What Is DesignOps and Why Your Business Needs It

Often, the biggest challenge in product development is dealing with weak operations and disorganized processes. This is usually the case in larger projects with many roles, making it easier to lose control over things. Poor communication between different teams and departments can also be an issue. DesignOps brings structure and organization to the table, helping your business and, in the end – your team.

So, if you want to improve your product and make your design process more straightforward, DesignOps might be that missing piece of the puzzle. Keep reading to learn what DesignOps is, why Design Systems require DesignOps, and how your business can benefit from it.

Understanding DesignOps

Before we dive into the benefits and reasons why your business might consider implementing this practice, let’s start from the beginning. 

DesignOps first appeared in 2014, thanks to strategy and operations leadership specialist Dave Malouf. Think of it like DevOps, but for design— it focuses on optimizing consistency and efficiency within the design team. 

Instead of focusing on the end product, DesignOps focuses on the way that product is delivered. It's designed to improve processes, boost collaboration between teams, and essentially – make a designer's life easier. By standardizing design processes and tools, DesignOps helps designers face daily challenges easily and lets them focus more on what they do best – being creative and innovative. Plus, it ensures that everyone's on the same page with expectations, which, in the end, results in better cross-functional collaboration and improved organizational culture. 

To make it clearer, here’s a short breakdown of what DesignOps covers: 

• Workflow
• Work organization in and between teams
• Tools, working methods, and processes

What About Design Systems?

We can't talk about DesignOps without mentioning Design Systems. Although these two terms are related, they’re not the same thing. While DesignOps focuses on workflow, collaboration, and processes, Design Systems provide a designer with reusable components, guidelines, and best practices. These elements help teams maintain a cohesive visual and functional experience across all platforms and products, speeding up design and development and reducing mistakes.

It's important to note that you can set up DesignOps without a Design System, but not the other way around. Without DesignOps, due to poor communication and structure between teams, Design Systems can't be as effective and efficient as they should be. It provides clear roles and responsibilities within the team, helping to avoid unnecessary and excessive demands. This allows designers to focus on their work without worrying about management. The result is higher quality work and a happy, motivated team, which in turn creates the time and mental space for innovative thinking.

Does Your Business Need DesignOps?

DesignOps can be great for your business, but before you start with this practice, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

The first thing you must know is that the implementation process differs for each company, depending on its size and culture. For smaller companies, it will require less effort, while it may take more time and patience for larger ones. The biggest challenge here is integrating DesignOps into existing processes, which is why you'll need someone in charge – whether it’s hiring a dedicated DesignOps Manager or finding someone internally.

For example, this person can be a Senior Designer with years of experience who wants to focus more on strategy. You can also consider someone who isn't strictly a designer but has a solid understanding of the design process and a talent for managing.

Once the stage is set, the DesignOps Manager will oversee the process, ensuring everything runs smoothly. Their focus on organization and support will ultimately lead to smoother operations and improved outcomes for the entire team.

Before heading to benefits, you can go over this checklist to identify which areas of your business might need improvements: 

• Do you face obstacles in your projects due to inadequate tools or limited resources?
• Do inconsistent practices cause varying design quality across projects?
• Are your design projects often delayed because of unclear processes or communication issues?
• Is your design team facing challenges in maintaining consistency throughout the design process?
• Are your designers overwhelmed by interruptions from non-design tasks or other design duties?
• Are your designers struggling to collaborate effectively with other teams and departments?

If your answer to all or most of the questions is yes, then you definitely need DesignOps! So it’s a good thing you’re here. 

4 Key Benefits of Implementing DesignOps

There are many benefits that DesignOps can bring to your business, but let’s wrap it up by highlighting the key ones:

1. Cross-functional collaboration

First and most important – DesignOps facilitates better communication between design and other departments, such as product management, development, and marketing. 

By acting as a bridge between design and other business units, DesignOps aligns design efforts with business goals, ensuring more meaningful and impactful results. 

2. Consistency and quality assurance

As mentioned earlier, Design Systems need DesignOps to maximize their benefits. It includes achieving efficiency and consistency across visual and UX elements on different products and platforms.

Additionally, DesignOps establishes standardized processes and best practices, which helps maintain high-quality design outputs and minimize errors that could affect the user experience. This also results in fewer delays and a more predictable development cycle. 

3. Enhanced efficiency and productivity

DesignOps standardizes and optimizes design workflows, reducing bottlenecks and enabling designers to focus more on creativity and less on administrative tasks. 

By managing tools, software, and resources effectively, DesignOps ensures that designers have everything they need to work efficiently, reducing downtime and improving productivity. This means new features and updates can go live faster, helping your business stay ahead of the competition while keeping costs low.

4. A healthier work environment

This is something that's often overseen but is very important. DesignOps provides clear roles and responsibilities within the team, helping to avoid unnecessary and excessive demands. It cuts down on last-minute changes and missed deadlines, creating a more stable and positive work environment.

With well-defined processes and reduced administrative overhead, your team will experience less stress and frustration. They can concentrate on their core responsibilities without worrying about management, minimizing mental load and the risk of burnout. The result is higher quality work and a happy, motivated team, which creates the time and space for innovative thinking. And as a bonus, you’ll see less turnover.

Ready to Give DesignOps a Try?

DesignOps is essential for keeping the smooth operation of modern businesses. This practice simplifies design processes, improves collaboration, and helps teams maximize their impact — even on tight budgets. Plus, it creates a positive work environment where designers feel supported and free to innovate.

If you want to learn how to bring this practice into your business, subscribe to our newsletter and keep an eye out for the upcoming issue. 

Want to hear more about the DesignOps topic? Let’s talk. :)