Summary
As DesignOps leaders, we face the challenge of establishing industry practices, organizations, and roles new to our businesses and to design. At MailChimp, we’ve outlined a strategic roadmap and metrics to communicate and execute our vision. Jacqui Frey shows how MailChimp stepped outside of design and drew from patterns in nature and human behavior to envision DesignOps programs, frameworks, systems, and metrics to scale their design organization.
Key Insights
-
•
Design operations at MailChimp evolved from a single role to a nine-person team with a clear strategic focus on reducing friction and enabling flow.
-
•
Jackie Fry’s sociology background shaped the design ops strategy, blending social science with business operations.
-
•
The concept of flow, from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, was key to understanding optimal performance in design teams.
-
•
Design ops strategy centers on superfluidity—removing friction to create a seamless, efficient work environment.
-
•
Organizing design ops into three branches—business operations, CX practice, and design production—allowed focused management of diverse needs.
-
•
Onboarding programs were tested as beta projects to improve designer ramp-up time and manager capacity, validating the flow strategy.
-
•
Data-driven measurement using attrition rates, EMP scores, and cross-functional NPS helped hold design ops accountable and drive continuous improvement.
-
•
Scaling design ops includes not only growing headcount but also distributing ownership of strategy across empowered program managers.
-
•
MailChimp treats vendor and agency partners with the same onboarding rigor as new hires to reduce operational friction.
-
•
The philosophy Change fast, listen hard supports agile adaptation of design ops practices based on ongoing data and feedback.
Notable Quotes
"Design has been in the DNA of MailChimp really since day one, but we are one of the youngest departments."
"It was breath not death. Don’t try to solve for the system—just understand requests and help the business."
"Optimal performance is about making external conditions match your goals."
"What if design ops’ job was to condition the environment and remove friction?"
"Superfluidity is zero viscosity—flowing without loss of kinetic energy—and that inspired our vision for design ops."
"We started using flow and friction as lenses to test if our work gave the team more clarity and improved outcomes."
"As a leader, my job is no longer to have all the answers but to empower our program managers to own the strategy."
"We treat onboarding for vendors and agency partners like onboarding a new hire—same rigor and care."
"Every good strategy should be measured and held accountable within the business."
"Change fast, listen hard is our motto: be prepared for change and adjust quickly based on data."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Tech layoffs are basically an instance of social contagion where companies imitate what others are doing."
Angelos ArnisNavigating the Rapid Shifts in Tech's Turbulent Terrain
October 2, 2023
"Interviewing for design ops needs a special toolkit that shows how to present your skills and prepare effectively."
John Calhoun Rachel PosmanBring your DesignOps Story to Life! The Definitive DesignOps Book Jam
October 3, 2023
"Design systems typically lack content on when and how to use components—adding this makes design more self-service."
Alfred KahnA Seat at the Table: Making Your Team a Strategic Partner
November 29, 2023
"The more specific a story gets, the more universal the themes are felt by everybody."
Dan WillisEnterprise Storytelling Sessions
June 3, 2019
"Design can have an impact on the bottom line, but that puts pressure on design to justify its value economically."
John Maeda Alison RandAbout Design Organizations (Videoconference)
May 13, 2019
"Involving partners directly is powerful: tell me and I forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I understand."
Anat Fintzi Rachel MinnicksDelivering at Scale: Making Traction with Resistant Partners
June 9, 2022
"The seven-foot-wide diagram showed the product’s true complexity, sparking necessary conversations with leadership."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"2020 was focused on resilience, collaboration challenges, burnout, and attrition during the pandemic."
Kristin SkinnerTheme 1 Intro
September 29, 2021
"Before stage in customer journey is so important—it sets customers up for success by making pages findable and clear through SEO and self-assessment tools."
Maish NichaniSparking a Service Excellence Mindset at a Government Agency
December 9, 2021
