ADHD: A DesignOps Superpower
Summary
After speaking with several colleagues in the DesignOps space, Jessica noticed a trend. Many of them, like herself, had ADHD. Another Observation: DesignOps is a field where those with ADHD can thrive. People with ADHD are often best suited to jobs that are purposeful, fast-paced, allow autonomy and involve lots of variety (as well as risk taking). The characteristics of empathy, energy, passion, and hyper focus under pressure which come with ADHD, make ADHD a DesignOps superpower. Don’t have ADHD? Come learn more about how to work well with some of your colleagues who do! Takeaways An understanding of the types of skills and personality traits that are beneficial in a DesignOps role. How to encourage neurodiverse hiring practices. How to inspire and empower individuals to consider a career in Design Operations.
Key Insights
-
•
ADHD often goes undiagnosed in women because symptoms present differently than in men, such as being seen as chatty or forgetful rather than hyperactive.
-
•
Approximately 7% of adults worldwide have diagnosed symptomatic ADHD, implying multiple neurodivergent individuals likely exist in any moderately sized design team.
-
•
The metaphor by Dr. Edward Hallowell compares ADHD to a race car engine with bicycle brakes, implying great power but challenges in regulation.
-
•
Traits that make Jess suited for design operations overlap with her ADHD characteristics, including managing ambiguity and dynamic environments.
-
•
ADHD individuals can be highly organized as a learned strategy to combat procrastination and memory challenges.
-
•
Hyperfocus allows people with ADHD to intensely concentrate on activities they find interesting, sometimes losing hours without noticing.
-
•
Clear time frames and explicit, constructive feedback significantly improve work effectiveness for ADHD individuals.
-
•
Breaking complex tasks into small, manageable chunks helps maintain motivation and access dopamine rewards from progress.
-
•
Neurodivergent individuals in a team improve inclusive design by uncovering subtle challenges others might miss.
-
•
Discussing personal work needs openly with teams, even without disclosing diagnoses, fosters empathy and better collaboration.
Notable Quotes
"I’m ADHD. I’ve never spoken so publicly about this before."
"In women, ADHD can sometimes just be seen as being chatty or forgetful or clumsy, as opposed to restless and disruptive."
"Having ADHD is like having a race car engine for a brain but with the brakes of a bicycle."
"Design Ops calls for someone who’s able to remain calm in ambiguous and changing environments, which surprisingly fits ADHD traits well."
"ADHD isn’t actually a deficit of attention, but instead trouble regulating it."
"If a task is labeled urgent it immediately sets my brain off into fight mode and I won’t be able to think about anything else."
"The best advice I ever received from a colleague was to find something in every project that interests you."
"Everyone may have different energy levels depending on the time of day, medication can also affect this."
"The most important thing you can do as a colleague, boss, or friend is ask what helps you work better."
"If a goal isn’t met it’s not all down to you; it’s a team effort and often influenced by many external factors."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Companies are no longer dependent on where people are located to work."
Lavy Kumar Kat Temple Shan Sebastian Tara Jensen Jenn ChouFuture of Work
June 9, 2021
"It’s really been helpful that research supports design not just in discovery but also in validating that what we build meets customer expectations."
Andreas Huebner Amy Takata Craig BrookesWhat Is It Like To Be Part of The UX Team at Compass?
March 11, 2021
"When people answer in a similar way, they find clusters that can be used to group users."
Ricardo MartinsUnlocking the power of advanced quantitative methods
March 12, 2025
"Closing the distance is about connecting not only with customers but also between cross-functional team members."
Monty HammontreeThe Future of UX Research
December 3, 2020
"For me, ideally one design ops manager per 14 designers is the ratio that works best."
Benjamin RealShowing the Value of DesignOps by Not Having a DesignOps Team
October 21, 2020
"Some people have been doing research ops a lot longer than the term has existed."
Kate TowseyAsk Me Anything (AMA) with Kate Towsey
April 2, 2025
"Visualizing data in a way executives can interpret is key to shifting from I think to I know."
Steve Portigal Chris Chapo Kelly Goto Christian RohrerDiscussion
May 13, 2015
"If it didn’t come from Amazon or Costco, I probably don’t own it because I know the experience will be consistent."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
March 28, 2023
"Most of the work on accessible prototyping for screen readers is still in early or mid research stages but is improving rapidly."
Sam ProulxPrototype Reviews, People With Disabilities, and You
October 1, 2021
