Summary
Rosenfeld Media's sixth Design Ops Summit, introduced by Rosenfeld and curated by Bria Alexander along with John Fukuda, Sarah Compari Miller, and Farid Sabatov, focused on clarifying and advancing the field of design operations. Rosenfeld highlighted the evolution of Design Ops since 2017 and praised the global community's energy and diversity. The two-day event featured four key themes: growing successful design operations (presented by John Fukuda), scaling design organizations (Bria Alexander), building inclusive design Ops practices (Sarah Compari Miller), and exploring the future of design operations (Farid Sabatov). The summit combined main program talks with free, high-quality sponsor sessions, a digital swag bag, interactive Slack channels, and social events sponsored by Verizon and others. Rosenfeld urged participants to engage in the community and adhere to the conference’s code of conduct to ensure a safe and inclusive environment. Special thanks were given to sketch note artist MJ Broadbent, whose visual facilitation enriches the conference experience. Overall, the summit emphasized human connection, practical knowledge sharing, and the maturing of design operations as a professional discipline.
Key Insights
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Design Ops as a term and practice was popularized by Dave Malouf in 2017.
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The 2022 Design Ops Summit drew 613 global participants with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
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Clarity is the overarching theme of the summit, addressing Design Ops maturity and its multiple dimensions such as tooling and inclusivity.
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The summit's four main themes focus on growing, scaling, inclusivity, and the future of Design Ops.
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Sponsor sessions provide free, high-quality content that complements the main program without sales pitches.
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Slack channels act as the heart and soul of the conference facilitating interaction, Q&A, and community building.
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No note-taking is necessary as high-quality sketchnotes and presentation materials are shared shortly after sessions, thanks to MJ Broadbent.
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The conference organizers heavily emphasize creating a safe, inclusive community enforced through a published code of conduct.
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Social events and games, like those sponsored by Verizon, are integral to fostering connection during the virtual summit.
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The evolution of Design Ops reflects a shift toward established design management and increased focus on tooling and accessibility.
Notable Quotes
"Dave Malouf dropped that term Design Ops on me in 2017."
"If you think about it, the theme is you — the 613 people from around the planet bringing so much energy and diverse experience."
"This Summit is your annual opportunity to get to know each other and amplify the promise and impact of design."
"We’re using Slack as the heart and soul of this conference — it's where the party is."
"Sponsor sessions are not sales pitches but incredibly high quality content available for free to anyone."
"You don’t need to take notes — MJ Broadbent's sketchnotes capture everything beautifully."
"Please read our code of conduct — creating a safe and inclusive environment is a top priority."
"This conference is as much about community as it is about content."
"Join the design ops Slack channels to interact closely with speakers and peers as if you were sitting next to them in person."
"Without our sponsors, this programming simply would not be possible."
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