Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Cutting through the Noise
Summary
Bad news cycles, an old friend asking why you work somewhere, endless meetings, shifting priorities, peers with louder voices - there is a lot of noise to break through to stay focused on your day to day work. In this talk, Maggie Dieringer, Sr Design Program Manager, discusses how she’s helped the Design Operations function grow and find their voice through the noise at Uber.
Key Insights
-
•
Maggie discovered design operations six years into her career, highlighting the role’s nascency even in large companies.
-
•
Uber’s design ops team grew quickly from 2 to 14 in one year, supported by early tactical wins and strong VP advocacy.
-
•
Early skepticism about design ops was overcome by demonstrating distinct value separate from product managers or executive assistants.
-
•
COVID-19 forced Maggie to shift teams rapidly, managing new priorities and resourcing cuts while keeping teams sane and motivated.
-
•
Remote team engagement benefits from lightweight rituals like Screenshot Thursday and optional breakout sessions rather than mandatory Zoom calls.
-
•
Design operations at Uber involves hiring support focused on cultural fit and process mindset, not portfolio vetting.
-
•
Diversity and inclusion efforts are gaining more organizational focus recently but remain an ongoing challenge requiring intentional strategies.
-
•
The design ops team at Uber is predominantly female, reflecting skills such as empathy, multitasking, and communication traditionally attributed to women.
-
•
Collaboration between design ops, product managers, technical program managers, and engineering is crucial but still evolving toward a more integrated operational approach.
-
•
Maggie advocates for servant leadership in design ops, balancing behind-the-scenes support with the need for organizational recognition and influence.
Notable Quotes
"I found a place I could activate my passions in design operations about six years into my career."
"We started small with two people and grew to fourteen because we proved our value through tactical work and strong VP support."
"People initially asked what’s the difference between a design program manager and an EA or product manager."
"During COVID, the roadmap that worked one day was completely uprooted and we had to quickly adapt."
"Screenshot Thursday in Slack became one of the most engaging and anticipated rituals on the team."
"We had to reduce optional virtual social meetings after burnout hit, which showed the importance of balance."
"Our design ops hiring focuses heavily on cultural fit and process thinking rather than portfolio skills."
"Being a predominantly female team brings stereotypes and challenges, especially in male-dominated product organizations."
"We try to build bridges between design ops, product ops, TPMs, and engineering for a holistic program management approach."
"Design ops is servant leadership — if everything goes well, no one notices, but if it goes poorly, we are the first to be blamed."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"In Kenya, flexible attitudes toward time caused delays in sessions, which stressed our team but were culturally normal."
Chui Chui TanGlobal insights: Embracing international and intercultural research for innovation
March 12, 2025
"Trauma lives in the body as pain, tension, or numbness and does not impact everyone the same way."
Rachael Dietkus, LCSWTrauma-Responsive Design: Reimagining the Future of Design Now
December 10, 2021
"To be a product leader, you don’t need a PM course, bootcamp, or MBA. You need to reframe your design skills for the people around you."
Wendy JohanssonBe a Product Boss!
December 6, 2022
"Developer experience hinges on clear documentation, sandboxes, sample data, and responsive support."
Lais de Almeida Maria IzquierdoDesigning Data Services
December 4, 2024
"Just because they have a different opinion doesn’t mean they’re bad people."
Dorelle RabinowitzThe Magic Word is Trust
June 15, 2018
"Prioritizing across a complex ecosystem of business owners requires deep alignment between product and UX or the product never moves forward."
Laureen Kattan Julie KimCentering Patients and Clinicians in a Complex Government Ecosystem
November 29, 2023
"Most strategy is done pretty poorly, it's misleading, sloppy, and often ignored after it’s produced."
Nathan ShedroffDouble Your Mileage: Use Your Research Strategically
March 31, 2020
"Public services are a multi-layered culmination of people and products, not just a single entity."
Shanti Mathew Natalie Sims Natalia RadywylCivic Design at Scale: Introducing the Public Policy Layer Cake
December 9, 2021
"Tracking implementation commitments after each design network group keeps momentum and accountability."
Prerna MakanawalaAchieving Balanced Design Consistency
June 9, 2021
