Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Design Staffing Models

Gold
Thursday, September 30, 2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Share the love for this talk
Design Staffing Models
Speakers: Alicia Mooty
Link:

Summary

Determining a staffing model for the success of your design teams is one of the key elements for driving success. By reviewing the differences between dedicated and agency (or flexible) staffing models, Alicia Mooty will walk the group through a case study of applying these types of models in her work at Adobe.

Key Insights

  • Dedicated staffing fosters deep vertical expertise and long-term relationships with product teams.

  • Agency (pooled) staffing offers designers horizontal breadth and varied growth opportunities through rotations.

  • Neither model alone perfectly fits complex, changing environments; a hybrid approach can leverage both strengths.

  • Hybrid staffing enables quicker filling of critical design gaps without waiting for new hires or headcount approvals.

  • Careful bandwidth assessment across design, product, and engineering partners is key to reallocating resources.

  • Designers’ preferences vary; some crave stability and mastery, others seek variety and career growth.

  • Changing a staffing model requires proactive relationship building, clear communication, and managing stakeholder expectations.

  • Splitting designers’ time across multiple projects can cause work-life balance challenges, needing close oversight.

  • Ongoing communication is essential to renegotiate priorities and maintain alignment as projects and staffing evolve.

  • Short-term agency assignments raise questions about maintenance responsibility and require explicit planning.

Notable Quotes

"How do you organize a design team to work within a changing environment without freaking everybody out."

"Dedicated staffing gives designers deep vertical mastery but limits horizontal experience."

"Agency style staffing allows designers to bring learnings across multiple projects and grow through new challenges."

"One designer's security in a dedicated model may be another designer's stagnation."

"It took a lot of relationship building and conversations to break down the perception that designers' time was owned by particular teams."

"We covered critical design gaps without waiting for headcount allocation or hiring delays."

"Splitting people’s allocation across different teams created work-life balance issues requiring more oversight."

"Constant communication is necessary; agreement emails can’t be one-and-done."

"Some needs proved full-time, so hybrid staffing models are often short term or mixed part-time."

"Involving designers early in the process is crucial to avoid the 'fast-food' model where they feel like order takers."

Ask the Rosenbot
Bria Alexander
Opening Remarks
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Savina Hawkins
Harnessing AI in UXR: Practical Strategies for Positive Impact
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Marjorie Stainback
What Research Ops Professionals Have Learned from COVID-19
2020 • Advancing Research Community
The AI + Design wave has arrived: Making sense of the 2026 AI + Design Report
2026 • Rosenfeld Community
Llewyn Paine
Day 1 Using AI in UX with Impact
2025 • Designing with AI 2025
Gold
Niko Laitinen
Adaptable Org Design for Resilient Times
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Sam Proulx
Accessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
2022 • DesignOps Summit 2022
Gold
Meghan Bausone
Systems Thinking and Design Innovation: Working with Leverage Points in Rural Maternal Health Systems
2026 • Rosenfeld Community
Aletheia Delivre
New Shapes and Emerging Identities for Design Ops
2025 • DesignOps Summit 2025
Gold
JD Buckley
Communicating the ROI of UX within a large enterprise and out on the streets
2018 • Enterprise Experience 2018
Gold
Dr. Jamika D. Burge
Broad Strokes: Connecting Design, Research, and AI to the World Around Us
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Robert Fabricant
Shifting dynamics: The evolving relationship between researchers, participants, and organizational systems
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Jackie Ho
Lead Effectively While Preserving Team Autonomy with Growth Boards
2024 • Enterprise Experience 2020
Gold
Joshua Graves
We Need To Talk: Navigating Conversations with Your Boss (Part 1 of 3)
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Kate Towsey
Ask Me Anything (AMA) with Kate Towsey
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Dr. Jamika D. Burge
Theme 3 Intro
2022 • Advancing Research 2022
Gold

More Videos

Bria Alexander

"The good vibes you experience are a reflection of the positive collaborative spirit we worked hard to create for you."

Bria Alexander

Theme Two Intro

October 3, 2023

Ariba Jahan

"When the pandemic hit, those in the resilient 'yellow' zone had enough reserve to readjust and come back."

Ariba Jahan

Team Resiliency Through a Pandemic

January 8, 2024

Cornelius Rachieru

"Being aware of the systemic lens is a big first step that changes how teams operate and design."

Cornelius Rachieru

Handling Complexity: Framing a Scale of Design

June 9, 2021

Megan Clegg

"Designing for the largest audience possible means including people with temporary or situational impairments."

Megan Clegg Michael Haggerty-Villa Alexis Morin

Space for Everyone: Reframing Accessibility Through a Wider Lens

June 10, 2021

Saara Kamppari-Miller

"Representing a person as a circle feels more right—like we’re all equidistant at the same table."

Saara Kamppari-Miller

Cartography for Design Communities

September 10, 2025

Kara Kane

"It’s important to reflect on our work and careers to shape what comes next."

Kara Kane

Theme One Intro

November 16, 2022

Natalia Radywyl

"Power sharing requires behavior change, reflection, and descending about expertise."

Natalia Radywyl

Co-Designing New Power in Australia's Public Sector

November 16, 2022

Nancy Douyon

"If you want to scale, incorporate global UX research from day one and test your assumptions broadly."

Nancy Douyon

We'll Figure That Out in the Next Launch: Enterprise Tech's Nobility Complex

June 15, 2018

Peter Van Dijck

"This AI stuff is a new design material, just like the internet or mobile was before."

Peter Van Dijck

Building the Rosenbot

June 4, 2024