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.

Time to have some lunch and visit the exhibition. See you back at 2 PM for the afternoon sessions!

Reflections from the Room

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.

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:

Design Ops used to run the tools. Now we get to build them. 

Ali walks through how she vibe-coded internal tools for her design team, pitfalls along the way, and a mindset shift that has unlocked a whole new world. 

Expect honest stories and permission to try this out yourself.