Why UX designers should consider a career in Design Ops
The demand for Design Ops professionals is growing as companies realize the importance of optimizing design teams.
Introduction
The world of UX design is evolving, and with it, new career paths are emerging that allow designers to scale their impact beyond individual projects. One such path is Design Operations (Design Ops)—a field dedicated to optimizing workflows, tools, and collaboration within design teams.
In a recent episode of The Design Hustle Podcast, I spoke with Peter Boersma, former Design Ops Manager at Miro, about his journey from UX to Design Ops. Our conversation shed light on why this career path is becoming increasingly important and how UX designers can transition into it.
If you’re a UX designer looking for ways to expand your influence and create better design environments, Design Ops might be the perfect next step in your career.
What is Design Ops?
Design Ops is the practice of orchestrating people, processes, and tools to improve the efficiency and impact of design teams. It helps scale design efforts, ensuring that designers can focus on solving user problems rather than battling inefficiencies.
Key responsibilities of design Ops professionals
Process Optimization: Standardizing workflows to enhance team productivity.
Tool Management: Ensuring designers have the best tools for collaboration and execution.
Team Growth & Development: Hiring, onboarding, and supporting designers.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Aligning design with product, engineering, and leadership teams.
Advocacy & Culture: Promoting design best practices and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Key takeaways from my conversation with Peter Boersma
During our podcast episode, Peter shared valuable insights into the world of Design Ops. Here are some of the biggest takeaways:
1. UX designers already have many of the skills needed for Design Ops
Peter’s journey started in computer science and UX, but he gradually realized his passion was not just designing interfaces—it was optimizing how design work gets done. If you’re a UX designer, you likely already have skills in problem-solving, systems thinking, and collaboration, which are all essential for Design Ops.
2. The transition to Design Ops is a natural evolution
Many designers organically take on Design Ops responsibilities without even realizing it. If you've ever:
✅ Suggested improvements to your team’s workflow
✅ Advocated for better design tools
✅ Created templates or design systems to streamline work
✅ Helped with onboarding new designers
…then you’re already doing Design Ops work!
3. Design Ops creates greater Impact at scale
Peter emphasized that Design Ops amplifies a team’s ability to produce great design work. Instead of focusing on one product, you improve the entire system, allowing multiple designers to work more effectively.
4. You don’t need a Design Ops title to start doing the work
Peter highlighted that designers can start by improving small inefficiencies in their teams—what he calls the "guerrilla" approach to Design Ops. This means:
Identifying pain points in your team’s workflow
Experimenting with process improvements
Advocating for best practices
Helping leadership understand the value of Design Ops
By proving value in these areas, you can naturally transition into a formal Design Ops role over time.
Resources to learn more about Design Ops
Podcasts & Articles
🎧 The Design Hustle Podcast Episode with Peter Boersma
Communities & Courses
👥 DesignOps Assembly – A community for Design Ops professionals
📚 Nielsen Norman Group’s DesignOps Course
Final thoughts: Is design Ops right for you?
If you enjoy solving team-wide problems, streamlining workflows, and scaling design impact, then Design Ops could be an exciting career path.
The demand for Design Ops professionals is growing as companies realize the importance of optimizing design teams. For UX designers who love process improvement and collaboration, it’s a rewarding way to influence design beyond pixels and prototypes.
Are you considering a career in Design Ops? Have you already started implementing Design Ops practices in your team? Let’s discuss in the comments!
#UXDesign #DesignOps #CareerGrowth #UserExperience #DesignThinking