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Summary
If you’ve been wondering just how DesignOps has evolved to its current state, where it’s going, and how you can influence its future, you won’t want to miss our upcoming two-part series of DesignOps community calls. It’s your chance to learn from expert panelists and participate in a community exercise centered around mapping out the practice of DesignOps. Esteemed emeritus DesignOps curator Dave Malouf and emcee Meredith Black provide a firsthand account of the trends and factors that have influenced the direction of the practice over the past five years. We then begin working on our own mapping of DesignOps as a community, led by curator Farid Sabitov.
Key Insights
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DesignOps popularity peaked around 2018-2019 but declined in Google Trends during the pandemic while community interaction grew.
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There is a significant shortage of DesignOps experts to meet industry demand, causing challenges in scaling teams effectively.
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DesignOps roles vary greatly by company size, leadership, and organizational needs, making standardization difficult.
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The field is still early in maturity, with experts viewing it as emerging rather than established.
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Inclusivity and identity fluidity are rising concerns in DesignOps practices, affecting operational considerations.
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Integration and collaboration between DesignOps and ProductOps is an unresolved challenge for many organizations.
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Change management, coordination, and governance are growing focus areas within DesignOps skill sets.
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DesignOps community learning and peer support are preferred over formal online search or Google due to fragmented definitions.
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There has been a shift from foundational design tools and processes to emphasizing culture, DEI, and inclusive design in DesignOps talks.
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Retention and recognition practices are increasingly important amid a skilled labor shortage and hybrid work environments.
Notable Quotes
"Hiring more designers is not equal to bringing more value; we need to be organized and aligned across disciplines."
"I have experience but I don't think I'm an expert yet; we haven't coalesced different experiences into a unified practice."
"Not every DesignOps person is the same, and the role looks very different depending on the company."
"We’re still figuring out what DesignOps really is; it’s like we’re in a nebula trying to become a star."
"The pandemic showed us we don't need to work a certain way anymore; this changes employer-employee dynamics."
"DesignOps has to bring user-centered design back to the center of product design or risk losing design’s value."
"Fluidity of identity means we can’t put people in fixed categories; we must rethink how we approach operations."
"Design should have its own operational space next to product, not under product, to preserve its uniqueness."
"DesignOps is often expected to educate and advocate because other functions take their practices for granted."
"We need to educate design leaders on setting realistic expectations for DesignOps roles, especially teams of one."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
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