Theme Three Intro
Summary
In this talk, the inclusive design Ops program manager starts by addressing the varied definitions of inclusion and encourages embracing them all as valid. She links inclusion closely with inclusive design, which centers accessibility but also extends to considering exclusion based on race, culture, gender, trauma, and more. Highlighting partnership opportunities with HR and others, she urges finding commonality rather than division in how inclusion is defined. She previews upcoming talks by Laura on accessibility, Pat and Alexandra on global Design Ops, Monsey on feminist perspectives, and Jess on neurodiversity, positioning these as lenses to deepen the conversation. She connects inclusion intentionally to the conference theme of building Design Ops clarity, asserting that inclusion guides prioritization and decision-making. The talk closes with a framework—head (logical understanding), heart (empathy and vulnerability), and hands (action)—to prepare the audience for engaging with sometimes uncomfortable but necessary conversations and to inspire concrete next steps. Overall, she calls on Design Ops professionals to leverage their skills to lead inclusion initiatives.
Key Insights
-
•
Inclusion in Design Ops encompasses a broad spectrum including disability, race, culture, gender, and trauma.
-
•
Inclusive design focuses on the process and asks who might be excluded at every stage.
-
•
Different departments such as HR use different inclusion definitions, which can be harmonized through partnership.
-
•
Finding overlaps in inclusion definitions builds stronger relationships and collaborative efforts.
-
•
Intentional inclusion leads to clarity in Design Ops priorities and decision-making.
-
•
Design Ops professionals have the skills and opportunity to lead inclusion initiatives.
-
•
Upcoming talks will explore inclusion through accessibility, global perspectives, feminism, and neurodiversity lenses.
-
•
Inclusion conversations may cause discomfort due to their novelty in design contexts.
-
•
The head, heart, and hands framework prepares teams to engage intellectually, emotionally, and practically with inclusion.
-
•
Inclusion efforts help teams learn how and when to say yes or no by understanding what's important to people and the world.
Notable Quotes
"There are so many different definitions for what inclusion is and they are all correct."
"When I use the word inclusion, I’m usually using it in conjunction with the term inclusive design."
"The guiding question I’ve adopted is who might we be excluding now."
"Look for the commonality in our definition of inclusion rather than the differences."
"Inclusion is an opportunity to build relationships rather than create division."
"When we start being intentional about inclusion, we gain clarity in Design Ops."
"Design Ops professionals have the skills to lead these big initiatives like inclusion."
"Some of these talks might make people feel a little uncomfortable because we haven’t had these conversations before."
"The head is where we are logical and rational and ask why do we need to include inclusion in Design Ops."
"The hands is the part we love — action — to start doing things on your teams right after this Summit."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"High-quality participants are the fuel that makes the whole research operation engine run smoothly."
Kate Towsey Basel Fakhoury Oren Friedman Graham GardnerParticipant Recruitment and Management Tools
March 12, 2026
"We emphasized a simple one-button workflow with manual editing and regeneration to handle inevitable AI errors."
Jennifer KongJourneying toward AI-assisted documentation in healthcare
June 5, 2024
"There are two kinds of conflict: one is a zero-sum tug of war, and the other is creative tension that creates something unexpected."
Kevin M. HoffmanTheme 2: Enterprise Team Journey
June 3, 2019
"Find your senior executive ally who understands design and go talk to them first — it works."
Amy MarquezINVEST: Discussion
June 15, 2018
"Working in pixels, we still have fingerprints. You all have a style. That’s a great thing."
Gretchen AndersonScaling the Human Center
June 8, 2017
"It's not enough to imagine the future; we have to make plans that influence and build those preferable futures."
April ReaganLook, Think, Act: The Futures-Smart Design Organization
October 1, 2021
"Lead with empathy because a lot of solutions will live outside of your wheelhouse."
Dante GuintuHow to Crush the Talent Crunch
September 8, 2022
"Iteration is the golden rule of design, including iterating on your design system rules themselves."
Jaime CreixemsBest Practices when Creating and Maintaining a Design System
June 7, 2023
"The more detailed, the more you start siloing and confusing the whole project."
Billy CarlsonPrinciples of Team Wireframing
October 2, 2023
