It was the Best of Times. It was the Worst of Times.
Summary
In this provocative talk, Brendan encourages us to stop worrying about the future, recognize that we have what it takes to overcome any challenge, and work together to create a future that our field is worthy of. He shares three stories to illustrate these points, taking inspiration from science fiction, Japanese samurai, and the enduring impression of his late Grandfather. If you want to worry less about your career, see situations more clearly, and discover the most important question for DesignOps professionals to ask themselves today - don't miss this presentation.
Key Insights
-
•
AI is already reshaping design craft and design operations, forcing professionals to redefine their roles and identities.
-
•
Fear and resistance to AI can lead to professional obsolescence, while proactive adaptation fosters relevance and innovation.
-
•
The samurai Miyamoto Musashi’s philosophy teaches the value of using both an observing eye (objective facts) and perceiving eye (context and meaning) to fully understand complex situations.
-
•
Separating what happens from what it means helps design professionals make better-informed, less reactive decisions.
-
•
Many factors impacting design careers, like company layoffs or economic shifts, are outside individual control, but responses remain within personal agency.
-
•
Regular critical self-reflection (the 'cognitive couch') is vital when experiencing career uncertainty or external stressors.
-
•
Design ops professionals must cultivate resilience and courage to persist and innovate amid adversity.
-
•
Historical and personal narratives provide powerful frameworks to understand modern challenges and foster optimism.
-
•
A clear, evolving understanding of what it means to be a design ops person is essential for strategic positioning and relevance.
-
•
Connection and sharing perspectives (such as on Slack) help expand understanding and avoid isolated reactions to industry fear or change.
Notable Quotes
"Fear is in the air as AI seems to be coming for our jobs, but fear doesn’t suit us—we are too optimistic, too creative, and too valuable."
"Fair is a choice, and we have better ones to make if we bring them into focus to build a better future."
"What does it mean to be a design ops person? That question matters and we must revisit it often."
"The observing eye sees things as they are; the perceiving eye looks beneath the surface to understand significance."
"Before responding to pushback or doom, separate what is happening from what you think it means—get the whole picture."
"Some things are up to us and some things are not. How we choose to respond is always within our control."
"Adversity is part of the human condition—what matters is how we face it, because that gives life greater meaning."
"The challenges we face are real, but so is our capacity to respond creatively and courageously."
"Being here alive at this moment is a statistical miracle—we must make the most of it."
"Our careers in design that aren’t regularly examined are unlikely to last."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Legacy is a gift: gifts of insight, leadership, experience that last long beyond anyone remembering who gave them."
Mark TempletonCreating a Legacy: the ultimate experience
June 9, 2017
"We do research not just to generate insights but to embed empathy across the organization."
Dagmara KukawkaTiny team, moonshot impact: Democratizing research across continents
March 10, 2026
"If a client isn’t in the room when UX work happens, they don’t see the value and don’t understand it."
Leah Buley Joe NatoliAsk Me Anything with Leah Buley and Joe Natoli, co-authors of The User Experience Team of One (2nd edition)
October 8, 2024
"You have to go to the mountain; the mountain won’t come to you."
Gregg BernsteinOpportunistic Research with Gregg Bernstein
July 11, 2019
"Our CMO was developing a brand strategy at the same time and organically integrated our experience principles into it, which was huge for us."
Sarah WilliamsVerizon_A Framework for CX Transformation
January 8, 2024
"Design ops is a way to care for the people who design."
Ebru NamaldiDesigning the Designer’s Journey: Scaling Teams, Culture, and Growth Through DesignOps
September 11, 2025
"The best solutions come from good questions and sitting with the problem, not rushing to fix."
Joshua GravesWe Need To Talk: Addressing Unmet Expectations (Part 2 of 3)
April 28, 2025
"If you make a pretty page, that’s great. But if the users can’t actually use the page or they’re frustrated, you just have a pretty page."
Renee ReidBecoming a ResearchH.E.R (Highly Enterprise Ready)
June 3, 2019
"We have over a thousand participants from 61 countries, but remember this is only a sliver of the broader service design community."
Marc FonteijnFirst Insights from the 2025 Service Design Salary(+) Report
December 4, 2024
