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.
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
"Frequent, bite-sized training is crucial so staff actually remember how to support customers with disabilities."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
June 7, 2023
"We want to build consultants who can solve problems across a variety of projects and clients."
Ignacio MartinezFair and Effective Designer Evaluation
September 25, 2024
"Stakeholders saw design as a slow-moving black box — exactly what we were trying to move away from."
Sarah Kinkade Mariana Ortiz-ReyesDesign Management Models in the Face of Transformation
June 8, 2022
"The Shaker village sidewalks followed people’s natural inclinations, not forcing unnatural movement."
Daniel GloydWarming the User Experience: Lessons from America's first and most radical human-centered designers
May 9, 2024
"Traditional metrics create a dangerous illusion where we optimize for what we can measure, not what people actually need."
Patrick BoehlerFishing for Real Needs: Reimagining Journalism Needs with AI
June 10, 2025
"Anyone can do a basic AI summary with zero control, but we offer robust, evidence-backed, scalable chat analysis."
Andy Barraclough Betsy NelsonFrom Costly Complexity to Efficient Insights: Why UX Teams Are Switching To Voxpopme
September 23, 2024
"How do we as designers connect more deeply with the policy world? That’s still a developing thing."
Alexandra SchmidtWhy Ethics Can't Save Tech
November 18, 2022
"We have to move beyond linear solutions. Complex systems require us to explore our way through problems."
Louis RosenfeldDiscussion: What Operations can teach DesignOps
November 6, 2017
"Every decision in a design system is like a puzzle piece; together they form a bigger picture that evolves over time."
Mitchell BernsteinOrganizing Chaos: How IBM is Defining Design Systems with Sketch for an Ever-Changing AI Landscape
September 29, 2021
