Josh Kimmell

Design Principal | Designer | Experience Fanatic

Sharing knowledge

Sharing knowledge
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Case study

Sharing knowledge

With decades of design and business experience, I enjoy sharing advice and expertise whenever I can. I have written articles for designers and developers about such subjects as how to improve collaboration and about effective coping mechanisms to push through feelings of self doubt in order to be successful.

I have created learning resources about a range of topics, including tutorials about handing off design specs to developers and how to use AirTable as a CMS, as well as guidelines for design teams learning to follow Agile methodology.

I also have established regular forums where IBM designers come together with experts so they can share knowledge and give constructive feedback.

Skills used

Leadership, writing, communication, critiques, eminence

Published articles

Learning resources for Security designers

My tendency to streamline literally everything often changes the processes that others are used to following. That’s where I get to apply another skill: teaching colleagues how the new process makes their tasks easier. I’ve led dozens of learning sessions on various topics over the years, from project management to how a SOC functions. After being asked multiple times for recordings of these in-person sessions, I finally began to create videos so I could share these sessions widely.

Some of the tutorials and guidelines I’ve published include:

  • Handing off design specs to developers
  • Using Jira to consistently track design work
  • How to access Github for site updates
How to deliver design specs to developers
Ensuring design quality

Connecting designers with experts

Our Security design team has and always will be the exemplar of IBM design quality. We hire and cultivate the best designers in the world. That said, as with every large organization, there is a need for governance—not only for quality control, but also for unification of experiences within our ecosystem.

Quality reviews

Coming off the heels of COVID, I collaborated with design leaders to create a more formal critique opportunity. We established and automated a quality review process, which requires all projects to be approved by a review board before implementation begins, ensuring delightful experiences for our users.

Jams with experts

Design Jams with experts is based on the Security design team’s established Design Jam feedback sessions, but is slightly more formal and guarantees at least one senior “expert” team member attends to provide critical early feedback. I helped create the sign-up process and established the procedures around this new Jam.

Impact

2.8K

Total views of articles

24

Quality reviews since 2022

193

Issues resolved from Quality reviews

100%

Security designers tracking work in Jira

I also wanted to highlight your support and collaboration on the Quality Review program within Security. Your efforts have been paramount in starting a quality assurance process in the design org, and I’m excited to see how this will improve outcomes in the new year. Additionally, it’s great that you are a skilled Designer who backs up his decisions with thought, research, and a human-centered awareness. This skill set is precisely what we need in a Senior Design Leader.


– Jimmy Dyer, Senior Design Lead


[Josh’s] breakdown of Jira processes, best practices, documentation, and how-to video guides paved the way for standardization among our ever-expanding teams and created a roadmap for IBM Software. Moving forward, his contribution to this workflow will allow our teams to understand better and quantify design resources.


– Mary Schafrath, Manager, Design Operations

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