Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
DesignOps–Leading the Path to Parity
Summary
Why and how are creative agency leaders and traditional graphic designers finding their way into DesignOps? What is the future of DesignOps within traditional design agencies?
Most who are looking into the DesignOps space know it for its focus on the Ps: People, Process, Practice — mostly for technology, and mostly for Product design.
Key Insights
-
•
Design ops in agencies must expand beyond technology focus to include people, process, and practice to foster parity and inclusion.
-
•
Francis Iana was hired directly as the first design ops lead at co forma, highlighting the growing strategic value of design ops in agency leadership.
-
•
Historically, creative agencies operated with competitive, gender-imbalanced leadership, but fears around job security have intensified since the pandemic.
-
•
Operationalizing equity through tools like career leveling spreadsheets, skills matrices, and onboarding checklists promotes transparency and reduces bias.
-
•
The concept of 'office housework' represents important but undervalued work crucial for leveling the playing field in agencies.
-
•
Creative agencies are best described as 'project pioneers' needing flexibility and support rather than rigid hierarchical control.
-
•
Resistance to change is common, but design ops practitioners should persist and iterate to embed lasting cultural transformation.
-
•
Intentional leadership to nurture and retain women and underrepresented designers is crucial to advancing agency parity.
-
•
Design ops practices, including equitable user research and fostering diverse team communication, help embed inclusion into workflows.
-
•
Hope and creative optimism are essential mindsets for design ops leaders driving systemic positive change in uncertain environments.
Notable Quotes
"Design ops in all we do at co forma is purpose-driven, intentional, fair, and openly equitable."
"Winning my next client, my next project, my next design award was once all I cared about. Now, it’s about building equity and shared success."
"Office housework is everything from administrative tasks to employee engagement; it’s undervalued but essential for team success."
"Project pioneer organizations resist top-down control, needing design ops to provide tools allowing creative teams to pivot and adapt."
"If you’re standing for something, you have to stand for the thing, even if it’s a hard fight."
"When you don’t see yourself in leadership, you don’t go there. Representation matters deeply in agency culture."
"Keep trying and iterating your design ops initiatives even if stakeholders resist at first."
"Artists are messengers of the ideal. That’s why design ops can make those ideals more palpable in agencies."
"Hope locates itself in the spaciousness of uncertainty and the belief that what we do matters even if outcomes are unknown."
"If we’re in a position to keep the gate, we don’t just keep it open, we tear it down."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Prioritization work is a political process, and politics are hard to do in technology."
Mark Interrante Harry MaxAI for Prioritization (3rd of 3 seminars)
July 11, 2024
"No VP or director has direct responsibility at board level. It’s the C-executives who ultimately decide."
Patrizia BertiniThe (r)evolution of designOps: It’s Time to Think (really) BIG
September 11, 2025
"Translation is key to earn the seat at the table."
Shan ShenTranslating UX Terms into Business Contexts
November 29, 2023
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth, said Mike Tyson."
Adam ThomasSurvival Metrics – Making Change in a Fast, Data-Informed, and Politically Safe Way
December 6, 2022
"Turning the research lens on both the ‘in here’ organization and the ‘out there’ customer reality helps reveal misalignments and opportunities."
Robin BeersResearch as a Catalyst for Organizational Transformation
March 12, 2021
"Accessibility defects are bugs. If it’s a P1 blocking bug for an accessibility issue, treat it like any other P1 bug."
Sheri Byrne-HaberAccessibility at Scale
June 9, 2021
"Playbacks are stakeholder-focused meetings that sell the work’s story and drive buy-in, different from critiques focused on craft."
Joseph MeersmanSweating the Pixel: Scaling Quality through Critique
June 10, 2021
"Don't reinvent the wheel all the time; build on top of what others have built."
Deanna Washington Bria Alexander Jon Fukuda Saara Kamppari-Miller Farid SabitovConnecting the Ops: Plenary Panel and Closing Circle
September 9, 2022
"Equal solutions still leave some people out; tailoring based on needs actually provides equity."
Aaron Stienstra Lashanda HodgeLeveraging Civic Design to Advance Equity and Rebuild Trust in the US Federal Government
December 8, 2021
