The Science of Creativity for DesignOps
Summary
For the past 20 years, Dr Karl K. Jeffries has been fascinated by the study of creativity. In this presentation, he shares some of what he has learnt about creativity and how it applies to DesignOps professionals. Whether you consider yourself creative or not, the science of creativity has much to offer professional design practice in all its many forms. As a critical 21st-century skill, having an informed understanding of creativity is crucial to navigating the next five years. In this presentation, Dr Jeffries begins to explore a few insights to ignite your interest in creativity for DesignOps.
Key Insights
-
•
Creativity is often misunderstood, with myths such as 'you are either creative or not' or 'creativity equals art' prevalent even in design professions.
-
•
Research defines creativity as requiring both originality and effectiveness, highlighting novelty plus usefulness.
-
•
Creativity fuels design, which in turn drives innovation and resilience, both critical in UX and design ops.
-
•
Viewing creative professionals as 'ideas athletes' or 'creativity Olympians' changes how we approach supporting them, emphasizing coaching, recovery, and ecosystems for peak performance.
-
•
Burnout in creative roles is common, with reports showing tech workers are five times more likely to be depressed than the general population, harming creativity.
-
•
The workplace typically fails to nurture creativity properly, often using creative people up and discarding them rather than supporting their growth.
-
•
Design ops is positioned uniquely to redefine creative work cultures by intentionally supporting creativity resilience and challenging damaging myths.
-
•
Optimism—not naive hope—but a realistic yet hopeful mindset is essential for sustaining creativity and resilience amid ongoing challenges.
-
•
Creativity coaching goes beyond hacks; it involves deep shifts in beliefs and values that underpin creative potential and performance.
-
•
Creative professionals benefit from personal practices like cultivating identity and courage, as well as organizational support structures to maintain creative energy.
Notable Quotes
"Are you creative? Such a loaded question, isn't it?"
"Creativity fuels design, design fuels innovation."
"If you value innovation and design, then you're investing in creativity."
"The biggest myth of all is you can't teach creativity."
"I was talking with a person who said I’m like an idea machine, a 24-7 idea machine. The reply was immediate. It isn’t, you get used up and spat out."
"Think of a creative professional as an ideas athlete or a creativity Olympian."
"An elite athlete doesn’t turn up at the Olympics and do their thing without coaches, physios, nutritionists."
"Tech workers in the UK are five times more depressed than the UK average, with stress killing creativity."
"Design ops has the opportunity to set a new default future, not follow the path set by the past."
"If you said are you creative, I’m gonna say hell yeah."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"On mobile, the screen reader intercepts all touches so users can explore without accidentally activating anything."
Sam ProulxEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Screen Readers
June 11, 2021
"If you are a cohort participant and don’t see your private Slack channel, please let us know so we can guide you."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
November 17, 2022
"Your job is a tool to get what you want out of life. Don’t make it more than that."
Corey Nelson Amy SanteeLayoffs
November 15, 2022
"When enterprises are awkward, employees disengage, operations break down, and the customer experience suffers."
Milan GuentherA Shared Language for Co-Creating Ambitious Endeavours
June 6, 2023
"Without releasing control, democratizing research won’t scale. We have to empower people even if some things won’t be perfect."
Erin May Roberta Dombrowski Laura Oxenfeld Brooke HintonDistributed, Democratized, Decentralized: Finding a Research Model to Support Your Org
March 10, 2022
"Accessibility is now considered not just a moral necessity and a human right but a business good because accessible products are better and easier for everyone to use."
Sam ProulxUnderstanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users
June 6, 2023
"In this context, sometimes slower is actually faster because it allows going deeper and unlocking more meaningful insights."
Mujtaba HameedThe new horizon of ethnography: using AI to unlock the full potential of in-person research
March 11, 2026
"Regulation is part of the solution, but by diversifying who makes technology and embedding safeguards, we can better prevent corruption of well-intentioned products."
Ilana LipsettAnticipating Risk, Regulating Tech: A Playbook for Ethical Technology Governance
December 10, 2021
"Accessibility is innovation and the kinds of features people with disabilities need are incredible conveniences for the rest of us."
Samuel ProulxFrom Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
September 10, 2025
