Summary
Research and analytics are the eyes and ears of DesignOps. Validating whether strategies are effective or ineffective allows course correction and adaptation. Identifying problems that require action is essential for facilitating collaboration and ensuring that team members are engaged. Prioritizing user needs is the heart of user experience and Agile development. None of this can be done well without an effective research program. We’ll share how we scale research efforts to collect feedback from thousands of users per month and track the impact of dozens of projects involving 120+ designers.
Key Insights
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IBM's CIO design team represents only 1% of the IT department but aims to support 385,000 IBMers.
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The team emphasizes empathy in creating effective user experiences to meet the challenges posed by a rapidly changing workforce.
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Over half of IBM's employees have been with the company for less than five years, making onboarding and user experience critical.
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The design team's responsibilities extend beyond tools to influence culture and the physical work environment.
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Continuous improvement and data-driven decision making are essential to enhance user experience at IBM.
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Regular feedback from employees through systems like the Voice of Employee program helps in real-time adjustments to services.
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Metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) and goal completion rates guide the team's strategy and accountability.
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A strong collaborative relationship among design, research, and operations teams ensures cohesive user experience improvements.
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Keeping the user at the center is fundamental; measurement informs better service rather than just retroactively validating decisions.
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Flexibility in processes and embracing chaos is necessary for growth in such a large organization.
Notable Quotes
"Our mission is to create a productive environment for IBMers, continuously improving the work experience."
"The state of IT is a daily reflection of what the company thinks and feels about its employees."
"We believe in measurement: what you measure is what improves."
"Every minute spent struggling with an IT system is a minute of time not spent delivering value for IBM and our clients."
"You cannot just focus on a single task; you must consider the entire ecosystem."
"We’ve learned to always be testing versus always be guessing."
"We're trying to influence the tone and culture of the company through design."
"What you measure is what improves, and we are ready to put those metrics out there for everyone to see."
"Data helps you make the right decision, not just support the decision that you've already made."
"As imperfect as NPS is, it's uniformly imperfect, and if you manipulate results, you're harming the entire system."
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