Opening Remarks
Summary
The second day of the Design Operations Summit 2021 was opened by the Roosevelt Media host who acknowledged the curation team, speakers, and facilitators for their efforts. The day’s theme was led by Bud Cadet and centered on achieving successful outcomes for design operations teams. Attendees were guided on how to navigate the conference program, including the separation of sponsor sessions—free and open to all—from the main paid programming. The host expressed gratitude towards sponsors such as Verizon Design, Mural, and others, emphasizing their support for workshops and content. Attendees were encouraged to engage in the event’s Slack community using #deogenerall for discussions and #deogenerall.help for technical assistance. Special attention was given to cohort groups that foster networking and knowledge sharing among participants. Notably, the conference provided comprehensive session support, with dedicated note takers like MJ Broadbitt and Kay Abba who captured and distributed notes, resource lists, decks, and recordings, allowing attendees to fully focus on the content without needing to take their own notes. Kay Abba’s multi-disciplinary background was highlighted as crucial to delivering quality session notes. Overall, the day set a collaborative and well-supported atmosphere for design ops professionals.
Key Insights
-
•
Day two of DesignOps Summit 2021 focused on successful outcomes in design operations, curated and hosted by Roosevelt Media and led by Bud Cadet.
-
•
Sponsor sessions are free and open to everyone, running separately from the main paid program to provide inclusive high-quality content.
-
•
Verizon Design was a major sponsor, supporting all four DesignOps workshops, illustrating strong industry backing.
-
•
Slack channels play a key role in community engagement, with #deogenerall for content discussion and #deogenerall.help for technical support.
-
•
Cohorts are structured groups of 10–20 people that encourage networking, idea exchange, and sustained community during the conference.
-
•
DesignOps Summit provides curated session notes, resource lists, decks, and recordings to eliminate attendee note-taking burdens.
-
•
Dedicated scribes like MJ Broadbitt and Kay Abba ensure comprehensive and accurate capture of session content and resources.
-
•
Kay Abba’s diverse experience in UX design, project management, and human relations enriches the quality of conference notes and documentation.
-
•
The conference emphasizes inclusivity and accessibility by making all digital content available shortly after each session.
-
•
Digital swag bags offer attendees exclusive deals from sponsors, replacing traditional physical giveaways with online value.
Notable Quotes
"Sponsors make this conference possible, without them we wouldn't be here talking about some incredibly interesting things."
"Sponsor sessions are free for anyone, whether you paid to attend or not, so invite your coworkers, friends, and family."
"Cohorts are one of the most highly rated parts of our conferences every single year, you get to meet somebody new from a different company."
"If you want to take part in the gifs, laughs, jokes, questions, and links to resources, join us on #deogenerall Slack channel."
"You do not need to take any notes, we have dedicated note takers who provide session notes, resource lists, decks, and videos."
"Kay Abba is a business and project analyst, UX designer, and project manager who brings multifaceted expertise to our note-taking."
"All session notes and resources will be available within the hour, so you can just relax and absorb the content."
"There are no overlaps between sponsor content and main programming, so you never have to choose what to attend."
"Check out our digital swag bag for some awesome offers from our sponsors – it's like free t-shirts and sweaters but digital."
"If you have any tech issues or need customer support, #deogenerall.help is here to assist you throughout the conference."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Google Docs is not a web page; it’s a web app that requires handling many keyboard shortcuts and focus management."
Sam ProulxEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Screen Readers
June 11, 2021
"If you want to avoid time zone confusion, you can switch the conference schedule to your local time on the program page."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
November 17, 2022
"This is a moment to rethink identity beyond UX and get creative with income streams and career paths."
Corey Nelson Amy SanteeLayoffs
November 15, 2022
"Blaming the system for failures is like blaming the garden for not growing—the system is made by the people within it."
Milan GuentherA Shared Language for Co-Creating Ambitious Endeavours
June 6, 2023
"We’re starting to see the role of the central researcher shift more towards coaching than just doing research themselves."
Erin May Roberta Dombrowski Laura Oxenfeld Brooke HintonDistributed, Democratized, Decentralized: Finding a Research Model to Support Your Org
March 10, 2022
"The most important thing you can do is listen and watch and put assumptions aside about what is easy or hard."
Sam ProulxUnderstanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users
June 6, 2023
"The core thesis is that saving time with AI and reallocating it into research itself unlocks the true potential of the field."
Mujtaba HameedThe new horizon of ethnography: using AI to unlock the full potential of in-person research
March 11, 2026
"Future thinking helps us create future memories, essentially to hack our neurobiology and trick our brains into creating pathways to imagine possible futures."
Ilana LipsettAnticipating Risk, Regulating Tech: A Playbook for Ethical Technology Governance
December 10, 2021
"If we think disability as a mismatch between user and environment rather than a medical problem, it becomes easier to understand how accessibility benefits everyone."
Samuel ProulxFrom Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
September 10, 2025
