Summary
Kristen Skinner, a design program manager at Adobe, opens the Design Operations Summit by warmly welcoming the Rosenfeld design community. She introduces the conference’s thematic structure over three days: establishing and growing design operations, achieving successful outcomes for design operations teams, and exploring the future of design operations. Kristen highlights the seamless integration of sponsor sessions alongside the main program, ensuring no scheduling conflicts, and reveals exclusive sponsor-supported workshops and digital swag benefits. She underscores the vibrant community experience facilitated via Slack channels, including general discussions, technical support, cohort groups, and sponsor-specific channels. Kristen also reassures attendees about access to conference resources such as session notes, sketch notes by MJ Broadbent, and resource lists curated by Lauren Cantor, all shared promptly after sessions. Finally, she reminds everyone about the Rosenfeld Media code of conduct to foster a respectful and safe virtual environment, ensuring the conference remains an engaging and positive experience for all.
Key Insights
-
•
The conference is structured around three main themes spanning multiple days, focusing on the growth, success, and future of design operations.
-
•
Sponsor sessions provide high-quality, non-sales content and run concurrently with breaks, avoiding conflicts with the main program.
-
•
Attendees can invite non-registered individuals to sponsor sessions freely, increasing accessibility and reach.
-
•
A digital swag bag offers exclusive sponsor deals, accessible via QR code or direct URL, enhancing participant engagement.
-
•
Slack channels play a central role in community interaction, with around 850 participants active early in the conference.
-
•
Slack cohorts create smaller community groups within the conference, which are highly rated for networking and peer support.
-
•
The conference commits to transparency and support by providing sketch notes, detailed session notes, and resource lists promptly after sessions.
-
•
Technical difficulties are supported through a dedicated Slack help channel and email, improving participant experience.
-
•
A robust code of conduct is emphasized to maintain a respectful and safe virtual environment for all attendees.
-
•
Sponsors receive significant recognition, with specific channels and support roles reinforcing their integral participation in the conference.
Notable Quotes
"Our first day’s theme is around establishing and growing design operations."
"Sponsor sessions are not sales pitches; they offer content similar in quality to the main program."
"You can invite your coworker, your brother, your sister, your aunt to sponsor sessions even if they’re not signed up for the conference."
"Check out our digital swag bag—our sponsors put a lot of effort into making compelling offers for all of you here today."
"If you’re not in our Slack channel, you’re missing out on so many big parts of the party."
"The cohort experience is one of the highest rated things because you get to meet new people from different companies."
"There’s no need to take notes; we’ve got session notes, sketch notes, and a resource list all provided."
"If you ever feel unsafe or threatened in this virtual community, we want to make sure you’ve got the support you need."
"Technical difficulties happen, so please use hashtag.deo help within our Slack channel or email for support."
"Thank you to all our sponsors; this entire conference would not be possible without you."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The pressures in large organizations make it hard for teams to see the value of empathy and cross-team connection."
Matt StoneScaling Empathy, A Case Study in Change Management
June 11, 2021
"Sometimes the solution is obvious and doesn’t need a lot of user research time."
Aditi Ruiz Christian Crumlish Farid SabitovA PM State of Mind: Empathy Mapping Your Product Manager, Pt. 1
December 6, 2022
"Educating design leaders on setting expectations for Design Ops roles is critical to avoid 'teams of one' who are expected to do everything."
Dave Malouf Meredith Black Farid SabitovThe Past, Present, and Future of DesignOps: a 2-part DesignOps Community Call (Part 1)
February 17, 2022
"If you’re rewarding designers for delivering on time, great, but if you reward them for delivering accessible products on time, you’ll get better results."
Sheri Byrne-HaberAccessibility at Scale
June 9, 2021
"Too often research is something we do to people, but participatory research invites participants as co-creators of knowledge."
Nidhi Singh Rathore Amber DavisEmbracing participation to unlock deeper truths in commercial research
March 12, 2025
"We wanted to be aware of extraversion, so words like energy were changed to initiative to not favor personality types."
Laine Riley ProkayHow DesignOps can Drive Inclusive Career Ladders for All
September 30, 2021
"Survival can feel like a roller coaster with big energy spikes and drops, often leaving us completely depleted."
Ariba JahanTeam Resiliency Through a Pandemic
January 8, 2024
"It's not just about the artifacts but the conversations had to come to that system or structure."
Noreen Whysel Katie SaindonShort Take #4: UX/Product Lessons from Your Industry Peers
December 6, 2022
"Helper texts appear when hovering on unfamiliar features, explaining what buttons or controls do."
Rittika BasuAge and Interfaces: Equipping Older Adults with Technological Tools
February 23, 2023
