Summary
In the opening remarks of the eighth Design Ops Summit, Lou Rosenfeld from Rosenfeld Media welcomes attendees and highlights the extensive preparations by curators Bria Alexander, John Kuda, Ilana Solana, and Francis Solana in crafting a rich program focused on advancing design operations. Lou stresses the importance of participants setting clear personal goals for the conference and taking advantage of the opportunity to connect and learn within the vibrant Design Ops community. Bria Alexander, serving as the MC and a senior design program manager at Adobe focused on DEI and AI initiatives, introduces the summit's themes: resilience, impact, and innovation, spread across three days. She details the structure of the event, including breaks, time zone adjustments, main and sponsor programming, and encourages participation in social and networking activities such as the Cozy Juicy Reel game event. Lou and Bria also underscore the value of sponsor support, the accessible virtual swag bag, and the availability of comprehensive resources like session notes and videos shortly after presentations. The importance of a respectful and inclusive conference code of conduct is reinforced, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment. Special recognition is given to Manuel Herrera, the conference sketch note artist, for his creative contributions. The opening sets an inviting, goal-oriented tone and prepares attendees for a collaborative and inspiring summit experience.
Key Insights
-
•
The Design Ops Summit has been held annually for eight years, evolving from in-person to virtual gatherings.
-
•
Curators including Bria Alexander, John Kuda, and Francis Solana invest months refining the program and speaker presentations.
-
•
Attendees are urged to set personal goals for the summit to maximize their learning and networking experience.
-
•
The 2024 summit themes are resilience, impact, and innovation, each curated by different design operations leaders.
-
•
Sponsor sessions are integrated carefully so they never conflict with main programming and are freely accessible to all.
-
•
A digital swag bag with sponsor deals replaces physical swag due to the virtual format, enhancing accessibility.
-
•
Slack is a key platform for community interaction, with structured channels and threads to manage questions and discussions.
-
•
Manuel Herrera’s sketch notes visually capture conference content, supporting engagement and creative learning.
-
•
The conference emphasizes an inclusive, respectful code of conduct to foster a safe environment for all attendees.
-
•
Social events like the Cozy Juicy Reel game session foster informal networking and community bonding.
Notable Quotes
"What is your mission for this design Ops summit? When this conference ends, what do you want to feel?"
"This is a great opportunity. This is a gift to yourself to dig in with other design ops peers and really learn together."
"Our curators have been working for months taking presentations from little ideas to something big that advances design ops as practice."
"The sponsor sessions are equal in quality and quantity as our main programming and completely free for anyone to attend."
"You can change the conference time zone to your local time zone in the upper right corner so there’s no confusion about start times."
"Please put your questions in the Slack thread associated with the talk, not just the general channel, or they’ll get lost."
"We have got you covered with sketch notes, resource lists, session notes, videos, and decks all shared ASAP after presentations."
"I want you to have the best time possible and bring your fullest self to our conference today."
"Manuel Herrera, our sketch noter, has contributed wonderfully to visually capturing the spirit and content of the conference."
"If you want to make this conference better for you, just let us know in Slack — we want you to have a positive experience."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Timely interactions that log users out without saving progress cause abandonment, especially for people with disabilities."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
June 7, 2023
"Evaluations and promotions can be nebulous and awkward, especially in collaborative design work."
Ignacio MartinezFair and Effective Designer Evaluation
September 25, 2024
"Embedding designers gave them deep expertise but siloed goals prevented consistent cross-product experiences."
Sarah Kinkade Mariana Ortiz-ReyesDesign Management Models in the Face of Transformation
June 8, 2022
"The Shakers patented clever affordances like chair buttons that let you rock without damaging wooden floors."
Daniel GloydWarming the User Experience: Lessons from America's first and most radical human-centered designers
May 9, 2024
"Journalists like me are in the business of interrogating reality to get at the truth."
Patrick BoehlerFishing for Real Needs: Reimagining Journalism Needs with AI
June 10, 2025
"Many customers struggle to get anyone to listen to actual insights because of the volume and complexity of raw video data."
Andy Barraclough Betsy NelsonFrom Costly Complexity to Efficient Insights: Why UX Teams Are Switching To Voxpopme
September 23, 2024
"Technology moves faster than policymaking — that’s the pacing problem we need to address."
Alexandra SchmidtWhy Ethics Can't Save Tech
November 18, 2022
"Strategic friction is about where you apply friction deliberately to create insight and transformation."
Louis RosenfeldDiscussion: What Operations can teach DesignOps
November 6, 2017
"The product is the reflection of how well teams communicate. Without clear communication, success is impossible."
Mitchell BernsteinOrganizing Chaos: How IBM is Defining Design Systems with Sketch for an Ever-Changing AI Landscape
September 29, 2021
