Opening Keynote: Org Design for Design Orgs
Summary
As the move to establish in-house design teams accelerates, it turns out there’s very little common wisdom on what makes for a successful design organization. Books and presentations tend to focus on process, methods, and tools, leaving a gap of knowledge when it comes to organizational and operational matters. Kristin Skinner, Head of Design Management at Capital One and co-author of Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams, will shine a light on the unsung activities of actually running a design team, the operational challenges and considerations, and what works and what doesn’t. Drawing on her experience managing design teams and organizations at Microsoft’s Pioneer Studios, Adaptive Path, and Capital One, Kristin will discuss how what happens “behind the scenes” and how a focus on design management and operations can ultimately affect a design organization’s output, quality, and effectiveness.
Key Insights
-
•
Planning must be flexible and continuously updated at individual, team, and organizational levels.
-
•
Leadership style dramatically influences design team cohesion and success, as shown by the Golden State Warriors example.
-
•
Design operations is essential for enabling scalable, effective design organizations beyond just focusing on design craft.
-
•
A small, dedicated design ops team can have an outsized impact on coordination, prioritization, and quality standards in large organizations.
-
•
Design organizations evolve through stages where roles must diversify, including product designer, content strategist, design program manager, design ops, and creative director.
-
•
Fragmented decision-making severely hampers design team effectiveness; participatory leadership allowing teams to craft solutions yields best long-term outcomes.
-
•
Design ops roles relieve stress on heads of design by owning coordination, metrics, staffing balance, and cross-team collaboration.
-
•
Successful design ops teams must act as diplomats within their organizations, enabling others rather than enforcing rigid rules.
-
•
Hiring for design ops should balance design expertise with complementary business or technical skills tailored to organizational needs.
-
•
Regularly sharing learnings and iterating openly on design operations practices accelerates organizational maturity and impact.
Notable Quotes
"The plan always changes, but we need to be ready."
"Mark Jackson’s command and control style tore the Warriors apart; Steve Kerr’s inclusive leadership led them to a championship."
"It’s not just the design work you see; it’s the unseen operations behind the scenes that determine quality."
"Don’t go alone. The loneliness of the first UX designer is real."
"An effective design organization treats operations as seriously as the work products."
"Fragmented decision-making can have an outsized impact on an organization's success."
"There is no one size fits all. Go in, do your research, and find where the failure points are."
"Design managers make things go; they’re the GPS of the design organization."
"A small, dedicated design ops team has incredible leverage and impact."
"Be a diplomat. Help people do their jobs better and share what you learn generously."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If you’re rewarding designers for delivering on time, great, but if you reward them for delivering accessible products on time, you’ll get better results."
Sheri Byrne-HaberAccessibility at Scale
June 9, 2021
"When UX researchers and product managers collaborate, the product speaks to users’ hearts."
Prayag Narula Hannah HudsonEmpowering Designers to do Good Research
March 11, 2022
"Don't just flip the switch and say go talk to customers; you have to set guardrails and train people."
Janelle EstesUX Research Trends
January 28, 2021
"Content design is nascent and often misunderstood, but embedding content designers improves product clarity and usability."
Craig Brookes Andreas Huebner Morgan Quinn"Just Make it Look Good" and Other Ways We're Misunderstood
June 11, 2021
"Slow and intentional communication allows you to be fully present rather than distracted by constant notifications."
Marc Fonteijn Ru ButlerIncrease your confidence, influence, and impact (through a Professional Community)
December 3, 2024
"You cannot provide end-to-end service for every researcher, but you can deliver highly supported self-service — Kate Towsey."
Kate TowseyThe State of ResearchOps: More Than Just Theory
June 20, 2019
"Our nervous system is ancient; it can’t tell the difference between an angry email and a tiger lurking."
Alla WeinbergDesign Teams Need Psychological Safety: Here’s How to Create It
September 9, 2022
"A government designer aims to reduce UX variation while a contractor may optimize only their single product, creating potential conflicts."
Shawna Hein Kevin HoffmanCreate a Cohesive Civic Design Practice Across Agency, Vendors, and Contracts
November 17, 2022
"You have to find mentors and sponsors who leverage their privilege to help you get as far as possible."
Tricia WangSCALE: Discussion
June 15, 2018
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What hidden costs should be accounted for beyond license fees when budgeting for research tools?
What strategies help UX teams translate usability findings into stakeholder-relevant outcomes like cost savings or risk reduction?
How can organizations manage the noise created by non-expert researchers conducting user research?