Zalando: Designing With Purpose | SAP Design Talks

In this episode of SAP Design Talks, Rachel Rosenson, Head of Design at Zalando, shares how she defines good design as solving meaningful problems, powered by curiosity, intention, and craft. From improving everyday experiences to refining how teams work, Rachel explains why great design is not about “cool and flashy” moments. It is about creating outcomes that genuinely help customers and earn their trust. Rachel also unpacks what it takes to design responsibly as AI reshapes products and services. She draws a clear line between excitement and meaningful impact, and why teams need to keep returning to fundamentals: customer behavior, business impact, and whether an experience truly “moves the needle.” When designing with AI, she emphasizes safe and responsible approaches, and the importance of making new experiences intuitive, transparent, and trustworthy, so customers understand what is happening and feel confident using it. Finally, Rachel highlights a powerful truth about the design community: most teams are still figuring it out. Sharing how we organize, collaborate, and experiment helps everyone learn faster, without the pressure of pretending we have already solved it all. If you work in design, product, or technology, this conversation is a practical reminder to stay grounded in customer value while building what is next. Learn more and explore the full SAP Design Talks series. 👉 https://www.sap.com/sapdesigntalks Follow us on social: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sap Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAP/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sap About SAP: As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit: https://www.sap.com/index.html #SAPDesignTalks #ResponsibleAI #ProductDesign