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Summary
Each year brings new advancements, challenges, and opportunities to the DesignOps community, but this time seems much different—for DesignOps people and the design profession in general. It may be high time to reexamine and re-map DesignOps’ context, framing, and direction. We’re convening some of the leading DesignOps minds to reflect on the current state of our practice and its context and value in digital product and service organizations—and we want you to be a part of it. Watch the recording of this interactive moderated session with David Malouf, Patrizia Bertini, Peter Boersma, Theresa Slate, Z Zheng, Jon Fukuda, and Bria Alexander. Together we set the roadmap and framed our goals—both for the next DesignOps Summit and, more importantly, for the future of the DesignOps craft. We spent time together mapping out new scenarios for DesignOps in Figjam, and we opened up the DesignOps Summit’s Call for Participation during the session.
Key Insights
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Design ops should be positioned as a strategic partner rather than merely tactical outputs.
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Effective collaboration with product and engineering teams is vital for design ops success.
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Design operations must articulate its value to the entire organization, not just the design team.
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Metrics for success in design ops should be tailored to the unique challenges and contexts of each team.
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The importance of addressing a culture of visibility versus invisibility for design roles within organizations.
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Design thinking and systemic thinking must be applied to design operations for broader impact.
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Challenges often arise from a product-first mentality that undervalues design's role in innovation.
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Creating a design ops guild or community can help maintain connections across decentralized organizations.
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Investing in design ops can yield significant benefits, including improved designer satisfaction and lower turnover rates.
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Regular reviews and adjustments of metrics are crucial, as design teams evolve over time.
Notable Quotes
"Design operations is not just execution; it's about applying design thinking across the organization."
"We need to educate designers and PMs about the value of design, not just its output."
"If design ops is seen as a tactical role, it will struggle to have an impact."
"When everything's working well, nobody notices design ops, but when things go wrong, everyone misses us."
"We're not just serving designers; we’re creating conditions for the entire R&D organization to thrive."
"Design thinking is a mindset that can empower and unify cross-functional teams."
"When we focus solely on the design team, we risk creating silos that can hinder our impact."
"Visibility into design operations helps build trust and enhances collaboration."
"Design operations are about amplifying design’s value to the whole organization, not just the design team."
"We have to transition from being seen as service providers to being recognized as strategic partners."
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