Use These Words and Count These Things
Summary
In this panel session, three seasoned DesignOps practitioners will rise to the challenge of creating a shared vocabulary for discussing impact and maturity—while avoiding the use of DesignOps buzzwords. Panelists, who have each grown and matured DesignOps as a function within their organization (past or present), will represent a mix of DesignOps archetypes outlined in the 2023 DesignOps Benchmarking report (agency, startup, scale-up, enterprise). The discussion will cover defining, measuring, and communicating DesignOps impact as a way to drive DesignOps maturity. The moderator will draw from some of the key findings from the 2023 DesignOps Benchmarking Report to frame the topics.
Key Insights
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Measuring impact helps prioritize high-value design projects and supports business resource decisions.
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A key mark of design ops maturity is being requested early and specifically as a distinct function, not just generic project support.
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Tracking metrics should start with existing available data before introducing new measures.
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Tracking too many metrics creates overhead that distracts from doing actual design work.
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Reports on design program data should be consistent and aligned across teams to avoid silos.
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Communication of metrics must be tailored by audience, balancing frequency to avoid overload.
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Company culture shows design maturity when product teams proactively seek design engagement, not just at last minute.
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Design representation at the C-suite level, like having a Chief Design Officer, signals strong organizational buy-in.
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Broadening design disciplines beyond UX/UI to include service and content design marks growth and sophistication.
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Challenges to maturity include unclear roles between design ops and design leadership, and insufficient investment in measurement capabilities.
Notable Quotes
"Measuring impact can really help you understand where your design team is spending the majority of their time and if they’re dedicated to the right projects."
"When design ops is asked for early on, and specifically as design operations or a design program manager, that’s a real mark of maturity."
"Tracking the results of design ops initiatives allows you to tell data-informed stories, putting you on the same level as other leaders who speak data."
"It’s the same thing with spreadsheets or work back plans; if you’re spending all your time on process and not the work, that’s too much overhead."
"Consistency is key in large organizations to make sure you’re measuring the same things and talking about them the same way."
"You have to tailor messages based on who the data is relevant to — whether you’re communicating up, down, or sideways."
"When product teams proactively engage you early, instead of last minute, that’s a huge cultural shift indicating maturity."
"Having design representation at the C-suite level gives a big voice to design and shows the volume of buy-in."
"Broadening design beyond UX/UI into service and content disciplines reflects growing sophistication in design teams."
"Design leaders not wanting to let go of responsibilities that belong to design ops slows down maturity and measurement investment."
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