Summary
Long distance relationships are hard – and managing Design Operations for a global team is no exception. Even with the best collaboration tools (and occasional late night phone calls), teams can struggle with isolation and lack of motivation. But there is a way to avoid bad break ups and international team malaise, and Jilanna Wilson knows how. She keeps the love light burning for a team that is spread across 5 continents and 8 time zones. In this session you will hear practical suggestions for topics that are challenging many DesignOps leaders, such as how to manage your team’s critical meetings, maintain consistent onboarding and documentation practices, select effective collaboration tools, and achieve a healthy team culture in a distributed environment.
Key Insights
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Zendesk’s design ops team grew from 1 to 9 people to support a now 100-person distributed design team.
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Isolation and loneliness are top complaints among remote workers, impacting engagement.
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Nonverbal cues are essential for communication; their absence in text leads to misunderstandings.
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Using video and keeping cameras on in meetings dramatically improves remote connection.
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Alternating meeting times across time zones ensures fairness for globally distributed teams.
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Community building via virtual social channels and care packages helps remote employees feel valued.
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Design systems and centralized frameworks maintain consistent design quality across offices and cultures.
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Annual in-person off-sites are critical for remote team bonding and alignment.
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Continuous onboarding, not just front-loaded, supports remote employees’ evolving needs and integration.
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Dedicated design ops roles focusing on communication, research, and community empower distributed teams to thrive.
Notable Quotes
"Support software used to be really shitty and expensive; Zendesk aimed to make it beautifully simple."
"We made up a word: humbladent — humble and confident mixed together."
"Remote workers often feel like their ideas get lost or they miss out on promotions compared to in-office peers."
"Text without nonverbal cues can easily be misinterpreted, emojis and gifs help add tone."
"Having cameras on during meetings even for those in the same room has helped our remote team feel included."
"Sending care packages or small treats to remote employees goes a long way in showing we care."
"The number one problem distributed teams face is lack of alignment."
"Annual off-sites are a big deal but they keep our team tight and people meet each other for the first time."
"Onboarding should be continuous, like sipping water throughout the day rather than chugging a gallon in the morning."
"As design ops leaders we’re in the business of relationships and building strong communities where employees can thrive."
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