designOps for health tech
2020 | thesis in POLIMI for EMPATICA
SUMMARY
As part of my Master's thesis, I spearheaded the implementation of DesignOps at Empatica, a cutting-edge medical technology company. This comprehensive project involved conducting an in-depth analysis of cross-functional workflows, developing "Empact" - a custom DesignOps playbook, and facilitating leadership workshops to align design processes with business objectives. By creating a scalable framework for integrating design thinking into product development, I demonstrated expertise in service design, business operations, and change management.
Empatica, a leader in wearable medical devices, faced challenges in scaling their design processes as the company grew. My thesis aimed to address this by implementing DesignOps - a set of practices to enhance design's impact and efficiency within the organization.
Methodology
1. Discovery Phase: Conducted in-depth interviews with 10 stakeholders across design, engineering, and product teams to analyzed existing workflows, tools, and pain points I have also performed competitive analysis of DesignOps practices in similar companies
2. Analysis & Synthesis: Created journey maps and service blueprints of current product development processes, and have identified key opportunity areas: collaboration, standardization, and strategic alignment.
3. Design & Development: Co-created the "Empact" playbook with key stakeholders to design together the new workflows, rules, and collaboration touchpoints. From the co-designs, I have developed a design system strategy to enhance consistency and efficiency.
4. Implementation & Testing • Facilitated workshops to introduce and refine new DesignOps practices • Conducted A/B testing of new vs. old processes on real projects • Iterated on the playbook based on feedback and quantitative metrics
Key components of the Empact Book
Design Culture Framework: Defined shared design principles and values + Created a design maturity model for ongoing assessment
Collaborative Workflow Model: Introduced cross-functional design sprints + Established clear handoff processes between design and development
Tool Stack Optimization: Standardized design tools and asset management systems + Implemented version control for design files
Metrics & Continuous Improvement: Defined KPIs for measuring design impact and efficiency + Set up feedback loops for ongoing process refinement
Experience gained
Reflections and key learnings
A. The importance of balancing standardization with flexibility in design processes
B. The critical role of leadership buy-in for successful DesignOps implementation
C. The value of quantitative metrics in demonstrating design's business impact
D. The need for continuous iteration and adaptation of DesignOps practices
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gabriele morgan pereira