Summary
Right Thing? Designed Right? Built Right? How do you know it’s designed right? The answer: Effective design planning and management. Our session introduces a design planning and management tool and discusses how it can empower enterprise teams with clarity and data at every altitude, so you know you are designing the right thing right. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at design information management and tooling that will help you execute UX at scale.
Key Insights
-
•
Design inputs come from many disconnected systems and formats such as PDFs, Figma files, spreadsheets, Slack messages, and Confluence pages.
-
•
Design teams operate at different altitudes, from pixel-level UI details to big-picture company strategy, each requiring different but connected information.
-
•
Most organizations lack a centralized design planning and management system that connects disparate information hubs meaningfully.
-
•
DP&M hubs allow teams to navigate complex design information by showing relationships between components, templates, content types, and requirements.
-
•
Using Airtable as a flexible DP&M tool enables filtered views and dashboards tailored to different team roles and altitudes.
-
•
A well-maintained DP&M hub reduces context switching, unnecessary meetings, and risk of conflicting or duplicated design work.
-
•
DP&M tools help identify gaps in requirements and ensure traceability between design choices and business goals or user research.
-
•
Maintaining the DP&M system is a shared responsibility among designers, with some help from design ops or leads.
-
•
Integrations between tools like Jira, Figma, and Airtable enrich the design process but require manual upkeep and collaboration commitment.
-
•
There is currently no end-to-end centralized design planning tool on the market, so custom solutions like this are vital for enterprise teams.
Notable Quotes
"Research and insights are only part of the information schema we’re talking about — there’s a vastness of design information we need at our fingertips."
"We don’t need a north star, we need a constellation that allows us to see the full picture."
"Inputs live in many places for good reasons, so the goal isn’t to unify everything in one system but to connect these hubs meaningfully."
"Design teams must operate and deliver across a range of altitudes — from pixel details to integrated global views."
"The design planning and management tool pulls together all necessary design reference material and design deliverables that need ongoing management."
"It’s our responsibility as designers to communicate upstream and downstream, keeping design information accessible and up to date."
"The DP&M system has everything designers wish they could see from tools like Jira and Figma but can’t because those tools aren’t designed for that level of connected design management."
"Dashboards allow design leads to visualize status, alignment, and potential gaps across screens, components, templates, and content types."
"The right tool must support relationships and databases — otherwise, you lose the real power of connections in design data."
"Planned right and managed right design leads to the right thing, designed right, and built right."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If design didn’t move the needle, we wouldn’t be having this conversation."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"Space has meaning in a map—if you move components around without reason, it’s no longer a map."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"The Twitter algorithm favored lighter skin tones when cropping images, reflecting racial bias in tech."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"By observing Jeff’s concerns and asking questions, I was able to show empathy and focus on the problem rather than get defensive."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"I challenge everyone to create a strategic AI integration plan that goes beyond everyday tasks to achieve career and company goals."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"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
"Trust is often underestimated but is critical when designers face public critique and feedback."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"TripAdvisor is really nine major business units each thinking like sub companies instead of one end-to-end user experience."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"Our two-way Jira integration allows you to link design activities directly with epics, user stories, and tasks."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
