Introduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
Summary
We will cover some of the key principles and guidelines of collaborative DesignOps and share experiences of setting up design operations using a tech platform. You will know more about how to: Define a design process and convert it into a design roadmap. Share design goals and measure impact. Manage design processes and activities. Get started with curated set of tools, templates and best practices.
Key Insights
-
•
Scaling design teams rapidly demands a dedicated DesignOps platform rather than repurposing engineering DevOps tools like Jira.
-
•
Design teams suffer from silos and laborious cross-functional collaboration that hinder productivity and transparency.
-
•
Different roles in design operations—design managers, DesignOps managers, product managers, and design producers—have unique, sometimes conflicting needs.
-
•
Design managers focus heavily on team health and achieving goals while maintaining well-being.
-
•
DesignOps managers prioritize standardizing processes and organizational knowledge to bring clarity and confidence.
-
•
Product managers seek visibility into design team timelines and accountability, often seeing design work as a black box.
-
•
Design producers (creative professionals) want to maintain creative autonomy and avoid switching tools from their favorites like Figma.
-
•
Design metrics aligned to business goals (ROI) are critical for justifying design investments and demonstrating impact.
-
•
Qubits enables quick creation of standardized design roadmaps using familiar UX methodologies (e.g., Agile UX, Design Sprint) with flexible process customization.
-
•
Integration with tools such as Slack, Jira, Figma, Google Drive, and analytics platforms ensures seamless cross-team collaboration and centralized information.
Notable Quotes
"The problem is design teams are scaling fast, but are we ready to manage that scale?"
"Design Ops being pushed under DevOps using Jira or Azure is incompatible with the design playground."
"Product managers see design as a black box; they don’t have visibility into timelines or accountability."
"Design producers love their creative autonomy and don’t want to be dragged out of Figma into new tools."
"Design managers are deeply concerned about when and how their teams achieve goals while staying healthy."
"We found design managers want team health, DesignOps managers want standardization, product managers want transparency, and producers want autonomy."
"With Qubits, you can create a design roadmap in half a minute aligned to your preferred design process."
"Imagine your entire design team seeing what everyone else is doing with all deliverables in one place, removing silos."
"Designers don’t do tasks; they perform activities that last weeks or even months. That changes how you track utilization."
"Businesses hire designers for ROI; if you don’t measure design metrics aligned to business goals, design has no reason to exist."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Once collaboration loops start compounding, they become muscle memory and the structure supports our work."
Gina Mendolia Jasmine ToyCoordinated collaboration: a Service Design & DesignOps love story
November 19, 2025
"We cannot give our best work if we’re not taking care of ourselves. Don’t let the fire that brought you here be the fire that burns you out."
Sha HwangThe Lost Year
June 11, 2021
"Everyone should know where everything is all the time — that’s the archivist’s motto for knowledge management."
Ben Davies Matt Duignan Andrew Michael Dr. Emily DiLeoExpert Panel: The Principles of Research Repository Design
March 11, 2022
"It became a mandate this year for companies to use Astro for all applications in enterprise cross-mission ground."
Michal Anne RogondinoSaving Outer Space: The First UX Design System for Our Nation’s Satellites
January 8, 2024
"Text-based campaigns have been very successful for reaching senior citizens."
Amanda Kaleta-Kott Lea Martin, PhDThe Joys and Dilemmas of Conducting UX Research with Older Adults
March 11, 2022
"The innovation studio bakes in strategic vision, leadership, funding, and ownership."
Jeff GothelfInnovation Studios: the Engines of Enterprise Experimentation
May 14, 2015
"Research is the most analytical form of information processing because it involves active knowledge generation."
Kristen Guth, Ph.D.Out of the FOG: A Non-traditional Research Approach to Alignment
March 28, 2023
"Sometimes, avoiding the conversation feels easier but can have bigger costs than facing it."
Joshua GravesWe Need To Talk: Navigating Conversations with Your Boss (Part 1 of 3)
April 14, 2025
"We audited 55 mission-critical workflows over nine two-week sprints using Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics."
Chris MosesStretching the Definition of DesignOps with Product Development
November 7, 2018
