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Niall

@niallokelly.bsky.social

220 followers 540 following 49 posts

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 🇳🇱

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Nov 24

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...

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

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · May 11

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...

Tate Modern Is the Museum of the Century (Like It or Not)

www.nytimes.com

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Apr 18

“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...

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

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Apr 5

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...

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

Reposted by Niall

Nikola Goger @nikolagoger.bsky.social · Apr 4

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...

Senior Service Designer:National

www.jobtrain.co.uk

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Apr 4

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...

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

Reposted by Niall

Caius Nocturne 🌿🌙 @nocturne.works · Nov 8

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

Homepage | European Alternatives

We help you find European alternatives for digital service and products, like cloud services and SaaS products.

european-alternatives.eu

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Feb 15

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...

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

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 31

Couldn’t agree more Ben! My most rewarding moments of late came through helping ‘not designers’ with responsibility for actual consumer experience by reframing their solid instincts with basic design techniques. Unlocks so much creativity & new opportunities, while elevating our wider biz impact.

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 28

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...

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

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 22

“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...

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

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 22

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 🙌

Jonas Downey @jonas.do · Jan 22

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

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Reposted by Niall

Jason Beaird @jasongraphix.com · Jan 15

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

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 13

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.

ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · Jan 13

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

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 13

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...

2025 List of UX + AI Design Conferences

The best conferences for AI designers

uxplanet.org

Reposted by Niall

James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · Jan 10

“F1 is having its streetwear moment, just as Adidas perfected the art of turning performance gear into cultural currency..”

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

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Reposted by Niall

Mariusz @mariusz.cc · Jan 10

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

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 9

Lots of very useful tools to try out here via @kaplich.me 🙌

Sergey Kaplich @kaplich.me · Dec 5

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

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

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 8

Thanks for taking the time to share the extra context Ben, very helpful! I imagine this is less necessary, or takes a lighter form, for ongoing product team work?

Regardless, I’m always happy to see design proposals shared with clear rationales; really helps to get stronger feedback & buy-in 🙏

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 7

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 ☺️

example stakeholder map, axis of interest x influence

Reposted by Niall

James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · Jan 7

“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

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 6

Solid approach & nicely written up Ben 💪

Curious if you have situations in which this depth of documentation (& associated effort) is most valuable?

And where not (eg based on opportunity size, closeness to product team through discovery etc)? Asking to understand, & guide sharing with my team 😊

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Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 6

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...

Illustration of a woman in an Adidas tracksuit top manifesting her brighter future self!

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 5

Anyway, started all this intending to share this piece by Christina Caron & Dana G Smith.

Seems a useful beginning to the new year, especially one we can already anticipate to be fraught with economic uncertainty, workplace challenges, and constant political noise.

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/w...

10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Healthy in 2025 (Gift Article)

Adopting even just one of these easy strategies can make a meaningful difference in how you feel and function.

www.nytimes.com

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 5

In the meantime, will be prepping more practically today by finishing up some household holiday tasks, getting a haircut, and getting in some more quality time with the kids. Snow & rain here in Amsterdam will make that look like board games, family dinner, and movie evening :)

Niall @niallokelly.bsky.social · Jan 5

I’ll take time tomorrow to reflect back on previous months progress, and prepare overarching 2025 goals & quarterly approaches. Then resetting all recurring meetings & focus working time slots accordingly.