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
-
•
Design functions are rapidly growing but lack operational cohesion, causing scaling difficulties.
-
•
Traditional devops tools are task-centric and don't cater well to design workflows, creating integration challenges.
-
•
Four stakeholder groups in design ops have distinct needs: leaders, Ops managers, product managers, and design producers.
-
•
Design leaders want predictable roadmaps and strong team health metrics to manage delivery.
-
•
Design Ops managers aim to standardize processes and reuse organizational knowledge across teams.
-
•
Product managers seek transparency and accountability in design timelines and resource utilization.
-
•
Design producers prioritize creative autonomy but need automated reporting and feedback mechanisms.
-
•
A customizable design process library (e.g., Lean UX, Double Diamond) supports flexible workflow adaptation.
-
•
Centralized document repositories with rich search capabilities enable better knowledge reuse and context retrieval.
-
•
Integration with Jira and Slack allows two-way syncing of design activities and keeps teams aligned without disrupting favorite tools.
Notable Quotes
"The glue that binds strategy, execution, and measurement is missing in rapidly growing design functions."
"Traditional devops tools are more task and issue-centric, but designers think in processes and workflows."
"Design managers need predictable roadmaps and healthy teams to meet project goals and timelines."
"Product managers often see design work as a black box and want transparency and accountability."
"Design producers love their creative tools and want reporting to be automated, not manual."
"You can define your own design process, whether it’s Lean UX, Double Diamond, or something custom."
"All documents—PDFs, audio, video, Figma, Mural—live in a central repository searchable by project context."
"We support Google HEART metrics to show design impact aligned with business goals."
"Our Jira integration will be two-way so you can link design activities to epics, user stories, or tasks."
"We don’t want anyone to change their favorite tools; we build plugins to share wireframes or prototypes directly."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We’re seeing a bifurcated experience between teams ready for virtual work and those struggling with it."
Bud Caddell Kristin Skinner Alana WashingtonDesignOps Community Sensing Session
May 13, 2021
"We pivoted big parts of our weekly all-hands to just personal connection because work stuff can happen anytime."
Shipra Kayan Tess DixonHow Tess Dixon Facilitates Team Engagement and Collaboration at Condé Nast Using Miro
October 1, 2021
"Thank you to all our sponsors; this entire conference would not be possible without you."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
September 29, 2021
"You have to give respect to get respect. Being the first to show respect isn't always easy, but you can always try."
John Maeda Alison RandAbout Design Organizations
May 13, 2019
"Personas tend to not give you those deep insights that you would get from user research and user testing."
Kate KalcevichDesigning inclusively with AI
June 5, 2024
"We connect design decisions back to business performance and risk metrics to answer the concerns of our partners."
Frank DuranPartnership Playbook: Lessons Learned in Effective Partnership
January 8, 2024
"No two transit riders are alike. No two transit trips are alike. No two service disruptions are alike."
Kristin TaylorBuilding Bridges Across Organizational Silos
November 18, 2022
"An ending occurs when the reality of your present moment shifts or changes all together."
Maria GiudiceEmpowering change: Reigniting purpose, passion and impact in research
March 13, 2025
"Silence is productive—resist the temptation to fill it immediately after asking a question."
Shelby SwitzerMaking Space for Community Knowledge-sharing in a Distributed World
December 10, 2021
