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Summary
Ask any design leader and the word scale is most definitely a part of their job description. In this session, Jacqui Frey, Senior Director of Design Operations at Mailchimp, will share her successes and failures with scaling design through DesignOps. Scale requires something greater than determination in order to navigate an organization through change. It requires the power of the community. Social sciences like social theory, flow, chaos theory, and Adlerian psychology reveal key understandings to ensure impactful co-existing in large communities, especially those who require intentional social change. And if there is one thing you can count on in Design, it is change.
Key Insights
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Design operations is fundamentally a form of social work focused on building human connections and removing friction to enable creativity.
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Scaling design ops requires shifting from a team of one handling all tasks to a larger, structured group with defined roles such as program managers and producers.
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A useful design ops to designer ratio is approximately one ops person per ten designers for effective communication and coordination.
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Design ops roles differ significantly from project managers by requiring systemic thinking, partnership building across departments, and acting as agents of change.
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Giving up certain operational responsibilities to design ops should be viewed as gaining power through partnership, not loss of control.
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High emotional intelligence and business acumen are essential skills for design ops professionals to build trust and advocate effectively.
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Design ops plays a critical role in navigating organizational change and managing differing expectations by acting as a translator across functions.
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Supporting designers in organizations with less mature product partnerships involves empathy, active listening, and acting as neutral advocates or 'Switzerland.'
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Effective communication of design ops processes requires clear, audience-appropriate documentation avoiding jargon or overly complex concepts at early stages.
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Design ops can bring joy back to design by reducing operational distractions and empowering designers to focus on their core craft.
Notable Quotes
"Design ops is about removing friction so creativity can flow."
"My job is to make the head of design look super good."
"We have a rocket booster mindset, not scarcity, but abundant collaboration."
"Design ops brings joy back to design by taking the operational weight off designers."
"The best design ops leaders act as servant leaders, playing a no-glory, all-guts role."
"One design ops person per ten designers is when communication pain points start to show."
"It’s easy to get hired as design ops but very hard to gain the buy-in to lead it effectively."
"Design ops is as much about social fabric and community organizing as it is about systems and operations."
"We need clear, simple documentation written in the language of the people we serve."
"Supporting designers with less mature product partnerships means being empathetic and acting like Switzerland in conversations."
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