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
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Understanding design operations is crucial for business effectiveness.
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The journey of scaling a design team requires both strategy and flexibility.
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Flow refers to achieving optimal performance through removing barriers.
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Superfluidity is the ability to move without friction, essential for design efficiency.
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Patterns in design requests can reveal strategic insights.
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Community dynamics can inform better design operations.
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Data is vital for measuring the success of design strategies.
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Design leadership should focus on empowering team members rather than having all the answers.
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Investing in team development is key to improving overall performance.
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Embracing change and adapting based on metrics is crucial for successful operations.
Notable Quotes
"I came from Atlanta, and I know I saw a bunch of y'all on the flights here."
"Design has been in the DNA of MailChimp really since day one."
"We are definitely kind of feeling out some phases."
"Don't try to solve for the system, try to understand the request."
"What if part of our job was to remove the friction in the environment?"
"Optimal performance is about making external conditions match your goals."
"Look for patterns; some of those are repeating."
"Be prepared for change; change is imminent."
"We're humans having human experiences; community building has been happening for millions of years."
"The very innovation you may need might already be written."
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