DesignOps Guide: How to Build, Manage and Operate Effective Design Teams at Early Startups

Let’s start with a fairly honest statement here…

In many projects, I found myself taking on tasks beyond my designated role, from writing content to maintaining product requirements. Most of the time, I felt the absence of a straightforward process and lacked the necessary design peers in the team. This is exactly why I decided to share my thoughts on the importance of DesignOps in this article. I have no intention of delving into the specifics of what DesignOps is — there’s plenty about that online. Instead, I’ll guide you on how to build and use the mindset effectively in early-stage startups.

The information in this article is purely advisory opinions based on my own experience and perspective.

DesignOps is not just for designers. It’s for startup founders, stakeholders, and anyone vested in the product’s success. It aims to simplify the complex interplay between design and businesses.

Components of DesignOps

I’ll focus on the three main pillars of DesignOps while breaking them down into smaller pieces.

1. Working Together:

Startups with tight budgets often strive to operate lean, maximizing output with a limited workforce (do more with less). However, it’s essential to recognize the distinct domains within the design that demands dedicated attention — product and marketing. While it might seem “ok” to have a single designer juggling these roles, the nuances of each domain require specialization.

Organize

A senior product designer, a branding/marketing designer, and a UX designer/researcher make up the minimum ideal structure for a well-rounded design team. Even with the typical startup challenges, such as budget constraints, the significance of a design department is undeniable. Also, the good thing is that these people with the above skillset shouldn’t require any addition to the team for a long time. The smaller it is, the more effective…

But what about the role of a content writer?

Well, this is a topic that is often overlooked. Personally, I have not had one. Organizations tend to prioritize roles based on immediate needs, and sometimes, certain roles are seen as luxuries rather than necessities. Unfortunately, content writing is one of those roles. My recommendation would be to consider hiring a freelance content writer or work with an agency on an ad-hoc basis.

Collaborate

While processes and protocols are essential, it’s the collaboration that builds relationships. So how do you go beyond the mechanics and genuinely improve communication within the design team and other departments? In my opinion, the answer lies in frequent and ongoing interactions (recurring meetings).

Daily meetings keep each other up-to-date, ensuring immediate concerns are addressed. Weekly Design Retrospectives offer a platform to appreciate, and recalibrate. Monthly Show & Tell sessions serve dual purposes, celebrating milestones while fostering a culture of feedback and growth. And then there are the Quarterly Long-term Vision Alignment meetings — pivotal organisation-wide gatherings that ensure every creative effort aligns with the broader business goals.

Humanize

By utilizing the collaboration methods mentioned above, you are not only improving the design process, but also creating an environment that fosters a dynamic interplay between agility and strategy, and between individual and collective efforts. However, it is important to ensure that the hiring, onboarding, and career development practices are carefully considered as well. Taking a human-centric approach and following three steps can be helpful.

1. Design and document interviewing practices that are specific to the needs of the design team: Interviewing is a whole different ballgame. Instead of the usual Q&A, you need to get the candidate to showcase their portfolios. That’s where their stories are. Do you want to get more specific details about their expertise? Ask relevant questions from their portfolio/case studies. It could be a simple question that helps reveal the mindset you are looking for. At the end of the day, it’s all about getting that perfect blend of skills and attitude!”

2. Establish consistent hiring and onboarding practices to set up new team members for success: Organisations must realize how crucial a good onboarding process is. Without it, the designer can take ages to settle in, which can mess with the project timelines. Worse, they might even leave if they feel lost or undervalued. In short, it’s more than just showing them their desk and tools; it’s about setting them up for success from day one.

3. Standardize transparent career pathways for both management and non-management roles: This one is the least important comparing the first two above. Beyond hiring and onboarding, the journey of professional growth within the organization should be transparent and tangible. Both management and non-management roles should have clearly defined career steps.

2. Getting Work Done

Let me give you an example from Airbnb and how did they get their product right with similar methods which I’m going to explain below.

You might think they have a website and a brilliant idea initially. No, they didn’t… They defined a whole new way to travel. They knew they had to get work done and fast as there would be new competitors cropping up. Every aspect, from the consistent user experience on their platform to their marketing campaigns, needed to be in sync. The focus was clear: make travellers feel they ‘belong’. They ensured a seamless blend between branding, marketing, and product design to achieve this (intersections). Real photos showcased unique homes, while their constantly-evolving user-friendly designs simplified the way people make bookings. Feedback was always at the forefront of the business. It didn’t happen overnight. But it was more than just listing spaces; they crafted memorable narratives. By smartly organizing their work (DesignOps), they didn’t just launch a product — they revolutionized the travel industry.

Standardize

How do you ensure such quality consistently, especially when evolving dynamics constantly challenge established practices? The answer is standardization (in a good way). Remember, the true objective is not just to create blindly, but to consistently deliver outcomes that emphasise the value of DesignOps.

Let’s deep dive into the above intersection points:

• Branding and Marketing: The essence of branding informs marketing strategies. For example, if a brand promises sustainability, marketing campaigns would highlight eco-friendly initiatives. The consistency between what a brand stands for and how it’s marketed is crucial for building trust.

• Branding and Product Design: The product should reflect the brand’s promises. If a brand touts innovation, the product design should incorporate cutting-edge features and aesthetics. If there’s a mismatch, people will start doubting your authenticity.

• Marketing and Product Design: Marketing sets expectations, while product design delivers on those expectations. If marketing campaigns promote a product as easy-to-use, the product design should ensure ease of use and intuitiveness. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for some unhappy customers.

In conclusion, the interplay between branding, marketing, and product design is critical for “Getting Work Done” effectively. These domains are deeply interconnected and influence each other. An alignment among these ensures that a business communicates consistently, sets accurate expectations, and delivers on its promises, ensuring success in the market.

Harmonize

To truly harmonize your design operations, you must establish a shared understanding that ensures everyone operates from the same foundational knowledge. This is where the concept of a ‘design intelligence network’ comes into play, as visualized in the above diagram. There are two main units in this network: Branding and Design Systems.

As mentioned under the “Standardize” title, branding serves as the compass, setting the direction with its defined values, aesthetic cues, tone of voice, typography, spacing, and other foundational elements. The Design System, in turn, acts as a bridge, translating branding into actionable guidelines for product interfaces, be it web or mobile. This ensures that elements like brand look & feel are consistently represented across all platforms.

Peripheral elements, such as marketing, social media, and communication materials, draw from these two central pillars, ensuring a cohesive representation of the brand’s identity. Further solidifying this intelligence network is the “digital asset management” layer. Tools like Frontify are great for keeping branding assets on one platform. While Storybook offers a centralized hub for design system components, Google help manage documents and files effectively.

In essence, the entire system is interlinked. Branding, as the primary pillar, informs the Design System, which then cascades this intelligence to every touchpoint of the product environment. By embracing this harmonized approach, it ensures a common ground, where every design decision resonates with the brand’s core values and vision.

Prioritize

First things first… A foundational step in prioritization is recognizing the team’s capacity and skill set. But knowing the ‘who’ and ‘how many’ is just the beginning. The ‘what’ and ‘when’ hinge on nuanced factors such as Impact, Desirability, Viability, Feasibility, and Effort. These criteria not only help in aligning projects with business goals but also in setting realistic expectations.

Various methodologies can assist teams in streamlining this decision-making process. Techniques like the Impact-Effort Matrix and the RICE Method offer a structured approach to evaluate projects based on their potential value versus the resources they demand. The Feasibility, Desirability, and Viability Scorecard brings a holistic view of a project’s viability in the market, while the MoSCoW Analysis and Kano Model help in distinguishing essential features from the ‘nice-to-haves’.

Although these methods are typically associated with product design, their principles can seamlessly transition to brand and marketing facilities. By adopting such structured prioritization techniques, design teams can confidently navigate their project landscape, ensuring that every effort aligns with both the team’s capabilities and the organization’s overarching objectives.

3. Creating Impact

Creating impact in design goes beyond just finishing tasks; it’s about aligning the final designs with clear intentions and high standards, which the “Definition of Done” (DoD) helps ensure. Design isn’t merely about looks, but a methodology that addresses user needs and solves problems. It’s vital for designers to communicate the true essence of design throughout an organization, sharing success stories, and fostering inter-departmental collaboration. Through this, design becomes not just a department but a shared language across the organization.

Measure

In the realm of design, accountability isn’t merely about ensuring task completion; it’s about guaranteeing that the completed designs resonate with the intended purpose, quality, and standards. One pivotal instrument in this endeavour is the “Definition of Done” (DoD). Crafting an effective DoD, especially when a team is in its nascent stages and devoid of data, can be challenging. Nevertheless, it’s essential to start the conversation early on, elucidating a preliminary understanding of ‘done’.

Embracing a DoD facilitates two pivotal outcomes: transparency in work completion and assurance that the designs align with product intentions, upholding quality, accessibility, and usability standards. But, how do you sculpt a DoD that truly serves its purpose?

• Team-wide Decisions on Criteria: It’s imperative that the team jointly decides the criteria for DoD. After all, if the benchmarks set are unrealistic, adherence becomes a challenge. Team involvement ensures pragmatic and achievable criteria.

• Checklist Integration: The DoD shouldn’t be restricted to minute features but should encompass the broader picture. Embedding a comprehensive DoD checklist within the workflow can ensure every aspect of the design meets predefined standards.

• Clarity in Criteria: Ambiguity is the arch-nemesis of effectiveness. The criteria for DoD should be explicit and unambiguous, ensuring that the design tasks meet requirements in a well-understood manner.

• Task-Specific Acceptance Criteria: To steer clear of any confusion, every task should be accompanied by definitive acceptance criteria and a clear DoD. This clarity makes it straightforward for team members to comprehend their specific responsibilities.

• Evolution of Definition: As with most things, the DoD isn’t set in stone. With the product’s evolution, the DoD should be re-evaluated and refined. If a universal DoD seems impractical, consider a dynamic checklist tailored to unique design tasks.

In essence, the aim is not merely to ‘complete’ but to achieve a culmination that is in harmony with set standards and goals. The DoD acts as that beacon, guiding design endeavours towards accountable excellence.

Socialise

Design isn’t just about making things pretty. It’s about making them work well, too. Always share stories of when design made a real difference. And hey, when someone does something great with design, celebrate them! It motivates everyone. Spread the design love by holding chats or workshops, so everyone gets it. And don’t just stick to your design team — work with sales, marketing, everyone. When you talk about and share your design work, it just makes everything better.

• Keep delivering the message: One of the foundational steps in evangelizing design is to articulate a clear, cohesive message about its role. Not as an afterthought, but as a vital component in product development and branding. Show your message to highlight how design isn’t just about making things ‘look’ good, but also about making sure they ‘work’ as intended.

• You have a story to tell the others: Always have demonstratable and tangible stories. Regularly capture and showcase your achievements where design played a pivotal role. No matter how big or small, your efforts have to be seen by others.

• Every effort must be recognized: Recognizing and rewarding teams or individuals who leverage user-centred design processes can not only motivate them but also set a precedent for others to emulate. So why not celebrate them at every opportunity?

• Educate to get understood: Organizing regular workshops, seminars, or even informal ‘design talks’ can facilitate a broader understanding. By democratizing design knowledge, designers can foster an environment where design becomes a shared language, and not just a departmental function.

• Collaborate not isolate: To truly socialize design, designers need to step out of their comfort zones and actively collaborate with other departments such as sales, marketing or development. Be an evangelist of your work, and it will lead to richer outcomes and mutual appreciation.

In wrapping up our exploration of DesignOps, it’s clear that a systematic approach to design is crucial in every organisation. A well-structured design team can transform chaos into clarity, ensuring everyone collaborates effectively and values both individual and collective growth. Again, for non-design people, design is not just about making products look good; it’s solving problems in a systematic manner with appropriate skills.