Summary
We’ll identify the big challenges that DesignOps people face—and begin working on addressing them together in this collaborative activity. We’ll work together in small teams to design the ultimate Design Operations organization, capture learnings, and share them with each other. Facilitated by Dave Gray and the XPLANE team.
Key Insights
-
•
The design canvas serves as a self-facilitating tool that simplifies structured conversations about organizational design.
-
•
Culture and communication are critical factors to address when considering design operations.
-
•
The canvas is in beta and open to iteration based on user feedback, which engages the audience in the development process.
-
•
Teams should be encouraged to share experiences and insights to collectively enhance organizational design.
-
•
Defining terminologies within the canvas is crucial to avoid misunderstandings during discussions.
-
•
Organizations benefit from having a common communication platform to improve collaboration across teams.
-
•
Participants stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between creative freedom and necessary consistency in design practices.
-
•
Leadership buy-in is essential for achieving successful design integration into overall operations.
-
•
Regularly mapping the current state can help teams identify areas for improvement and streamline processes.
-
•
Establishing metrics to measure success is key for demonstrating the value of design efforts to stakeholders.
Notable Quotes
"We gotta sit through two hours a day of gray; the answer is no, you don't have to sit through two hours."
"Design canvases sort of almost self-facilitate because it's a design concept that tries to embed some of the facilitation into the tool."
"There are a lot of badly designed canvases out there, and I do intend to write a blog post about what it takes to do a good one."
"Once you get into the conversation, things are going to occur to you."
"We don't know what else is important, but we certainly expect that there will be other things that will come up as you talk about it."
"When you have the same conversation in meetings over and over, a canvas can help keep that conversation moving forward."
"When we talk about success, we're not necessarily defining it; it’s often the businesses that don’t."
"In organizations, the people are at the center of everything we're trying to evolve."
"Design tools aren't people; be careful that your tools don't replace relationships that are necessary."
"We're all figuring it out together, making it up as we go along."
More Videos
"We're humans having human experiences; community building has been happening for millions of years."
Jacqui FreyFlow and Superfluidity for Design Orgs
November 7, 2018
"Communication can either be sustenance or nourishment for you and your teams."
Laura Gatewood Laine ProkayBeyond Buzzwords: Adding Heart to Effective Slack Communication
September 23, 2024
"Metrics are crucial; they tell us what people pay attention to."
Johanna KollmannInsights-Driven Product Strategy: Get your Research to Count
December 6, 2022
"If you feel like there's a lag, we want to know about it."
Bria AlexanderDay 3 Welcome
September 25, 2024
"Don't get stuck in the refinement stage too early."
Billy CarlsonIdeation tips for Product Managers
December 6, 2022
"It’s crucial to bridge connections between different teams to avoid siloed insights and foster collaboration."
Catherine DubutBridging Physical and Digital Spaces: Approaches to Retail Service Design
March 18, 2021
"Onboarding processes should empower new hires to integrate smoothly into the team."
Kim Holt Emma Wylds Pearl Koppenhaver Maisee XiongA Salesforce Panel Discussion on Values-Driven DesignOps
September 8, 2022
"We are not special; every discipline is going through transformation right now."
Adrian HowardSturgeon’s Biases
September 25, 2024
"Designers can be a little enigmatic and protective of our work."
Asia HoePartnering with Product: A Journey from Junior to Senior Design
November 29, 2023
