A Career for Creative Systems Thinkers

This past year, I had the privilege of teaching two graduate-level courses—one in Pratt Institute ’s Design Management program and the other in the School of Visual Arts School of Visual Arts Interaction Design program. Each cohort brought together a diverse group of creative minds: some generators, some synthesizers, and more that tend to be more natural managers. One of my favorite aspects of teaching is helping students move beyond their own ideas and navigate the challenges of working with others to turn those ideas into impactful outcomes.

Today’s world faces increasingly complex challenges, from social inequality to sustainability issues. Solving these requires multidisciplinary collaboration and the integration of diverse methods from technology, service design, policy design, strategic design, and physical spaces—all while aligning with organizational goals and metrics. Yet, these intersecting fields often leave gaps, creating opportunities for those who thrive on building bridges.

In every class, I’ve noticed a few students gravitating not just toward design itself but toward the business of design—students fascinated by processes, systems, and methodologies that empower others to succeed. These students remind me of myself during/post graduate school, discovering the joy of creating the conditions for impactful design, having a desire to elbow into the room of people creating the strategy, rather than producing it.

As I’ve recently been answering emails from students seeking guidance in this space and paths for employment, I decided to compile some thoughts, resources, and experiences into this article and link to past articles. If you’re drawn to the tools, methods, and rhythms that support creative work—or if you’re curious about how to scale design’s impact through systems and strategy—this is for you.

This perspective might vary across design disciplines like strategic design, service design, architecture, and industrial design. However, this discussion focuses specifically on digital and software design approaches. While we can debate terminology and ideas, if you’re looking for work in digital design, it’s crucial to understand the keywords and roles that the industry prioritizes. For example, you likely won’t find a role labeled “Design Manager” on a digital job board; companies may use entirely different titles, such as “Product Design Lead” or “UX Operations Manager.”

After two decades of building and scaling design teams across startups, global corporations, and government projects, I’ve seen how Design Management and DesignOps principles transcend sectors while requiring unique adaptations to fit their contexts. This offers a brief perspective on what might work, what doesn’t, what roles the digital market is asking for and where the field is heading.

The Evolution of Design Operation

Roots of DesignOps

Over a decade ago, while presenting at the first O'Reilly Design Conference in San Francisco, I shared insights on building mixed-discipline teams at Control Group. These teams—comprising researchers, interaction designers, and visual designers—were pioneering solutions in the then-emerging space of physical-digital integration, now commonly referred to as IoT and smart spaces. At the time, discussions around experience design dominated the field, but whispers of "managing the management of design" were beginning to gain momentum.

However, this wasn’t an entirely new field—it was simply new to digital. Its roots were deeply inspired by the evolution of human-centered design, Lean UX, organizational change, and decades of design management theory. I was fortunate to encounter these ideas during my graduate studies in the early 2000s at Pratt, where we explored seminal works like The Design Agenda by Rachel Cooper. Cooper's writing delved into the UK's 1980s initiative to foster the creative industries as a business strategy, which left a lasting impact on design education and practice. Similar investments in design thinking and management principles across the US, Scandinavia, and Japan have served as foundational pillars for building today’s creative economies.

In the digital design world, leaders like Dave Malouf, Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner were instrumental in shaping what we now know as DesignOps. Their work spotlighted how large organizations—particularly in the tech sector—were developing internal systems to scale design teams effectively and align them with strategic goals.

Having worked across startups, global corporations, and public-sector projects, I’ve witnessed DesignOps emerge as a critical response to the challenges of scaling design within increasingly complex organizations. In this article, we’ll dive into what DesignOps entails, why it matters, and resources to help you navigate or even enter this field.

What Is DesignOps?

DesignOps ensures that design teams can work efficiently, focus on creativity, and deliver impactful outcomes. It’s about creating the systems, processes, and tools that allow designers to spend more time designing and less time on administrative or logistical tasks. It’s also about fostering collaboration across disciplines, measuring the impact of design, and building sustainable career paths for design professionals.

DesignOps sits at the intersection of:

• Creative Thinking: Understanding the needs of designers and the creative process.
• Strategic Management: Developing systems to scale design work effectively.
• Operational Efficiency: Streamlining workflows to increase productivity.

The Evolution of DesignOps

Early Days

The seeds of DesignOps were planted in the early 2000s, as digital design teams grew and struggled to maintain quality and consistency. Conferences like DMI (Design Management Institute) and early design systems pioneers at companies like Apple and Cooper explored how to manage the growing complexity of design work.

Rapid Growth

By the 2010s, DesignOps became a recognized field, fueled by:

• The rise of design systems, which standardized tools and practices for scaling design.
• The growing influence of human-centered design and agile methodologies.
• The recognition that great design requires systemic support beyond individual talent.

Modern Context

Today, DesignOps is about more than efficiency. It’s about aligning design with business goals, integrating ethical and inclusive practices, and leveraging emerging technologies to better organize and amplify creativity. In smaller firms this role might be played by a product manager, designer manager, product owner or project manager.

DesignOps and Related Roles

DesignOps shares clear overlaps with product management and design management but emerges from frameworks like Agile, Scrum, and design thinking. Think of DesignOps as a layer on top of individual products or projects—focused on administering teams, creating systems, facilitating onboarding, maintaining operational rhythms, and bridging gaps between designers, management, and financial stakeholders. It’s the glue that holds teams together while optimizing productivity and streamlining reporting processes.

Key Lessons from My Journey

• Digital Cities: Initiatives like LinkNYC demonstrated how DesignOps methods can help scale digital design from initial concepts and prototypes to span across multiple teams as funding increases while maintaining quality. w Michael Pons Angela Delise Olivia Wherry
• Government Services: Work with UK’s Department of Energy used DesignOps principles via the GDS protocol to deliver efficient, user-focused services. w 奥雅纳 Katie Dobberstein Kevin Cressy
• Accessibility in Transit: Collaborations with the MTA, CTA, Port Authorityand Transport for Wales highlighted the importance of inclusive design and planning tools. w Joshua Hester

Building Modern Design Operations

1. Team Structures

• In the private sector, speed and market responsiveness are key.
• In the public sector, accessibility and long-term sustainability take precedence.
• Both require structured workflows and clear roles to maximize design impact.

2. Tools and Systems

• Use design systems for consistency and rapid iteration.
• Emphasize documentation to support governance and scalability.
• Choose technology that supports creativity without adding complexity.

3. Talent Development

• Expose designers to both commercial and civic projects.
• Foster mentorship to build cross-sector knowledge.
• Create career paths that reflect diverse specializations and interests.

More from the legends of all things digital design NNM:

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-operations-101/

Future Trends in DesignOps

1. AI and Automation

• Private sector: Leading the charge in AI-driven tools for design efficiency.
• Public sector: Ensuring ethical, equitable implementation.
• Both sectors need to integrate AI while maintaining a human-centered approach.

2. Hybrid Collaboration

• Remote and in-person workflows require flexible systems.
• Team culture must adapt to support diverse work styles.
• Invest in tools for distributed collaboration.

3. Impact Measurement

• Private sector: Focus on user engagement, revenue, and ROI.
• Public sector: Measure societal impact and accessibility outcomes.

The Value of Product Owner Experience

Every designer should experience or shadow the role of a product owner. This exposure teaches the realities of:

• Prioritizing features and balancing user needs with business constraints.
• Understanding the trade-offs required to ship a product on time.
• Navigating conversations about design quality versus practicality.

This experience doesn’t just make you a better designer—it equips you to contribute meaningfully to moving features, products, departments, and even companies forward. DesignOps is about more than design; it’s about creating the structures and processes that empower teams to deliver impactful results efficiently.

Opportunities for Design Education

Design schools have an incredible opportunity to prepare designers for the realities of the industry by teaching critical operational skills often overlooked in traditional programs, such as:

• Scoping and Planning: Assessing project scope and understanding the cost of work.
• Profitability and Pricing: Learning to price work effectively while balancing quality and delivery timelines.
• Operational Balance: Delivering great design within time and budget constraints.

These skills are rarely taught, yet they’re essential. Passionate designers often advocate for the “right” solutions for users, but without understanding cost implications, this can lead to tension with product and engineering teams. Design debt—caused by overambitious suggestions or failure to consider technical realities—can delay product launches, a lesson most designers learn the hard way.

Resources to Get Started

Books

• Org Design for Design Orgs by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner
• Design Operations Handbook by Dave Malouf
• The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo (she had authored some of the best management blogs of the 2010s)
• Good Services by Lou Downe
• Resilient Management by Lara Hogan
• Thinking in Systems by Donaella Meadows

Online Resources

• DesignOps Handbook (InVision)
• Government Digital Service Manual (UK)
• Design System Resources
• NNM Group 101
• Pratt Creative Leadership

Looking Ahead DesignOps is not bound by sector – it’s about creating environments where design can thrive and deliver meaningful impact. As future leaders, you have the opportunity to blend innovation with empathy, driving both commercial success and social good.

If you enjoy solving problems, creating systems, and working with creative teams, DesignOps might just be the perfect career path for you. The field needs thinkers like you to shape its future.