Summary
In this panel discussion, Dan, Jackie, and Ornima explore the complexities of integrating UX and design operations within organizations. Dan shares anecdotes about influencing federal agencies by persistently advocating for user-centered approaches, noting that while their UX efforts may not have been perfect, they irrevocably changed mindsets at leadership levels. He emphasizes that effective selling of design is not about pushing fixed solutions but about flexibly adapting to stakeholders' needs and co-creating ownership to sustain solutions. Jackie details growing a design ops team from 1 to 9, projecting 15 members, and explains the rationale behind segregating teams to handle experience design, technology, and operations functions to better address growing friction and scale challenges. She also illustrates how design ops gained leadership buy-in when their new VP, Gene Lee, recognized its strategic value, resulting in a formalized business plan emphasizing reduced friction. Ornima reflects on building a UX research team at Shopify, highlighting the importance of pairing researchers with other disciplines to demonstrate product impact over time and the need for patience in scaling. Both Jackie and Ornima discuss challenges in educating other departments unfamiliar with design’s value, which was resolved by thorough communication and emphasizing human empathy. The conversation closes on the notion that design integration is a process requiring patience, conflict, and timing, reminding practitioners that having an informed opinion today is as important as immediate solutions.
Key Insights
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Persistent advocacy for user-centered design can irreversibly shift leadership perspectives even if perfect UX is unachievable.
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Selling design requires flexibility and adapting solutions to stakeholder feedback rather than rigidly pushing one approach.
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Design ops teams must evolve from simple visual/UI functions to full experience design to meet organizational scale.
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Separating design ops into distinct groups (experience, technology, operations) helps manage friction and scale in growing teams.
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Leadership buy-in for design ops can be accelerated when new executives already understand and champion design at scale.
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Building a business case for design ops requires realistic scope and awareness of organizational maturity.
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Cross-disciplinary pairing (e.g., UX researchers with marketing and data scientists) helps demonstrate product impact and build trust.
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Educating other teams about design’s value demands deliberate communication and well-designed documentation to overcome unfamiliarity.
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Scaling design or UX teams too quickly without addressing structural challenges leads to internal friction and dissatisfaction.
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Patience and timing are critical; sometimes ideas are right but it's not yet the organization's maturity to implement them fully.
Notable Quotes
"Listen hard, change fast."
"I would in no way describe what we did as great UX, but constantly beating them over the head with UX made it impossible for them to unsee it."
"You can absolutely sell design, but it’s less effective to say ‘here’s the exact solution and if you don’t do it you’re an idiot.’"
"If you hear what someone’s saying and say ‘I’ll do that,’ you create connection and ownership that sustains support."
"We expanded design’s role from just UI or visual design to much broader experience design."
"We realized it takes a lot of hands to affect true experience and were understaffed, leading us to split teams thoughtfully."
"Design ops was fast-tracked because our new VP of design already believed in scaling it and made it integral to the business plan."
"Pairing UX researchers with support, data scientists, and marketing helps knowledge transcend disciplines and shows impact."
"At first, other teams had no idea who we were or what design even did, but well-designed documents helped break that wall down."
"Collective consciousness and alignment is a game of patience; conflict and friction often precede progress."
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