Recently, several responsibilities of design managers, particularly those that focus on improving the organization of design work, have been re-assigned to DesignOps specialists. By now, the field of DesignOps has its own communities, conferences, and education programs. This talk gives an overview - and some details - of how DesignOps specialists can support design teams and is based on the presenter’s experience as someone who has had the DesignOps mindset forever, who needed DesignOps services for his teams, and who has had the role of DesignOps Manager at Miro.

1. the many ways in which
DesignOps
supports
design teams
Peter Boersma
@pboersma

2. DesignOps

3. Responsibilities are shifting
Source: “A Future of DesignOps: Design management roles shift to Design Operations”, by Adrienne Allnutt
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-designops-design-management-roles-shift-adrienne/
“In 2-5 years, we’ll see Design Management
evolve back to the core [..] of creative
direction, design innovation, storytelling,
and development of their designers.
Other Design Management responsibilities
will shift to Design Operations.”
Adrienne Allnutt, Dir. DesignOps, ServiceNow (2020)

4. Are these Design Manager responsibilities?
• defining and agreeing
on design processes
• keeping track of the
status of work
• training team
members
• growing a team culture
• organizing all-hands,
team meetings, off-
sites, etc.
• evaluating & selecting
tools

5. …or are these DesignOps responsibilities?
In recent years, these have been regarded more and
more as the responsibility of DesignOps practitioners
• defining and agreeing
on design processes
• keeping track of the
status of work
• training team
members
• growing a team culture
• organizing all-hands,
team meetings, off-
sites, etc.
• evaluating & selecting
tools

6. DesignOps 101
Source: “DesignOps 101” by Nielsen Norman Group
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-operations-101/
“DesignOps refers to the
orchestration and optimization
of people, processes, and craft
in order to amplify design’s
value and impact at scale.”
Kate Kaplan, Nielsen Norman Group

7. Source: “DesignOps 101” by Nielsen Norman Group
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-operations-101/
DesignOps
Landscape

8. [..] means that there is a
specific person or group of
people tasked with ensuring
that the design team is
supported so that it can
focus on designing or
researching.
Any team can benefit from
DesignOps the Mindset, which
simply means recognizing the need
for [..] a set of standardized
processes, methods, and tools that
support design and allow design to
scale efficiently.
Source: “DesignOps 101” by Nielsen Norman Group
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-operations-101/
DesignOps The Role
DesignOps The Mindset

9. DesignOps is good for business!
Source: Gartner report "DesignOps: Organize, Collaborate and Innovate Product UX at Speed", May 2020
https://www.gartner.com/doc/reprints?id=1-28D1TLEQ&ct=211208&st=sb
“By 2023, DesignOps-enabled
product teams will increase
their revenue at twice the rate
of their direct competitors.”
Gartner (2020)

10. DesignOps communities
More and more people are taking on
this role full-time, supported by
communities such as:
• the DesignOps Assembly
• Rosenfeld Media’s DesignOps Summit
• Henry Stewart DesignOps conferences
• the DesignOps Global Conference
• AIGA’s DesignOps Ed Salon series

11. DesignOps

12. Peter Boersma
@pboersma
the many ways in which
DesignOps
supports
design teams

13. Peter Boersma
@pboersma
the many ways
1 Had DesignOps The Mindset
2 Needed DesignOps The Role
3 Managed DesignOps at Miro

14. Peter Boersma
@pboersma
the many ways
1 Had DesignOps The Mindset
2 Needed DesignOps The Role
3 Managed DesignOps at Miro

15. 1. Had DesignOps The Mindset
1984: developed tools for Commodore 16 game designers

16. 1. Had DesignOps The Mindset
2002: aligned design processes to align reporting for multi-office agency

17. 1. Had DesignOps The Mindset
2015: was added to a UX team as a Strategist, defined roles & career ladders

18. Peter Boersma
@pboersma
the many ways
1 Had DesignOps The Mindset
2 Needed DesignOps The Role
3 Managed DesignOps at Miro

19. 2. Needed DesignOps The Role
2019-2021: analysed impact of DesignOps at ServiceNow

20. 2. Needed DesignOps The Role
Director of Design for ServiceNow’s
in-house incubator NowX.
Needed DesignOps teams
to adjust their ways of working
in order to support my startups.
2019-2021: analysed impact of DesignOps at ServiceNow

21. By 2019, ServiceNow’s design org had grown a lot
0
75
150
225
300
2004 2008 2012 2016 2018 2020
300
200
50
20
10
0
started a
DesignOps
practice

22. Design org layers CEO
CPO
HoD
Sr.Dir
x5
Dir
Mgr
UX
12.500
2.500
250
25
10
5
1
Sr.Dir

23. DesignOps core team CEO
CPO
HoD
Sr.Dir
x5
Dir
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
12.500
2.500
250
25
10
5
1
Sr.Dir
Sr. UX
Sr. UX
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr

24. Design System team CEO
CPO
HoD
Sr.Dir
x5
12.500
2.500
250
25
10
5
1
Dir
Sr.Dir
Dev.
Mgr
UX
Mgr x4
Dev
x6
UX
x10
Sr. UX
x4
Dir
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Sr. UX
Sr. UX
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr

25. Design BizOps team CEO
CPO
HoD
Sr.Dir
x5
12.500
2.500
250
25
10
5
1
Sr.Dir
Sr.
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Comm
Spec.
Dir
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Sr. UX
Sr. UX
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Dir
Dev.
Mgr
UX
Mgr x4
Dev
x6
UX
x10
Sr. UX
x4

26. CEO
CPO
HoD
Sr.Dir
x5
12.500
2.500
250
25
10
5
1
Sr.Dir
Sr.
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Comm
Spec.
Dir
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Sr. UX
Sr. UX
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Dir
Dev.
Mgr
UX
Mgr x4
Dev
x6
UX
x10
Sr. UX
x4
DesignOps services teams

27. DesignOps services at ServiceNow
Process definition
• Design Project Life Cycle
• Design Review process (DERT)
• Product Content process
Design project support
• Design Workflow Tool
• Design Manager checkins
• DERT calendar & sessions
• Tool selection
Program Management
• Release Management
• Move to new UI platform
• Accessibility training
Communication
• Weekly newsletter
• Office hours
• Slack channel
• Sharepoint articles

28. DesignOps service: design system curation
Button

29. DesignOps service: career ladders

30. DesignOps service: design review team
The Design Experience Review Team (DERT) is a process and a cross-
functional team which helps to ensure quality and consistency in user
experience and user interface across the ServiceNow platform and to
validate conformance and contributions to ServiceNow Design Systems.
Goals
• Guide teams from concept to code
• Connect with all teams across ServiceNow to share design patterns and
resources
• Evangelize UX patterns and best practices back to stakeholders
• Ensure a consistent look & feel that results in product harmony and
customer delight

31. DesignOps service: design review team
The Design Experience Review Team (DERT) is a process and a cross-
functional team which helps to ensure quality and consistency in user
experience and user interface across the ServiceNow platform and to
validate conformance and contributions to ServiceNow Design Systems.
Goals
• Guide teams from concept to code
• Connect with all teams across ServiceNow to share design patterns and
resources
• Evangelize UX patterns and best practices back to stakeholders
• Ensure a consistent look & feel that results in product harmony and
customer delight

32. DesignOps service: design project tracking

33. But NowX was…weird CEO
CPO
Sr.Dir
x5
Dir
Mgr
UX
12.500
2.500
250
25
10
5
1
Dir
Sr.Dir
Mgr
x2
UX
x12
HoD NowX
HoD Peter

34. NowX was weird
2019-2021: analysed impact of DesignOps at ServiceNow

35. NowX was weird
2019-2021: analysed impact of DesignOps at ServiceNow

36. NowX was weird
2019-2021: analysed impact of DesignOps at ServiceNow

37. NowX was weird
2019-2021: analysed impact of DesignOps at ServiceNow

39. DesignOps services at ServiceNow
Process definition
• Design Project Life Cycle
• Design Review process (DERT)
• Product Content process
Design project support
• Design Workflow Tool
• Design Manager checkins
• DERT calendar & sessions
• Tool selection
Program Management
• Release Management
• Move to new UI platform
• Accessibility training
Communication
• Weekly newsletter
• Office hours
• Slack channel
• Sharepoint articles

40. DesignOps services needed adjustments
Process definition
• Design Project Life Cycle
• Design Review process (DERT)
• Product Content process
Design project support
• Design Workflow Tool
• Design Manager checkins
• DERT calendar & sessions
• Tool selection
Program Management
• Release Management
• Move to new UI platform
• Accessibility training
Communication
• Weekly newsletter
• Office hours
• Slack channel
• Sharepoint articles

41. CEO
CPO
HoD
Sr.Dir
x5
12.500
2.500
250
25
10
5
1
Sr.Dir
Sr.
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Comm
Spec.
Dir
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Sr. UX
Sr. UX
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Dir
Dev.
Mgr
UX
Mgr x4
Dev
x6
UX
x10
Sr. UX
x4
DesignOps services needed adjustments
Dir
Peter

42. Peter Boersma
@pboersma
the many ways
1 Had DesignOps The Mindset
2 Needed DesignOps The Role
3 Managed DesignOps at Miro

43. 3. Managed DesignOps at Miro
2021-2022: maintained DesignOps roadmap and ran initiatives

44. 3. Managed DesignOps at Miro
DesignOps Manager, supporting all
45 of Miro’s designers, researchers,
writers, plus the design managers
and the head of design.
2021-2022: maintained DesignOps roadmap and ran initiatives

45. What DesignOps Managers do with DesignOps initiatives
1. Inventory
2. Prioritisation
3. Distribution
4. Coordination
5. Measurement
…and if there is any time left, execution

46. DesignOps roadmap

47. % of design
projects that follow
the documented
Product Design
Process in Q2FY23
DesignOps roadmap

48. DesignOps initiative: product design process

49. DesignOps initiative: design project tracker

50. DesignOps initiative: design review guidelines

51. DesignOps initiative: #ux bugs bot

52. DesignOps initiative: #ux bugs bot

53. DesignOps initiative: invited presentations

54. the many ways in which
DesignOps
supports
design teams
Peter Boersma
@pboersma

55. Source: “DesignOps 101” by Nielsen Norman Group
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-operations-101/
DesignOps
Landscape

56. CEO
CPO
HoD
Sr.Dir
x5
12.500
2.500
250
25
10
5
1
Sr.Dir
Sr.
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Comm
Spec.
Dir
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Sr. UX
Sr. UX
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Prog
Mgr
Dir
Dev.
Mgr
UX
Mgr x4
Dev
x6
UX
x10
Sr. UX
x4
DesignOps teams

57. DesignOps roadmap

58. [..] means that there is a
specific person or group of
people tasked with ensuring
that the design team is
supported so that it can
focus on designing or
researching.
Any team can benefit from DesignOps
the Mindset, which simply means
recognizing the need for [..] a set of
standardized processes, methods, and
tools that support design and allow
design to scale efficiently.
Source: “DesignOps 101” by Nielsen Norman Group
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-operations-101/
DesignOps The Role DesignOps The Mindset

59. More and more people are taking on
this role full-time, supported by
communities such as:
• the DesignOps Assembly
• Rosenfeld Media’s DesignOps Summit
• Henry Stewart DesignOps conferences
• the DesignOps Global Conference
• AIGA’s DesignOps Ed Salon series
DesignOps communities

60. the many ways in which
DesignOps
supports
design teams
Peter Boersma
@pboersma