Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
This month our DesignOps community was joined by Abby Covert, a founding member of the Design Operations community, and eMcee for DesignOps ‘18. Abby has two decades of making and teaching diagrams to other people. She is currently on a mission to rid the world of bad diagrams, one diagrammer at a time. And we think the DesignOps could learn a thing or five from her about how we could up our diagram game.
Key Insights
-
•
Diagrams can alleviate feelings of being stuck by providing visual representations of complex information.
-
•
The five superpowers of diagrams are stability in volatility, transparency in uncertainty, understanding in complexity, clarity in ambiguity, and kindness when feeling stuck.
-
•
Accessibility in diagramming is critical, especially for diverse audiences including those with visual or cognitive impairments.
-
•
Diagrams should offer both visual representation and alternative content to enhance understanding.
-
•
Not all diagrams work for every audience; context matters deeply in their effectiveness.
Notable Quotes
"Diagrams have been helping people feeling stuck for hundreds if not thousands of years."
"In times of volatility, we seek stability. Diagrams can be like a bridge over the chasm of volatility."
"Diagrams provide transparency when we face uncertainty."
"We can't understand the complexity of everything, and if we try to, we will much more likely fail to understand anything fully at all."
"Diagramming is this kindness that we give to ourselves to get our bearing on something that we're stuck on."
More Videos
"How can we put a chatbot in the product instead of only at the end of the process?"
Noz UrbinaRapid AI-powered UX (RAUX): A framework for empowering human designers
May 1, 2025
"We have lots of chances to learn from each other as we iterate."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
June 4, 2019
"I still do this today. I make a service map when I know I need to grow a team fast."
Holly ColeUnderstanding Experiences: When you have to do more than work
November 8, 2018
"Working with coded components closes the loop of documentation and empowers stakeholders."
Jack BeharHow to Build Prototypes that Behave like an End-Product
December 6, 2022
"You don't want to miss out on one of the really cool parts about the conference, which is going home with a bunch of cool swag."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
October 3, 2023
"We are the ground control, building our systems gradually to reach our organizational 'moon'."
Erika FlowersAI-Readiness: Preparing NASA for a Data-Driven, Agile Future
June 10, 2025
"Teachers need actionable insights, not just raw data."
Kristin SkinnerFive Years of DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"The soloist has to begin at the start of the form and end at the end of that form."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
November 6, 2017
"At Microsoft, we really started to understand what are the real needs of our customers."
Surya VankaUnleashing Swarm Creativity to Solve Enterprise Challenges
June 10, 2021
