Niall
@niallokelly.bsky.social
Leading global experience design at adidas — mostly figuring out marketing automation & personalization, enterprise content tech innovations, & reimagining employee workflows.
Mentor ADPL /// Irish 🇮🇪, via Brooklyn NYC, now living in Amsterdam 🇳🇱
Mentor ADPL /// Irish 🇮🇪, via Brooklyn NYC, now living in Amsterdam 🇳🇱
Pinned
Niall
@niallokelly.bsky.social
· Nov 24
Get mentored by Niall O'Kelly on ADPList
Part of adidas global (digital) experience design leadership, based in Amsterdam (NL). Spent past ~8 years building our practice + leading product design for ecomm. Currently leading global design for...
adplist.org
If you’re interested in connecting with me more deeply, I love mentoring people through the ADPL platform. Whether looking to improve your impact & career growth as a practitioner, or think through leadership challenges with another perspective, I’m always up for a chat 😊
adplist.org/mentors/nial...
adplist.org/mentors/nial...
When art lost its attachment to time, when life changed from a linear progression to an algorithmic suckhole, our museums changed, too. Once storehouses of modern history, they became just another venue in an attention economy.
@nyt goes hard for todays Tate Modern
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/a...
@nyt goes hard for todays Tate Modern
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/a...
Tate Modern Is the Museum of the Century (Like It or Not)
www.nytimes.com
May 11, 2025 at 6:49 AM
When art lost its attachment to time, when life changed from a linear progression to an algorithmic suckhole, our museums changed, too. Once storehouses of modern history, they became just another venue in an attention economy.
@nyt goes hard for todays Tate Modern
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/a...
@nyt goes hard for todays Tate Modern
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/a...
“Even when it’s politically diverse, social media … creates echo chambers. If Bluesky wants to remain relevant, it will have to evolve beyond its relatively monocultural milieu.”
@chaykak.bsky.social details 🦋 origins, leadership, and future for @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
@chaykak.bsky.social details 🦋 origins, leadership, and future for @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Bluesky’s Quest to Build Nontoxic Social Media
X and Facebook are governed by the policies of mercurial billionaires. Bluesky’s C.E.O., Jay Graber, says that she wants to give power back to the user.
www.newyorker.com
April 18, 2025 at 7:11 AM
“Even when it’s politically diverse, social media … creates echo chambers. If Bluesky wants to remain relevant, it will have to evolve beyond its relatively monocultural milieu.”
@chaykak.bsky.social details 🦋 origins, leadership, and future for @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
@chaykak.bsky.social details 🦋 origins, leadership, and future for @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Companies sold the idea that we could self-correct through consumption, making brands our moral agents of societal change.
Will a return to ‘simpler’ #marketing strategies create space for the more authentic & durable activism required in this moment?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Will a return to ‘simpler’ #marketing strategies create space for the more authentic & durable activism required in this moment?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Marketing’s ‘woke’ rebrand has ultimately helped the far right | Eugene Healey
Our industry must reckon with how we’ve trivialised activism by turning it into comms strategy – only to abandon it, says brand strategy consultant Eugene Healey
www.theguardian.com
April 5, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Companies sold the idea that we could self-correct through consumption, making brands our moral agents of societal change.
Will a return to ‘simpler’ #marketing strategies create space for the more authentic & durable activism required in this moment?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Will a return to ‘simpler’ #marketing strategies create space for the more authentic & durable activism required in this moment?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Niall
We are looking for several Senior Service Designers for teams working on super interesting things all across the Ministry of Justice! Please share with your network!
Closing date: 21/04/2025 www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigit...
Closing date: 21/04/2025 www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigit...
Senior Service Designer:National
www.jobtrain.co.uk
April 4, 2025 at 2:31 PM
We are looking for several Senior Service Designers for teams working on super interesting things all across the Ministry of Justice! Please share with your network!
Closing date: 21/04/2025 www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigit...
Closing date: 21/04/2025 www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigit...
When I moved to NYC in 2006 I relied on the subway map to navigate & learn the city. Long before Google Maps was a thing!
Yet I always loved Vignelli’s map for its boldness & clarity, despite its topographical unhelpfulness. Cool to see its roots in the ‘25 update!
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/n...
Yet I always loved Vignelli’s map for its boldness & clarity, despite its topographical unhelpfulness. Cool to see its roots in the ‘25 update!
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/n...
The Retro NYC Subway Map Design Nerds Love Makes a Comeback (Gift Article)
The redesigned map of the New York City system, the first to be introduced in nearly half a century, is reminiscent of a version from the 1970s that was reviled by many traditionalists.
www.nytimes.com
April 4, 2025 at 1:07 PM
When I moved to NYC in 2006 I relied on the subway map to navigate & learn the city. Long before Google Maps was a thing!
Yet I always loved Vignelli’s map for its boldness & clarity, despite its topographical unhelpfulness. Cool to see its roots in the ‘25 update!
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/n...
Yet I always loved Vignelli’s map for its boldness & clarity, despite its topographical unhelpfulness. Cool to see its roots in the ‘25 update!
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/n...
Reposted by Niall
During these times, you may want to consider divesting from US-located digital services and products to ones based in the EU. Here's a website that might help you.
european-alternatives.eu
european-alternatives.eu
Homepage | European Alternatives
We help you find European alternatives for digital service and products, like cloud services and SaaS products.
european-alternatives.eu
November 8, 2024 at 10:24 PM
During these times, you may want to consider divesting from US-located digital services and products to ones based in the EU. Here's a website that might help you.
european-alternatives.eu
european-alternatives.eu
Even the tiny subset of viewers who know anything about fonts will think it’s Helvetica. The fact that it should be, but isn’t quite, seeps through to the audience and adds to the shows weirdness…
Enjoy this #severance titles art deep-dive #typography nerds!
www.artofthetitle.com/title/severa...
Enjoy this #severance titles art deep-dive #typography nerds!
www.artofthetitle.com/title/severa...
Severance
Learn how Emmy winners Oliver Latta (aka extraweg) and Teddy Blanks created the opening titles for the Apple TV+ series Severance
www.artofthetitle.com
February 15, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Even the tiny subset of viewers who know anything about fonts will think it’s Helvetica. The fact that it should be, but isn’t quite, seeps through to the audience and adds to the shows weirdness…
Enjoy this #severance titles art deep-dive #typography nerds!
www.artofthetitle.com/title/severa...
Enjoy this #severance titles art deep-dive #typography nerds!
www.artofthetitle.com/title/severa...
CMOs future role… “will be an architect of customer experiences, a champion for marketing tech & ethical AI, and a catalyst for societal change.”
Agree with Aquents Simon Lusty on #marketing’s opportunity, esp via consumer-centricity powered by insights & content tech.
aquent.com/blog/redefin...
Agree with Aquents Simon Lusty on #marketing’s opportunity, esp via consumer-centricity powered by insights & content tech.
aquent.com/blog/redefin...
Redefining the CMO role for better business results. | Aquent
Enterprises require CMOs to be data-driven to hold C-Suite status. Discover the skills needed to adapt, including data fluency, tech-savviness, and more.
aquent.com
January 28, 2025 at 1:02 PM
CMOs future role… “will be an architect of customer experiences, a champion for marketing tech & ethical AI, and a catalyst for societal change.”
Agree with Aquents Simon Lusty on #marketing’s opportunity, esp via consumer-centricity powered by insights & content tech.
aquent.com/blog/redefin...
Agree with Aquents Simon Lusty on #marketing’s opportunity, esp via consumer-centricity powered by insights & content tech.
aquent.com/blog/redefin...
“The future of design leadership is not to aspire to ever-higher executive roles, ruling over a vast UX empire. Rather, embrace the “Founder Mode” concept of hands-on and vision-based leadership of small and highly effective design teams.”
Seems on point; WDYT?
www.uxtigers.com/post/founder...
Seems on point; WDYT?
www.uxtigers.com/post/founder...
Design Leaders Should Go “Founder Mode”
The future of design leadership is not to aspire to ever-higher executive roles, ruling over a vast UX department. Rather, embrace the “Founder Mode” concept of hands-on and vision-based leadership of...
www.uxtigers.com
January 22, 2025 at 10:33 AM
“The future of design leadership is not to aspire to ever-higher executive roles, ruling over a vast UX empire. Rather, embrace the “Founder Mode” concept of hands-on and vision-based leadership of small and highly effective design teams.”
Seems on point; WDYT?
www.uxtigers.com/post/founder...
Seems on point; WDYT?
www.uxtigers.com/post/founder...
Very helpful overview of (some of) the great design talent + leaders active on Bluesky. Let’s build the supportive, inspiring, thought-provoking community we all need right now!
Thanks for putting this together @jonas.do 🙌
Thanks for putting this together @jonas.do 🙌
Resharing some designer starter packs for all the new folks who've joined up recently!
Designsky: go.bsky.app/3cUcyW1
Designsky II: go.bsky.app/ToZKKTt
Designsky: go.bsky.app/3cUcyW1
Designsky II: go.bsky.app/ToZKKTt
January 22, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Very helpful overview of (some of) the great design talent + leaders active on Bluesky. Let’s build the supportive, inspiring, thought-provoking community we all need right now!
Thanks for putting this together @jonas.do 🙌
Thanks for putting this together @jonas.do 🙌
Reposted by Niall
This is the best analysis I've seen of the current UX job market. @jmspool.bsky.social's latest is a must-read for anyone in the UX industry, not just those currently job hunting.
Why is the UX Job Market Such a Mess Right Now? — A Comprehensive Explanation
Every day, I talk with people struggling to find a UX design, research, or content job.
The UX job market has never been this difficult to navigate. Even seasoned, talented UX professionals are str...
articles.centercentre.com
January 15, 2025 at 9:38 PM
This is the best analysis I've seen of the current UX job market. @jmspool.bsky.social's latest is a must-read for anyone in the UX industry, not just those currently job hunting.
Long read but very interesting walk through of the relationships between developers, communities, and buyers considerations that drive #architecture design decisions for modern skyscrapers.
Interesting parallels to current software development & design landscape too imo.
Interesting parallels to current software development & design landscape too imo.
fascinating as usual www.construction-physics.com/p/why-skyscr...
Why Skyscrapers Became Glass Boxes
Everything put into the building that is unnecessary, every cubic foot that is used for purely ornamental purposes beyond that needed to express its use and to make it harmonize with others of its cla...
www.construction-physics.com
January 13, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Long read but very interesting walk through of the relationships between developers, communities, and buyers considerations that drive #architecture design decisions for modern skyscrapers.
Interesting parallels to current software development & design landscape too imo.
Interesting parallels to current software development & design landscape too imo.
Handy overview of the best conferences for designers working #AI or #conversationdesign in 2025.
What conferences are you looking forward to this year? Especially for designers or leaders based in Europe :)
uxplanet.org/2025-list-of...
What conferences are you looking forward to this year? Especially for designers or leaders based in Europe :)
uxplanet.org/2025-list-of...
2025 List of UX + AI Design Conferences
The best conferences for AI designers
uxplanet.org
January 13, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Handy overview of the best conferences for designers working #AI or #conversationdesign in 2025.
What conferences are you looking forward to this year? Especially for designers or leaders based in Europe :)
uxplanet.org/2025-list-of...
What conferences are you looking forward to this year? Especially for designers or leaders based in Europe :)
uxplanet.org/2025-list-of...
Reposted by Niall
“F1 is having its streetwear moment, just as Adidas perfected the art of turning performance gear into cultural currency..”
www.linkedin.com/pulse/inked-...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/inked-...
INKED IN & ICONIC : A weekly what’s up
That Adi Merc Merch Some partnerships just feel right before they even begin. With Adidas moving into F1, we can expect the pit wall to start influencing the catwalk.
www.linkedin.com
January 10, 2025 at 3:55 PM
“F1 is having its streetwear moment, just as Adidas perfected the art of turning performance gear into cultural currency..”
www.linkedin.com/pulse/inked-...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/inked-...
Reposted by Niall
We need to stop trying to do everything ourselves and instead focus on empowering others across the organization to improve the user experience. In other words, we need to become true leaders rather than just practitioners.
The Design Leader Dilemma — Smashing Magazine
Design leaders are expected to deliver the impossible. Instead of trying, we need to redefine our role from implementor to enabler.
buff.ly
January 10, 2025 at 9:44 AM
We need to stop trying to do everything ourselves and instead focus on empowering others across the organization to improve the user experience. In other words, we need to become true leaders rather than just practitioners.
Lots of very useful tools to try out here via @kaplich.me 🙌
Yesterday I added all the tools from my backlog!
If you're working on something for the Bluesky audience or know about some great services, let me know, and I'll add them to Grow Bluesky
So more people can discover and use them 🙌🏻
#buildinpublic #indiehackers
https://www.growbluesky.com
If you're working on something for the Bluesky audience or know about some great services, let me know, and I'll add them to Grow Bluesky
So more people can discover and use them 🙌🏻
#buildinpublic #indiehackers
https://www.growbluesky.com
Grow Bluesky - Tools for Bluesky Users
Discover and use curated third-party tools to grow your Bluesky audience, improve analytics, and connect with interesting people — all in one place.
www.growbluesky.com
January 9, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Lots of very useful tools to try out here via @kaplich.me 🙌
New year, new projects & plans! This time will be different — this time I’ll finally create a proper #stakeholdermap to guide my strategies!
Snag; adidas has 1000s of people — do you have some tips for creating an actionable stakeholder map more effectively??
My go-to base map here for reference ☺️
Snag; adidas has 1000s of people — do you have some tips for creating an actionable stakeholder map more effectively??
My go-to base map here for reference ☺️
January 7, 2025 at 10:45 AM
New year, new projects & plans! This time will be different — this time I’ll finally create a proper #stakeholdermap to guide my strategies!
Snag; adidas has 1000s of people — do you have some tips for creating an actionable stakeholder map more effectively??
My go-to base map here for reference ☺️
Snag; adidas has 1000s of people — do you have some tips for creating an actionable stakeholder map more effectively??
My go-to base map here for reference ☺️
Reposted by Niall
“we’ve been witnessing the death of the campaign and the birth of the cultural moment. Traditional advertising is entertainment’s understudy, while brands are learning merely to be protagonists in culture stories.” digiday.com/marketing/cu...
Cultural relevance is big business as marketing and entertainment collide — and M&A is cashing in
Nowhere is this crossover sharper than in the creator economy, where marketing and entertainment collide.
digiday.com
January 7, 2025 at 7:24 AM
“we’ve been witnessing the death of the campaign and the birth of the cultural moment. Traditional advertising is entertainment’s understudy, while brands are learning merely to be protagonists in culture stories.” digiday.com/marketing/cu...
Not something I’ll claim to be good at (yet!), but a worthwhile intent to start the new year by manifesting a more positive & constructive outlook on the possibilities that lie ahead of us.
www.adidas.com/us/blog/9519...
www.adidas.com/us/blog/9519...
January 6, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Not something I’ll claim to be good at (yet!), but a worthwhile intent to start the new year by manifesting a more positive & constructive outlook on the possibilities that lie ahead of us.
www.adidas.com/us/blog/9519...
www.adidas.com/us/blog/9519...
Getting ready to go ‘back to school’ tomorrow after lovely & much-needed two weeks vacation. Enjoyed a week in Amsterdam & another in Limerick; reconnecting with family over nice food, warm fires, and activities with the kids. Lucky me. Hope you’re similarly recharged for the year ahead?
January 5, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Getting ready to go ‘back to school’ tomorrow after lovely & much-needed two weeks vacation. Enjoyed a week in Amsterdam & another in Limerick; reconnecting with family over nice food, warm fires, and activities with the kids. Lucky me. Hope you’re similarly recharged for the year ahead?
We wrestle with a pervasive sense of despair about techs ability to solve our problems. Social media brought loneliness instead of connection. AI brought job risk instead of ease.
We lost the optimism for a brighter tomorrow that fueled #Googie. Will we get it back?
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/r...
We lost the optimism for a brighter tomorrow that fueled #Googie. Will we get it back?
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/r...
The Fight to Save Googie, the Style of Postwar Optimism (Gift Article)
The car-centric architectural style, characterized by neon signs and dramatic rooflines, is now endangered. Its admirers mourn the loss of the ideals it represented.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2024 at 6:48 PM
We wrestle with a pervasive sense of despair about techs ability to solve our problems. Social media brought loneliness instead of connection. AI brought job risk instead of ease.
We lost the optimism for a brighter tomorrow that fueled #Googie. Will we get it back?
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/r...
We lost the optimism for a brighter tomorrow that fueled #Googie. Will we get it back?
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/r...
Well written, albeit somewhat depressing piece by @alex_shephard here on what the awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia really means. TLDR; mega-money trumps inclusion, human rights, and actual football quality every time.
newrepublic.com/article/1893... via @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/1893... via @newrepublic.com
The Saudi World Cup Is International Soccer’s Greatest Disgrace
The decision to reward the corrupt regime with the honor of hosting the cherished tournament is one more instance of the sport’s recent slide into shame.
newrepublic.com
December 15, 2024 at 11:36 AM
Well written, albeit somewhat depressing piece by @alex_shephard here on what the awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia really means. TLDR; mega-money trumps inclusion, human rights, and actual football quality every time.
newrepublic.com/article/1893... via @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/1893... via @newrepublic.com
Reposted by Niall
Maybe there should be one place to make user-centred design roles in the German public sector visible.
I’ve made the first simple version:
verwaltungsgestaltung.de#positionen
Please let people interested in #GovDesign know!
I’ve made the first simple version:
verwaltungsgestaltung.de#positionen
Please let people interested in #GovDesign know!
December 14, 2024 at 7:25 AM
Maybe there should be one place to make user-centred design roles in the German public sector visible.
I’ve made the first simple version:
verwaltungsgestaltung.de#positionen
Please let people interested in #GovDesign know!
I’ve made the first simple version:
verwaltungsgestaltung.de#positionen
Please let people interested in #GovDesign know!
Reposted by Niall
"I’ve noticed my students tend to use the term 'design thinking' as a synonym for UX/Digital Product Design. This is a dangerous smallification of design and a source of shoddy work."
@cwodtke.bsky.social writes about Design's unsexy yet important middle bits: cwodtke.medium.com/designs-unse...
@cwodtke.bsky.social writes about Design's unsexy yet important middle bits: cwodtke.medium.com/designs-unse...
Design’s Unsexy Middle Bits
While Design Thinking gets all the attention, it is not the same as (Digital) Product Design.
cwodtke.medium.com
December 11, 2024 at 8:54 AM
"I’ve noticed my students tend to use the term 'design thinking' as a synonym for UX/Digital Product Design. This is a dangerous smallification of design and a source of shoddy work."
@cwodtke.bsky.social writes about Design's unsexy yet important middle bits: cwodtke.medium.com/designs-unse...
@cwodtke.bsky.social writes about Design's unsexy yet important middle bits: cwodtke.medium.com/designs-unse...