Summary
Research and analytics are the eyes and ears of DesignOps. Validating whether strategies are effective or ineffective allows course correction and adaptation. Identifying problems that require action is essential for facilitating collaboration and ensuring that team members are engaged. Prioritizing user needs is the heart of user experience and Agile development. None of this can be done well without an effective research program. We’ll share how we scale research efforts to collect feedback from thousands of users per month and track the impact of dozens of projects involving 120+ designers.
Key Insights
-
•
IBM’s CIO IT department is only 3% of the company but manages IT for 12,000 IBMers; the CIO design team is just 1% of that group.
-
•
Over half of IBM’s 385,000 employees have been hired within five years, introducing ongoing challenges in onboarding and experience design.
-
•
30% of IBMers work remotely or offsite, necessitating resilient, intuitive digital tools without onsite support.
-
•
The team uses an IT pyramid of pain inspired by Maslow’s hierarchy to ensure foundational tech and network reliability before focusing on tasks.
-
•
Continuous measurement includes tracking NPS, goal completion, ease of use, and user comments linked directly to employee IDs for rich insights.
-
•
IBM shifted from infrequent large surveys to daily embedded Voice of the Employee forms capturing immediate feedback on 4,000 submissions/month.
-
•
The design ops team integrates research, UX, content, and coaching to foster collaboration and prevent silos.
-
•
A predictive AI model helps identify when employees should upgrade their hardware before critical failures occur, leading IBM to offer on-demand new machines.
-
•
Transparency in metrics drives improvement and accountability, with NPS trending to be incorporated into employee evaluations starting next year.
-
•
Kristen emphasizes embracing chaos and iteration in design ops rather than forcing rigid processes, highlighting the team's evolution from phase one simplicity to complex maturity.
Notable Quotes
"This small but mighty CIO design team is literally 1% of the 3% IT population."
"Over half of IBMers have been here less than five years, adding complexity to designing their experience."
"The state of IT is a daily reflection of what IBM thinks and feels about its employees."
"You can’t just focus on the task level, you have to consider the entire ecosystem and its layers."
"People take out a pen when the CIO says I have a design user experience and research function reporting directly to me."
"We’re here to make work better, and the coaching tribe is here to make teams better."
"We moved from large infrequent surveys to daily Voice of the Employee forms capturing real-time user sentiment."
"Every minute spent struggling with an IT system is a minute not delivering value to IBM and our clients."
"Don’t try to control or force data to say what you want. The goal is for data to help make the right decision."
"Measurement matters. Even from a small circle, you can make a big impact."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"When teams lose a sense of agency, they act strange, cutting corners and racing to get something out the door."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"I realized I was just making it up despite the company’s growth."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"White supremacy is the belief system of the superiority of whiteness that can embed itself in algorithms."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"Reviewing decision points creates a source of truth and makes it harder to forget or scrap earlier agreements."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Timely engagement helps stakeholders make faster, more informed decisions that lead to better business and product outcomes."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"There is a common thread in craft: dignity, purpose, utility, and beauty."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"There is no design team responsible for the overarching experience across the entire company."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"If you come with a big idea, they’ll try to dial you back to the smallest iota you can test first."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"The operational glue that binds strategy, execution, and measurement in design is often missing, and that’s critical for scaling."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
