Summary
The speaker begins by challenging traditional industry standards, introducing the importance of tools in the evolution of design processes. Drawing parallels from agriculture and manufacturing, they argue that while tools can enhance efficiency, the foundation of success remains the people involved in the processes. The talk shifts to the concept of scalability, highlighting how to create integrated systems that allow for dynamic and automated workflows. The speaker compares design management to design operations, noting that effective design operations require a focus on creating systems that can handle large teams and complex projects without sacrificing quality or access. The session emphasizes the need for organizations to evolve their design practices by integrating low-code and no-code tools. It concludes with a call to action for fostering future design operations through collaborative learning and innovative solutions.
Key Insights
-
•
Tools are crucial for evolving design practices but people are the foundation of success.
-
•
Design scalability will be achieved through integrating knowledge bases and automation.
-
•
The difference between managing design and operating design is in thinking dynamically about systems.
-
•
High-level design operations can transform manual tasks into automated processes to enhance productivity.
-
•
Organizational maturity in design can be categorized into five levels: awareness, standardized, integrated, accelerated, and innovated.
-
•
Design systems should be built to support large teams effectively, learning from smaller scale practices.
-
•
Low-code and no-code tools can simplify the creation of scalable systems.
-
•
Integration of knowledge management is essential for onboarding and continuous learning in design teams.
-
•
Communities like Designers Assembly play a crucial role in standardizing practices across the design industry.
-
•
Breaking the fear of complexity is vital for future design operations.
Notable Quotes
"Tools are helping us evolve the way we work faster."
"If you're looking to scale design practices, integrate knowledge management."
"The approach of scaling practices for 30 designers versus 3,000 designers is different."
"Design is all about solving challenges at scale."
"If your goal is to go to the Moon, you must design a spaceship, not a bicycle."
"Excel is great, but it's not scalable."
"Design management controls access manually; design operations automate it."
"We're creating dynamic distribution lists to reduce human error."
"Design operations will focus on integrated onboarding processes."
"We have to break the fear of complexity to innovate effectively."
















More Videos

"Being a design educator rather than just a designer helps teams collaborate effectively."
Julie Gitlin Esther RaiceDesign as an Agent of Digital Transformation at JPMC
June 9, 2021

"Burnout and trauma can be seen as related cousins; sharing symptoms and responses but distinct in their implications."
Rachael Dietkus, LCSW Uday Gajendar Dr. Dawn Emerick Dawn E. Shedrick, LCSWLeading through the long tail of trauma
July 13, 2022

"There's a need for different perspectives on important topics, even if similar titles already exist."
Louis RosenfeldCoffee with Lou: Should You Write a (UX) Book?
March 7, 2024

"Good morning. I'd like to start off by sharing a story with you guys this morning."
Sarah GallimoreInspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future
November 18, 2022

"Throwing away old methods for new ones can unlock skills you didn't know you had."
John DonmoyerShipping your code generation experiments to production
June 11, 2025

"Optimization through Slack can help us be gentler to each other."
Bria AlexanderTheme 1 Intro
September 23, 2024

"It's really important to identify what your primary challenge is."
JJ KercherA Roadmap for Maturing Design in the Enterprise
June 15, 2018

"We need each other and we need each other's support"
Bria AlexanderTheme Two Intro
September 8, 2022

"The interface creates a hierarchy between the technology and the user."
Lukas Moro“Feels Like Paper!”: Interfacing AI through Paper
June 11, 2025