Design Operations New York 2026
First Sessions Announced
We are delighted to announce the first sessions!
Adaptive UX Operations in the Age of AI
What’s Old Is New, What’s New Is Old
Context
As AI rapidly transforms how digital experiences are conceived and produced, UX Operations leaders find themselves at a familiar crossroads: scaling practices, safeguarding quality, and enabling teams to move faster without losing the user.
While the tools are new, the core challenges: consistency, insight, governance, and collaboration, are not. In many ways, AI is bringing foundational UX practices back into sharp focus.
An open discussion
- How UX Operations is evolving to meet the moment
- From AI-accelerated research synthesis and generative design systems to new governance models for responsible AI use
- How teams are adapting their workflows, rituals, and standards
Covering:
- What does “design quality” mean when outputs can be generated instantly?
- How do Research Ops teams ensure signal over noise when insights are machine-assisted?
- How can design systems evolve from static libraries into dynamic, AI-enabled platforms?
- Practical approaches for operationalizing AI responsibly: from tooling strategy and process improvements to team enablement and ethical guardrails
- Actionable perspectives on how to modernize your operating models while preserving the integrity of the craft, building adaptive, resilient systems that empower designers, researchers, and product teams to thrive in the age of AI
An exploration of how enduring UX principles: human-centred thinking, evidence-based decision-making, and cross-functional alignment are becoming even more critical.
Baylie Brenner, Head of UX Operations and Chelsea McLemore, UX Director, Twitch
DesignOps Was the Bridge. Design Thinking Is the Future
What if DesignOps was never the end state, but a bridge?
As AI accelerates execution and roles continue to blur, the value of operations is shifting. It is no longer just about delivery. It is about strategic leadership.
As design itself becomes less of a defined discipline, DesignOps evolves with it. What emerges is not the end of design, but the expansion of design thinking as a human capability.
Operational excellence is no longer confined to DesignOps. It extends across the organization, helping teams navigate ambiguity, make better decisions, and solve the right problems at speed.
We spent a decade building DesignOps to make design work. Now it is time to spend the next decade making organizations work.
This talk explores the end of DesignOps as a function and the beginning of design-thinking excellence as an organizational capability.
Changying (Z) Zheng, Head of Product Experience Operations, Cloudflare
Leading by Serving: The Art of Servant Leadership in Design Operations
Servant leadership isn’t a management style; it’s a mindset.
Design Operations leaders get pulled in every direction, but the most effective ones aren’t the loudest voices in the room. They’re the ones clearing the path for everyone else. In this talk, Winifred Parnes from Sullivan breaks down what servant leadership looks like in Design Operations: listening deeply, leading with empathy, and putting your team first.
Covering powerful and transformative thinking around:
- Leading with empathy
- Shifting from a top-down approach to a service-first leadership model
- Bolstering team dynamics
- Strengthening cross-functional relationships
- Building a DesignOps practice where creativity and collaboration truly flourish
Whether you're new to DesignOps or a seasoned leader, this session will challenge you to rethink what it truly means to lead, putting your team's success at the center of everything you do.
Winifred Parnes, Director of Design Operations, Sullivan