2027 speakers
Krissi Xenakis
TALK
What happens when you don’t have to prove it: How trust keeps the metric monsters from eating your creative soul
Krissi used to measure everything to prove design’s worth over and over again to people who didn’t believe in it. But often, that kind of measuring had nothing to do with creative rigor. It was to convince people that design mattered.
In her current role, she is no longer involved in that kind of debate. Product presents her with problems and open questions without making design decisions. When engineering encounters a constraint, they tell her and then collaborate with her on a solution. That trust keeps her focused on the experiences of the care teams who use the products, rather than on building a case for the work itself.
In this talk, she’ll show you how she got there. You’ll walk away knowing:
The terms worth negotiating before you say yes
What’s possible once you don’t have to establish your worth
When measurement is worth it
ABOUT THIS SPEAKER
Krissi Xenakis (she/her) is the product design director at Vanna Health, a tech-enabled care company, and faculty at SVA’s Products of Design MFA program.
She used to measure everything at both large corporations and startups. Now, thanks to trust from the product and engineering teams, she gets to design the future rather than defend the present. But most importantly, she’s a self-proclaimed mediocre gardener, shelter dog advocate, and recent foster mom to Cinnamon Toast.