Summary
Accessibility and inclusion, two extremely important topics for every organization, and certainly of paramount concern to the design function. What role can DesignOps play in advancing these initiatives? As the new Director of Design Operations, Laura sees the numerous opportunities across the business – in research, communications, tooling and more. She is leading the way, forging a path, and allowing other teams to jump aboard. Takeaways: How Design Operations can directly and indirectly improve the experience of prospective employees, and also to our customers on the receiving end of our products by helping everyone design for (all) humans.
Key Insights
-
•
Accessibility was initially treated as a compliance checkbox but evolved into an integral, ongoing discipline within design operations.
-
•
Housing accessibility within UX and design operations enables better cross-team collaboration due to UX’s focus on experience and connections.
-
•
Starting accessibility initiatives with a dedicated lead, Kim Collins, helped establish momentum and relationships across the organization.
-
•
Formalizing accessibility and inclusion in hard and soft skill frameworks makes them tangible expectations for designers' growth.
-
•
Creating concrete roles and responsibilities documents is more effective than broad mandates in guiding accessibility practices.
-
•
Building relationships through frequent, informal conversations (like coffee chats) uncovers allies and supports cultural change.
-
•
Embedding accessibility into lead rituals and development stories helps integrate it tightly into existing workflows.
-
•
A large platform rebuild presents a unique opportunity to design accessibility into foundational systems rather than retrofit it.
-
•
Developing a standardized hiring rubric across teams helps reduce subjectivity and promote inclusivity in recruitment.
-
•
Taking a step back from tactical design accessibility leadership enabled Laura to adopt a broader strategic view across product, tech, and design.
Notable Quotes
"Accessibility was viewed as a check mark, a thing to do and check off the list, not as a way of doing things."
"We had to start small and that’s okay, especially when starting with a team of one."
"Design operations is kind of like an experimentation ground where people are already invested and willing to try things."
"It helps to find shared goals, areas that both groups feel passionate about and where they can make a big difference."
"Putting accessibility and inclusion in writing makes it real and formal, not just a spoken idea."
"Rules and responsibilities documents give people concrete steps they can take towards accessibility."
"Kim Collins had about three coffees a day with different people just to get to know them and build connections."
"Don’t be afraid to keep knocking on their door or follow up, even if there are too many messages to answer in a day."
"Bringing a plan, even if it’s wrong, gets people to respond and engage more than waiting for the perfect idea."
"When you embed accessibility early in a platform rebuild, it alleviates a lot of chasing things down later on."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Empathy is our greatest asset but it takes up a lot of emotional bandwidth that we must consciously manage."
Brian MossWhat Does it Mean to be a Resilient Research Team?
March 9, 2022
"Do I find a way to make this conversation more about the software as scheduled or do I show Laura how to react to the unplanned?"
Randolph Duke IIWar Stories LIVE! Randy Duke II
March 30, 2020
"I use storytelling as armor to present findings clients may not want to hear, preserving the authentic voice."
Kwabena Opoku Leonie Annor-Owiredu Sam LadnerMethodological toolkit for unique research impact
March 11, 2026
"Nothing about us without us — cultural content should be created and tested with people who represent that culture."
Anna Avrekh Amy Jiménez Márquez Morgan C. Ramsey Catarina TsangDiversity In and For Design: Building Conscious Diversity in Design and Research
June 9, 2021
"Social media algorithms prioritize engagement over accuracy, exacerbating echo chambers and polarizing discourse."
Noah BondRedefining truth and inclusivity: Navigating data ownership and ethical research in the age of disinformation
March 11, 2025
"We’re no longer in the business of selling computers and TVs. We are in the happiness business."
Sara Asche Anderson Jamie KaspszakNot Your Ordinary Re-Brand: Design's Path to Driving Customer Obsession at Best Buy
January 8, 2024
"When infrastructure breaks down, it is human infrastructure — communities and organizers — that saves the day."
Tricia WangSpatial Collapse: Designing for Emergent Culture
January 8, 2024
"Different UX methodologies should coexist and collaborate like an ecology of practices rather than compete."
Soma Ghosh Savina Hawkins Dave Hoffer Rob Thomas Victor UdoewaWhat emerging methods are advancing UX research [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 28, 2023
"When participants interact with researchers of different backgrounds, it can deeply affect their responses and the authenticity of data."
Sharon Banh Dave Hora Marieke McCloskey Alicia ZhongReimagining research: What does the field need to grow? [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
October 16, 2024
