Summary
Since its inception in 2017 in Queens, the Design Ops Summit has grown from a 200-person informal gathering curated by Lou, Abby Cover, Dave Maloof, and the speaker, into a major global event with over 600 participants annually. Early on, the summit focused on defining what design operations really meant, exploring roles, responsibilities, and career paths, with Abby Cover serving as a cornerstone expert in information architecture and Dave Maloof as a seasoned design ops professional. As the community expanded, the summit's curation team incorporated broader perspectives from executives and leaders across industries to address challenges such as visibility, proving value, coordination, and collaboration. In 2020, with the addition of Alana Washington bringing organizational design expertise, the summit shifted focus to resilience amidst virtual challenges of burnout and attrition, deepening the role of design ops. In 2021, Bud Cadel's inclusion introduced thought leadership around organizational design and future directions. The summit's structure over three days moves from getting started and team-building to practical toolkits, and finally to envisioning the future of design operations. The event continues to emphasize community-building, collaboration, and the evolving impact of design ops on team effectiveness and overall product experience.
Key Insights
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Design operations is a long-standing, cross-industry practice underlying design team success despite being newly labeled.
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Community growth from 200 to over 600 attendees demonstrates rising interest and the urgent need for clarity in design ops.
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Early focus was on defining roles, career paths, and responsibilities within design operations.
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Research and blind review processes guide content curation, ensuring relevance and diversity of perspectives.
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Key ongoing challenges include lack of visibility, proving value, and cross-team coordination.
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A shift is occurring from efficiency and attribution toward measuring impact on user experience.
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The 2020 virtual summit highlighted resilience, addressing burnout and attrition in design teams.
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Addition of community leaders like Alana Washington brought organizational design perspectives to design ops.
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The summit's three thematic days represent progressing maturity: starting a team, practical methods, and future outlook.
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Effective change management in design ops involves knowing when to push, pull, or let change happen organically.
Notable Quotes
"Design ops work is not new; it's been happening in design organizations, software companies, banks across industries and around the world for many years."
"This conference is a polished version of a conversation that's already happening in the world."
"In 2017, we were really forming a community of people who I like to call design ops curious."
"The audience tripled in size from 200 to 600 in just one year, and we thought, oh my gosh, we're on to something."
"We didn’t want to be navel-gazy; we wanted to understand the value our teammates would find in a role like this."
"The biggest challenges are lack of visibility into the work, proving value, and coordinating and collaborating across teams."
"We're seeing a shift towards impact and how we measure success in the experience itself."
"2020 was challenging but joyful; it was a place where people could be authentic and talk about burnout and attrition."
"When you think about change, there’s pushing to help people get through, pulling to bring people along, and then just letting it happen."
"We're just getting started — there’s an opportunity for all of us to continue to participate and build this community."
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