Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Panel: Collaboration Tools
Gold
Monday, November 6, 2017 • DesignOps Summit 2017
Share the love for this talk
Panel: Collaboration Tools
Speakers: Abby Covert and Tomer Sharon
Link:

Summary

We have all heard the old saying “communication is key” but as the landscape of technology widens so do the options we have for communication tools using that technology. To talk about the challenges and opportunities that our organizations face when solving the communication conundrum, we have invited three people working in three different areas where communication is key for organizations with designers: research insights, workflow management and design systems management. Facilitated by Abby Covert.

Key Insights

  • Design operations suffer from too many fragmented tools and need unified systems.

  • Users want collaborative tools that filter noise and surface only what's important.

  • Collaboration in companies requires control mechanisms such as approvals and private comments, contradicting the idea of anarchy.

  • Integration between design and development is hindered by translation losses between design and code.

  • True agile and cross-functional collaboration are rare due to team turnover and lack of trust.

  • Collaborative tools have democratized feedback, increasing ownership across teams.

  • Different roles like designers, engineers, and business analysts have distinct needs from design tools.

  • Customization of collaborative tools and workflows is essential to fit diverse team processes.

  • AI and design systems combined with research can enable automated, smarter design decisions.

  • Future collaboration tools should respect users' focus time and reduce constant interruptions.

Notable Quotes

"There are too many things all over the place. I would like to use my magic wand for making them one system."

"A lot of these tools bring more noise into people’s day to day lives. It’s really hard to stay involved and still find time to get your own job done."

"Collaboration is actually not anarchy in companies. There’s always this need for control."

"Translation is a traitor because meaning is lost in translation between design and code."

"The dream of cross-functional agile collaboration is there, but it’s quite hard to realize that because teams don’t have enough time to build trust."

"With collaborative tools, feedback has become a democratic process, and people feel more ownership of the project."

"Design is not only limited to designers. Business analysts and engineers can design too, supported by designers."

"The hardest thing is knowing when to stop talking about something and start building it."

"Eventually, I expect AI to help create designs by combining patterns from meta design systems and research, making design more about crafting experiences."

"I want my collaboration tool to be like the Nest thermostat of my workday, knowing when I’m heads down and when I’m open to communication."

Ask the Rosenbot
Bria Alexander
Opening Remarks
2024 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
Jane Reid
Self-care in User Research
2020 • Advancing Research Community
Tutti Taygerly
Videconference: How to Work with Difficult People with Tutti Taygerly
2020 • Enterprise Community
Rittika Basu
Age and Interfaces: Equipping Older Adults with Technological Tools
2023 • Advancing Research Community
Louis Rosenfeld
GenAI for UXers: A Rosenbot Demo and Discussion
2025 • DesignOps Summit 2025
Conference
Sarah Williams
A Framework for CX Transformation
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Samuel Proulx
Designing for Disability, Innovating for Everyone
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Steve Portigal
Looking Back…to Look Ahead
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Jemma Ahmed
Theme 2 Intro
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Dem Gerolemou
Climate technology fundamentals
2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Russ Unger
Onboarding: The Ecosystem, not the Afterthought
2017 • DesignOps Summit 2017
Gold
Isaac Heyveld
Expand DesignOps Leadership as a Chief of Staff
2022 • DesignOps Summit 2022
Gold
Leisa Reichelt
The Five Dysfunctions of Democratized Research at Scale
2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Gold
Jackie Ho
Lead Effectively While Preserving Team Autonomy with Growth Boards
2024 • Enterprise Experience 2020
Gold
Ned Gartside
Navigating accessibility and climate
2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Samuel Proulx
From Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
2025 • DesignOps Summit 2025
Conference

More Videos

Satyam Kantamneni

"What if you get a notification when you drive into a dealership and all your details are ready?"

Satyam Kantamneni

Do You Have an Experience Vision?

March 23, 2023

Kristin Skinner

"Learning should be an experience tailored around the learner, not the curriculum."

Kristin Skinner

Five Years of DesignOps

September 29, 2021

Jerome “Axle” Brown

"Combining synchronous and asynchronous communication within one session gets us from awareness to action."

Jerome “Axle” Brown

How to Use Self-Directed Learning to Ensure Your Research Insights are Heard and Acted Upon

March 11, 2021

Bilan Hashi

"Invitational language allows participants to be in charge of a part of the interview, making the exchange authentic."

Bilan Hashi

The Tension Between Story Collecting and Story Telling in Research

March 10, 2021

Aras Bilgen

"AI users have reduced critical thinking skills within just two years of using AI-assisted tools."

Aras Bilgen

Who does the math: A designer’s journey in building an AI-based tutoring app

June 10, 2025

Alicia Mooty

"Agency style staffing allows designers to bring learnings across multiple projects and grow through new challenges."

Alicia Mooty

Design Staffing Models

September 30, 2021

Amy Parness

"I want Cisco to lead the industry in standardizing how energy measurement is done for products."

Amy Parness

Scaling Sustainability: Complementary strategies that drive long-term success

May 29, 2025

Roy Opata Olende

"The CEO advocating for user exposure gave us a now-or-never moment to start this initiative."

Roy Opata Olende

How Zapier Uses ‘All Hands Research’ to Increase Exposure to Users

August 6, 2020

Lavrans Løvlie

"Europe has leaned more into public sector service design work, which impacts the kinds of metrics and approaches seen in the book."

Lavrans Løvlie Ben Reason

Ask me anything – Authors of Service Design: From Insight to Implementation

November 19, 2025