Theme 1 Intro
Summary
The session is centered on resilience, defined here as the capacity to withstand or quickly recover from challenges. It begins with Corey sharing his personal story of resilience during a difficult job search from 2023 to 2024, which had a positive outcome with his hiring at Adobe. Daniel then discusses the importance of resilience in everyday work scenarios, emphasizing team collaboration and co-creating operational models amidst uncertainty. Deanna Smith, Laura Gatewood, and Lane Pro K contribute practical insights on optimizing workflows through tools like Slack and fostering empathy among team members. A midday panel with Corey, Deanna, Laura, Lane, and the host synthesize these themes. The day closes with Silka Bcha, ALA Weinberg, and Zaria Cameron focusing on personal and moral authenticity to enhance both self and teammate wellbeing. Together, these stories and discussions illustrate how resilience is not just surviving difficulties but improving the practice and personal connections within design operations.
Key Insights
-
•
Resilience includes both enduring challenges and learning from them to improve practices.
-
•
Corey’s successful job search illustrates resilience translating into career progression.
-
•
Collaborative operating models help teams stay resilient despite unpredictable circumstances.
-
•
Tool optimization, such as using Slack effectively, can reduce friction and support resilience.
-
•
Empathy and gentleness towards teammates enhance resilience within teams.
-
•
Sharing personal resilience stories fosters inspiration and collective learning.
-
•
Midday panels help integrate diverse perspectives on resilience for holistic understanding.
-
•
True resilience requires embracing humanity and morality in professional settings.
-
•
Design operations face unique resilience challenges due to fast-changing environments.
-
•
Building resilience is a continuous process involving individual and team growth.
Notable Quotes
"Resilience means the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties or toughness."
"Corey’s story of resilience during his 2023 to 2024 job search ends well because we accepted his offer at Adobe."
"Co-creating operating models with our teams helps us remain resilient even when things get a little hairy and squirrely."
"Optimization and using Slack a little better can make us gentler to each other."
"The stories you’re gonna hear today really reflect the world we live in, design operations, and resilience."
"We can make ourselves and our practice better because of what we’ve learned on our journeys of resilience."
"Midday panel brings together Corey, Deanna, Laura, and Lane to talk about everything wonderful so far in the day."
"Being true to our humanity and morality lets us better ourselves and our teammates."
"Resilience is about more than surviving; it’s about growth in our practice and relationships."
"Today’s theme is resilience expressed through inspiring personal and professional stories."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Product managers are going to have to say no to roughly 95% of everything that comes in."
Rich MironovHow Can Product Managers and UXers Help Each Other (and Why are Product Folks so Annoying Sometimes)?
December 6, 2022
"The good vibes you experience are a reflection of the positive collaborative spirit we worked hard to create for you."
Bria AlexanderTheme Two Intro
October 3, 2023
"Developing team flow is a lot like dating—you have to nurture it, build instinct, and practice."
Ruzanna RozmanGetting in Flow with Your Team
January 8, 2024
"Ops folks are the linchpin connecting leadership and designers, orchestrating all the instruments."
Briana Thomas Christina RodriguezWhen Design Ops Comes in H.O.T. : A Tale of a Transformed Design Org
September 30, 2021
"This new vets.gov site is extremely easy. I have not had this level of ease with a government website at all."
Marina MartinLives on the Line: The Stakes of UX at the Scale of Government
June 14, 2018
"Prioritizing top insights prevents stakeholders from getting lost in a sea of data."
Jake BurghardtStop wasting research: Create new value with insight summaries
July 9, 2025
"Without buy-in, you can’t get budgets approved or tools put in place to grow research practices."
Clemens Janssen Jane DavisEfficiently Scaling Research as a Team of One
March 28, 2023
"The first stage we see is the accidental stage with silos and no consistent information across the organization."
Bram WesselEnterprise Information Architecture
January 10, 2020
"Findings from marginalized groups aren’t just relevant to them but often improve the experience for many more people."
Kaitlin TaskerFast and Fearless Inclusive Research
March 27, 2023
