Flow and Superfluidity for Design Orgs
Summary
As DesignOps leaders, we face the challenge of establishing industry practices, organizations, and roles new to our businesses and to design. At MailChimp, we’ve outlined a strategic roadmap and metrics to communicate and execute our vision. Jacqui Frey shows how MailChimp stepped outside of design and drew from patterns in nature and human behavior to envision DesignOps programs, frameworks, systems, and metrics to scale their design organization.
Key Insights
-
•
MailChimp’s design ops evolved from a single-person role in marketing operations to a multi-branch team of nine within a few years.
-
•
Jackie’s background in sociology and sports influenced her approach to design operations strategy.
-
•
The concept of flow, from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, was key to understanding optimal performance in teams.
-
•
Superfluidity, a physics principle of zero friction flow, was adapted as a metaphor for eliminating workplace friction.
-
•
Design ops’ main mission became conditioning the environment to reduce friction and enable optimal performance.
-
•
Dividing design ops into business operations, CX practice, and design production helped organize responsibilities effectively.
-
•
Onboarding programs are critical to improving designer ramp-up time and enabling flow.
-
•
Measuring outcomes with metrics like attrition rates, satisfaction scores, and cross-functional NPS is essential for validating design ops efforts.
-
•
Leadership needed to shift from having all answers to empowering team members to own the flow and superfluidity strategy.
-
•
Studying human behavior patterns from social sciences offers valuable insights for structuring and innovating design ops functions.
Notable Quotes
"Design ops really is the story of design’s role within the business at MailChimp."
"It’s breath not death. Don’t try to solve for the system. Try to understand the request and help the business."
"I was driving home in silence and remembered playing volleyball, feeling focused and in the zone."
"Optimal performance is about making external conditions match your goals."
"What if design ops’ job was to condition the environment and remove friction?"
"Superfluidity means zero viscosity—flowing without loss of kinetic energy, no friction."
"If we improve areas of friction on behalf of the design department, people’s ability to achieve goals will increase."
"Our motto at MailChimp is change fast, listen hard."
"Community building has been happening for millions of years—there are patterns we can learn from."
"Leadership is not about having all the answers, it’s about empowering others to own the strategy."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"All three themes and all speakers you’ll hear came together through inclusive collaboration and insightful perspectives."
Bria AlexanderTheme Two Intro
October 3, 2023
"We co-designed our environment and expectations around what we needed as a team during these times."
Ariba JahanTeam Resiliency Through a Pandemic
January 8, 2024
"If you see a system, you cannot unsee it — systemic awareness changes how you approach design."
Cornelius RachieruHandling Complexity: Framing a Scale of Design
June 9, 2021
"There is actually no law for private entities in the US that mandates web accessibility."
Megan Clegg Michael Haggerty-Villa Alexis MorinSpace for Everyone: Reframing Accessibility Through a Wider Lens
June 10, 2021
"Publishing a component library means anyone can update titles or roles, and it updates everywhere at once."
Saara Kamppari-MillerCartography for Design Communities
September 10, 2025
"Design ideas come back around again and again, waiting for leadership or new contexts to take root."
Kara KaneTheme One Intro
November 16, 2022
"Designers need to switch hats when working with people who aren’t trained designers — mentoring is essential."
Natalia RadywylCo-Designing New Power in Australia's Public Sector
November 16, 2022
"The nobility complex is when we in the West unintentionally create solutions without accounting for our own biases."
Nancy DouyonWe'll Figure That Out in the Next Launch: Enterprise Tech's Nobility Complex
June 15, 2018
"Without proper evaluation, you’re just building a demo – demos are easy, quality production is hard."
Peter Van DijckBuilding the Rosenbot
June 4, 2024
