Summary
Looking for ways to improve your design planning and management process and tools? We’ve got you covered. Whether you are an individual contributor or a DesignOps manager, everyone needs ecosystem visibility at multiple levels of altitude to help answer questions like: What components am I working on next? What screens use those components? How many components and templates are complete? What content types will be using those components? You also need quick access to all the relevant design outputs that aren’t kept in a design system and are updated throughout the design process (e.g. information architecture, content types, taxonomies, interaction models, etc.) When you work with Limina, we not only help you get UX done, but we empower your teams with new processes and tools to address the design planning and management needs and system thinking gaps in your organization Interested in learning more? As we partner with you, we will include our design planning and management templates and tools along with the design deliverables. You will see the tools in action during our collaboration, and we will empower you to own and manage the tools going forward. Or, maybe you would prefer the mentorship or coaching approach? We can get to know your current state, introduce you to our process and tooling best practices, and guide you through the learning process Psst…inside scoop: Design planning and management is a core knowledge management function that is deployed as you iterate through the design process
Key Insights
-
•
Design information is highly fragmented across multiple tools and formats, creating inefficiencies for teams.
-
•
Design work operates at multiple 'altitudes'—from pixel-level UI to big-picture strategy—each requiring different but interconnected inputs.
-
•
User research is necessary but only one part of a complex information landscape needed for informed design.
-
•
A single source of truth is unrealistic; instead, interconnected hubs forming a 'constellation' better represent design knowledge.
-
•
A dedicated design planning and management (DP&M) tool serves as a vital hub to connect disparate inputs and show relationships.
-
•
DP&M tools enable designers and leads to tailor views specific to their roles, improving visibility and decision-making.
-
•
Managing and maintaining design information requires cultural adoption and leadership to ensure consistent use and updates.
-
•
DP&M tools are scalable and useful for both large, specialized design ops teams and small organizations with multi-role individuals.
-
•
Integrations between popular tooling like Figma and Jira with DP&M tools remain challenging and require improvement for seamless workflows.
-
•
Using DP&M tools reduces onboarding ramp time and context switching by consolidating scattered knowledge into an accessible, connected database.
Notable Quotes
"User research is really only part of the information schema that we’re talking about."
"We don’t need a north star, we need a constellation that allows us to see the full picture."
"The missing hub is the design planning and management tool."
"A designer working on a new component needs to understand not just that component but the templates using it and overall approach."
"Design teams face challenges because inputs live in PDFs, Figma files, Slack messages, spreadsheets, and more."
"DP&M tools pull together necessary reference materials and design deliverables, showing how they relate to each other."
"This isn’t more work—it's consolidating work that’s already happening scattered across tools into one connected place."
"Fostering a culture of use and leadership is essential to make these tools part of daily rituals."
"Through DP&M, designers get more contextual detail than what might be captured in a Jira ticket."
"We encourage you all to be your own heroes and connect your own documents."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Everyone in the senior leadership team at Brex participates in continuous discovery monthly to build customer empathy."
Ned Dwyer Emily Stewart James WallisThe Intersection of Design and ResearchOps
September 24, 2024
"Most of our designers are contractors; they have limited voice because they’re bound by contracts."
Michael LandEstablishing Design Operations in Government
February 18, 2021
"With cloud apps, users don’t get to choose when to upgrade, which challenges maintaining accessibility continuity."
Sam ProulxTo Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
November 18, 2022
"The colleagues sitting next to you, not outsiders, are the best champions to spread UX mindset."
Vasileios XanthopoulosA Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach to User-Centric Maturity at Scale
January 8, 2024
"Sometimes vocal feedback reveals problems that digital behavior can’t see—like offline factors affecting perception."
Andrew Custage Michael MallettThe Digital Journey: Research on Consumer Frustration and Loyalty
March 29, 2023
"Democratization is not about researchers losing jobs. It’s about increasing learning velocity and impact."
Marjorie Stainback Kelsey KingmanTransforming Strategic Research Capacity through Democratization
October 24, 2019
"75% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional because silos perpetuate themselves, even in cross-functional teams."
Alla WeinbergCross-Functional Relationship Design
December 6, 2022
"Change is the only constant, so designing insight sharing with self-directed learning is critical."
Jerome “Axle” BrownHow to Use Self-Directed Learning to Ensure Your Research Insights are Heard and Acted Upon
March 11, 2021
"The team is passionate, creative, and innovative, building experiences that people love."
Jen Crim Jess Quittner Saritha Kattekola Alex Karr Gurbani PahwaCulture, DIBS & Recruiting
June 11, 2021
