DesignOps Team-of-One: Navigating Your First Year
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Design operations is not for the faint of heart. In many ways, design operations for the team-of-one is a choose-your-own-adventure game; it’s essential to choose your own path in this new discipline. In this session, you will learn about the challenges encountered, and lessons learned from the perspective of a single-player design operations manager at EA, one of the largest gaming companies in the world. You’ll walk away from this talk with a strategy guide on how to navigate design operations in your organization, and the methods and best practices you can use to be a resilient team-of-one.
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DesignOps Team-of-One: Navigating Your First Year
- 1. Level Up A Single Player’s Guide to the DesignOps Team-of-One Jackie Ajoux DesignOps Manager 1
- 2. 2
- 3. Product Management UX Design Program Management Coding Management 3
- 4. Product Management UX Design Program Management Coding Management 4
- 5. Product Management UX Design Program Management Coding Management 5
- 8. JACKIE BOSS 1: NEW TERRAIN 8
- 9. • In your first 3 months,build your network and learn the landscape • Take notes • Build a repository of what you learn • Group common information into themes 9
- 10. • Objectives for your introductory 1:1s • Build rapport (the most important objective) • Educate others about DesignOps • Where does the design team excel? • What are design team pain points? 10
- 11. Communication pain points Affinity map of information from 1:1s Process challenges What the design org is doing really well Cross-pod product cohesion challenges Quote Anecdote Quote Quote Anecdote Anecdote Anecdote Fact Fact Quote Quote Quote Anecdote Fact Quote Quote Quote Anecdote Fact Fact Fact Fact Fact 11
- 12. JACKIE BOSS 1: NEW TERRAIN 12
- 13. JACKIE Triage 13
- 14. JACKIE BOSS 2: TRIAGE 14
- 15. • Set up your productivity and organization tools • Note-taking tools • Project management organization • Email rules • Local folders on your computer • etc. 15
- 16. Build a DesignOps backlog 16
- 17. Build a DesignOps backlog Date 17
- 18. Build a DesignOps backlog How this opportunity benefits the org 18
- 19. Build a DesignOps backlog Where did this opportunity originate? 19
- 20. Build a DesignOps backlog What theme applies to this opportunity? 20
- 21. Build a DesignOps backlog Description of the opportunity 21
- 22. Build a DesignOps backlog Priority 22
- 23. Build a DesignOps backlog Assignee and status 23
- 24. • Be judicious about the work you take on • Your backlog should be rooted in research, observations,and feedback 24
- 25. JACKIE BOSS 2: TRIAGE 25
- 27. JACKIE BOSS 3: Feedback 27
- 29. Business strategy Data points from 1:1s Getting feedback and buy-in DesignOps buy-in model 29
- 30. Business strategy Data points from 1:1s Organizational change management Getting feedback and buy-in DesignOps buy-in model 30
- 31. • Organizational change models • John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change • Prosci’s ADKAR Change Management Model John Kotter’s 8-step model: https://www.kotterinc.com/8-steps-process-for-leading-change/ Prosci’s ADKAR model: https://www.prosci.com/adkar/adkar-model Getting feedback and buy-in 31
- 32. • Top-down • Leverage those with influence to communicate support for your projects • Bottom-up • Work with interested designers and stakeholders • Enlist volunteers to evangelize your projects • DesignOps • Rally the team • Get as much buy-in as possible Top-down DesignOps Bottom-up Getting feedback and buy-in 32
- 33. JACKIE BOSS 3: Feedback 33
- 35. Real T alk? JACKIE Boss 4: Loneliness 35
- 36. JACKIE Boss 4: Loneliness 36
- 37. JACKIE Boss 4: Loneliness 37
- 39. JACKIE Boss 5: Visibility 39
- 40. Assume you already ha ve a sea t a t the t able 40
- 41. You are marie Kondo-ing the design team 41
- 42. Will this make life better for the team? 42
- 43. [Context] [problems you’ve identified], [solution you propose] will align with [the organization’s strategic initiatives] by: - [Proposed improvement] - [Proposed improvement] - [Proposed improvement] The DesignOps Value Proposition 43
- 44. The DesignOps Value Proposition State the context and problem 44 Due to a siloed organization and no unified repository of design information, the quality of designs and speed of delivery are inconsistent, and designers’ time is wasted searching for templates, best practices, and design standards. A design playbook will optimize customer satisfaction that reinforces brand equity: • Increasing the speed and quality of design output by providing reusable best-in-class design templates and guides • Reduce the duration of time for a new hire to ramp-up due to accessible onboarding guides, tools, templates, and strategy overview • Improve design quality by through the definition, standardization, and accessibility of design quality standards
- 45. The DesignOps Value Proposition State the proposed solution Due to a siloed organization and no unified repository of design information, the quality of designs and speed of delivery are inconsistent, and designers’ time is wasted searching for templates, best practices, and design standards. A design playbook will optimize customer satisfaction that reinforces brand equity: • Increasing the speed and quality of design output by providing reusable best-in-class design templates and guides • Reduce the duration of time for a new hire to ramp-up due to accessible onboarding guides, tools, templates, and strategy overview • Improve design quality by through the definition, standardization, and accessibility of design quality standards 45
- 46. The DesignOps Value Proposition Connect your solution to the organization’s strategy Due to a siloed organization and no unified repository of design information, the quality of designs and speed of delivery are inconsistent, and designers’ time is wasted searching for templates, best practices, and design standards. A design playbook will optimize customer satisfaction that reinforces brand equity: • Increasing the speed and quality of design output by providing reusable best-in-class design templates and guides • Reduce the duration of time for a new hire to ramp-up due to accessible onboarding guides, tools, templates, and strategy overview • Improve design quality by through the definition, standardization, and accessibility of design quality standards 46
- 47. The DesignOps Value Proposition Share the proposed improvements and how it will alleviate the problem(s) Due to a siloed organization and no unified repository of design information, the quality of designs and speed of delivery are inconsistent, and designers’ time is wasted searching for templates, best practices, and design standards. A design playbook will optimize customer satisfaction that reinforces brand equity: • Increasing the speed and quality of design output by providing reusable best-in-class design templates and guides • Reduce the duration of time for a new hire to ramp-up due to accessible onboarding guides, tools, templates, and strategy overview • Improve design quality by through the definition, standardization, and accessibility of design quality standards 47
- 48. JACKIE Boss 5: Visibility 48
- 49. JACKIE Scale 49
- 50. 50 JACKIE Boss 6: SCALE
- 51. How can I mul tipl y the imp act of my work? 51
- 52. Scaling remote design sprint facilitation and preparation Design Sprint: https://www.thesprintbook.com/how 52
- 53. Scaling remote design sprint preparation Miro remote design sprint template 53
- 54. Scaling remote design sprint preparation Repository of re-usable decks and guides 54
- 55. Scaling remote design sprint preparation Access the Design Sprint Playlist here Curated music specifically for design sprints 55
- 56. • Identify how you can make training available asynchronously • Video recordings • Guides • Packaged templates • Scale training to as many people as you can • Socialize resources across the company Scaling remote design sprint preparation 56
- 58. Level Up 58
- 59. Year 2 Expect more bosses, and some of the same to return… 59
- 60. Year 2 • Armor upgrade • Experience unlocked • Improved tools 60
- 61. 61
- 62. • Relationships are the coin of the realm • Use affinity mapping to organize what you hear in 1:1s and in meetings • Create and prioritize a DesignOps backlog • Become an expert of your organization’s strategy • Learn organizational change models 62
- 63. • Lean on your relationships to overcome loneliness • Assume you have a seat at the table • Communicate a clear value proposition for your work • Reduce, reuse, and recycle your work as much as you can • Above all else, learn on your talents and strengths, they are your ultimate tool 63
- 64. Illustration by: @Tiffany_Petitt www.tiffanypetitt.com Jackie Ajoux Twitter: @JackieAjoux Instagram: @pragma_ux LinkedIn: in/jajoux/ thank you