Summary
As the move to establish in-house design teams accelerates, it turns out there’s very little common wisdom on what makes for a successful design organization. Books and presentations tend to focus on process, methods, and tools, leaving a gap of knowledge when it comes to organizational and operational matters. Kristin Skinner, Head of Design Management at Capital One and co-author of Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams, will shine a light on the unsung activities of actually running a design team, the operational challenges and considerations, and what works and what doesn’t. Drawing on her experience managing design teams and organizations at Microsoft’s Pioneer Studios, Adaptive Path, and Capital One, Kristin will discuss how what happens “behind the scenes” and how a focus on design management and operations can ultimately affect a design organization’s output, quality, and effectiveness.
Key Insights
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Plans will change, and leaders must be prepared to adapt to those changes.
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Effective design leadership prioritizes inclusive decision-making and collaboration among team members.
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Design operations and organizational structure must evolve as teams grow in size and capability.
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Successful design organizations balance output and operational management to sustain quality work.
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A strong design culture empowers designers and facilitates effective cross-departmental relationships.
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Design roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined to optimize collaboration and reduce stress among designers.
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Organizations need to focus on managerial and operational issues to fully leverage design talent.
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Investments in design necessitate a structured approach to ensure effectiveness and scalability.
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Hiring practices should emphasize a diversity of backgrounds for design operations roles to enrich the team dynamics.
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Sharing what you learn in design operations is essential for evolving the practice within organizations.
Notable Quotes
"Plan ahead; the plan always changes."
"Thank you for taking time to share with your peers and to be part of this community."
"We've seen that in order to deliver great experiences, we need to focus on what happens behind the scenes."
"Treat operations as seriously as the work products."
"Your organization is perfectly optimized to get the results it's getting."
"You can't change the product or service without changing the organization."
"It takes a relatively small team to have an outsized impact."
"There is no one-size-fits-all approach; research and understand your team's unique needs."
"Effective design organizations must balance management and output."
"Be a diplomat; help people do their jobs better."
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