovery, rebuilding, rebalancing.

a note of caution:

ecosystems have

emergence

+#3:

CENTERPICTURE SLIDE

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind

texts.

Beautiful slideSign

stuff happens that you can’t predict!

the school is not a fish,but it requires fish acting independently

askyourself:

what are our emergent dynamics?your design culture is an emergent property. what are its constituent parts? what are the roles?

are we all part of the school?who are the outliers left behind by the emergent culture? what are the core signifiers that create our emergent whole?

what is our core emotion?the result of a system is often an emotion. what is the emotion that is the core of your design experience?

are created by rules, and create either reinforcing (positive) patterns, or

balancing (negative) patterns - both are good when used properly

loopsis how you change a system - and systems have different points of

leverage

leverageis an abstract that emerges from the

system as a whole - it’s the result

emergence

think:

and now

a coda

consider:

the world is hyperconnected

what does it mean to operationalize a

hyperconnected world?Expect instant communication.

Expect elaborate collaboration.

Expect deep personal awareness.

Expect to be examined.

Gossip++

Expect the little things to matter.

being nice is hard.

A hyperconnected world tests our ability empathize with people whose backgrounds we don’t share.

� what space are you making for empathy?

failures of empathy

destroy worlds

confined spaces test our ability to

get along

are confined spaces

In a family, and in a company, when the designers aren’t getting along, everyone knows.

games, worlds, &

orgs

TOP PICTUREBreak slide Break slide

and the flag is emotion

leading this way takes great bravery

as a designer-leader your job is to keep everyone charging toward the same flag

so reach forthe universal

Tell stories.

Connect your work to universal human narratives.

Even if you don’t culturally share a fairy tale, the form of a fairy tale is a cultural connector we all understand.

What’s your fairy tale?

thank you

:)

erin@makingwonder.com @gryphoness

and now

secret bonus slides!

think ecosystem Your product isn’t a perfect bubble — it’s an ecosystem.

So is your team.

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

level up organically When you think about the levels in your organization, think

organically, not structurally/architecturally. How does one level lead naturally to the next? How do the levels relate to each other?

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

let passion drive Create structures that access the passion of every designer

and give it an outlet. Insofar as you can, let passion drive what your designers work on.

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

community managers

are crucial

Who are the community managers in your organization? Are they empowered? What tools do they have?

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

embracevolunteers What is the role of volunteership in your community? What are

people doing by choice as opposed to strictly because it’s their job? How are you channeling their volunteer energy?

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.

85%Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts.