Summary
Launching a design operations practice is always a challenge, but when you’re the world’s largest travel site, with 490 million monthly visitors and content in 70+ languages, the complexity can seem insurmountable. In this session, Eniola Oluwole will share TripAdvisor’s journey from groups of disconnected design teams with very little process, multiple style guides and no standard toolset, to an integrated organization with a thriving design operations practice. Attendees will learn how to communicate the value of a design ops practice, evaluate design management tools, engage their team in the process and identify the right time to hire dedicated support.
Key Insights
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TripAdvisor's internal culture emphasized small change over large transformations, complicating design operations.
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The absence of a design lead for 1.5 years resulted in fragmentation and silos in design processes.
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Direct feedback from designers and developers revealed a strong desire for a clear, official design pattern reference.
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Creating a centralized design system improved collaboration amongst previously isolated design teams.
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Incentives such as cash prizes increased engagement with the new design system processes.
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Identifying common design patterns across teams helped streamline communication and efficiency.
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Real-time chat tools, like Slack channels for design system inquiries, increased accessibility and support.
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Structured user interviews and surveys provided valuable feedback for ongoing improvements to the design system.
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Establishing a product design steering group empowered designers and fostered shared responsibility for decisions.
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Understanding and adapting to the evolving needs of the organization remained crucial for the long-term success of design ops.
Notable Quotes
"The journey towards design ops is about understanding the people and culture first."
"When making major changes, it's important to make people care about the changes or they won't follow through."
"Our goal was to create a design system that served as a single source of truth."
"We wanted everyone to access patterns easily, but we also needed accountability for those patterns."
"We found that everyone wanted to know the official pattern to use, to avoid confusion."
"It's not just about the design; design and product need to collaborate effectively."
"Incentives helped sell the idea of a design system that could improve efficiency."
"Real-time communication became key in addressing design system questions and concerns."
"People need to feel a sense of ownership in the design process to make it succeed."
"We had to remind ourselves that nothing is a sprint; change management is an ongoing effort."
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