What does it take to create a design playbook for everyone at eBay Inc. to benefit from? Talented designers and thinkers from around the company have been conducting design workshops and developing the answer to that question for months. The good news is that eBay Inc. has unveiled the completed design playbook ( find it at ebay.com/design and at paypal.com/design). Design Advisory Chair John Maeda and others also recently gathered at an AIGA SF panel discussion regarding the launch of the playbook.
“For every large technology company, it’s important to make clear that design is important,” Maeda said. “Some people don’t realize that design comes from human beings, not compilers. The new playbook is the result of caring efforts from many people.”
The playbook itself has been described by Uris Dacosta, Vice President of Design at PayPal, as “a manifesto, a guide, a set of principles, a philosophy, a story about who we are as designers and what our principles are.” It articulates a common point of view from eBay Inc.’s design community.
“The playbook reflects many strong assets and ideas that are already present in our company culture,” said Dane Howard, eBay Inc.’s Director of Global Brand Experience, who participated in the panel discussion. “Everyone has a story. We built an overarching story to capture how and why we design for commerce and payments.”
“We knew that our playbook needed to be digital and shareable,” Howard added. “We jammed on concepts for it, and incorporated feedback from many people into it. It is a resource for us all, and can help bring talent into our organization.”
Creating the playbook for eBay Inc. is part of a larger initiative undertaken by CEO John Donahoe to activate design thinking around the company — a key priority. Donahoe himself provided support, guidance and feedback on the playbook as it came to fruition, and helped to inspire many of the designers and thinkers who worked on it.
Please explore the completed design playbook, share it with colleagues and friends, and help spread the word by tweeting phrases that inspire you via #ebaydesign.
The design playbook will evolve uniquely from:
and: