Summary
Today’s problems are often yesterday’s solutions—quick fix solutions often perpetuate the problem or circumvent them completely. How can we identify the right opportunities for DesignOps & ensure the processes or programs that emerge are successful? We’ll take a system-dynamics approach to map out the process, flows, and operational models of an organization. By combining this strategy and building technology that focuses on automation, orchestration, and measurement, we can achieve the speed, scale, and quality goals of any organization.
Key Insights
-
•
Design operations at Workday was formalized in 2016 to scale design’s impact and velocity beyond just team size.
-
•
Lack of clear rules initially made it hard to rebel or change processes, inspiring deliberate system mapping and problem picking.
-
•
Design ops at Workday acts as a bridge connecting design with finance, legal, security, and workplace teams previously unrelated.
-
•
Automation was critical to streamline complex, multi-team workflows, especially for delivering visual assets without extra overhead.
-
•
Designers retained their familiar design tools, while automation and modular platforms handled delivery and integration with developers.
-
•
By taking ownership of deliverables, designers gained accountability but also responsibility for quality and impact.
-
•
Research operations prioritize data privacy compliance like GDPR by indexing content and metadata without adding extra researcher workload.
-
•
Effective design ops tools must integrate with developer and product management systems rather than force new isolated workflows.
-
•
The evolution from all-in-one 'Swiss Army knife' tools to specialized tooling enhances focus and productivity in design organizations.
-
•
Successful design operations require intentional planning and curiosity, similar to organizing a complex mountain climb with attention to team morale and gear.
Notable Quotes
"It’s kind of difficult to break the rules when they’re not very clear and they’re not really there."
"We wanted to move fast in the right direction, not just going anywhere for the sake of going there."
"We had no idea where we were going, so we had to build and connect with teams like we’d never had before."
"Designers can focus on designing and developers can focus on developing — people are getting paid to do their jobs now."
"By building tools around the natural workflow and how work was being done, we moved faster and worked more productively."
"Surprising to me, PMs benefited from the platform and were able to work faster in their own lifecycles."
"There’s a lot of tools that can do everything, but they can’t do one thing really, really well."
"We had to partner closely with information security to ensure every piece of data in research files was tracked and compliant."
"If you’re intentional in your tools and choices, and curious about their impact, you’ll find aligned interests and ease."
"I’m hoping that once we figure this out, I can kind of go back to my old goal and break those rules."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"When communities are engaged, conservation succeeds dramatically."
Alex Hurworth Bonnie John Fahd Arshad Antoine MarinDesigning a Contact Tracing App for Universal Access
October 23, 2020
"It’s really okay if this new position on your team is short-term only; we can provide the initial opportunity to get started on their career paths."
Laine Riley Prokay Lisa GordonCarving a Path for Early Career DesignOps Practitioners
September 9, 2022
"You won’t know what success looks like until you put something out there and see how it works in practice."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"Design researchers know customers better than almost anyone else in the organization, yet they are rarely invited into strategy processes."
Nathan ShedroffDouble Your Mileage: Use Your Research Strategically
March 31, 2020
"Mobile browsers are typically updated with the OS, reducing variability compared to desktop browser versions."
Sam ProulxMobile Accessibility: Why Moving Accessibility Beyond the Desktop is Critical in a Mobile-first World
November 17, 2022
"Choosing the right cadence depends on your team’s resources and maturity—some do it every two weeks, others monthly."
Feleesha SterlingBuilding a Rapid Research Program (Videoconference)
May 18, 2023
"Culturally resonant experiences can influence society in ways governments only dream of, with velocity and speed."
Neil BarrieWidening the Aperture: The Case for Taking a Broader Lens to the Dialogue between Products and Culture
March 25, 2024
"For many years, folks came to us with questions beyond design — about career paths, tools, skills, and intake management."
John DevanneyThe Design Management Office
November 6, 2017
"Find the curious partners who will do some of the evangelizing for you to their peers."
Katy MogalBut Do Your Insights Scale?
March 12, 2021