Designing for Designers: A DesignOps Service Solution
The Challenge
Our teams operated in silos, creating inefficiencies and friction between departments. Key challenges included:
- Sales had no unified system to share customer feedback.
- Product teams struggled with feature prioritization.
- Engineering faced compressed timelines.
- Design received late PRD handoffs, limiting iteration opportunities.
These fragmented workflows led to missed insights and inconsistent customer experiences. We needed a shared operational system that connected all teams.
Discovery
The turning point came during our 2022 team retreat in Florida, where our distributed team gathered for a hackathon. Mapping our workflows revealed overlapping efforts and communication gaps — what we called “Double Work” and “Mindset” barriers.
Through workshops and interviews, we identified three priorities:
- Centralize customer feedback and insights.
- Increase visibility across teams.
- Simplify processes to support collaboration at scale.
This discovery phase set the foundation for what would become the Voice of User (VoU) system.
Visualization of siloed processes where Sales feedback struggled to reach Product teams, Design received late PRD handoffs, and Engineering faced compressed timelines.
Design & Implementation
The Solution: Voice of User (VoU)
We developed an MVP using Coda to serve as a centralized feedback hub where Sales, Product, and Design could contribute, track, and act on insights.
Key Components:
- Unified repository for customer feedback
- Weekly cross-functional sync meetings
- Integration with CRM and project tools
- Clear documentation of workflows and ownership
As DesignOps Lead, I facilitated workshops, led adoption training, and partnered with CI&T engineers to ensure the system aligned with our technical infrastructure.
A presentation during the workshop highlighting the 'As-Is' process map, revealing tangled communication channels and inefficiencies in the existing workflow between Sales, CRM, and customers.
Implementation Challenges
- Low Adoption Rates
- Action: Simplified submission forms and ran training sessions.
- Outcome: Consistent participation across Sales and Product.
- Scalability Issues
- Action: Recommended transition to a more robust platform with analytics and automation.
- Future Plan: Integrate dashboards for real-time insights and continuous improvement.
Solution Ideation: Workshop outcomes capturing key insights and opportunities. The 'Double Work' and 'Mindset' categorizations helped identify both tactical and cultural changes needed.
Solution Development
Improved Workflow
Centralized Communication Hub: The Voice of User Tool design showing how information now flows seamlessly between teams.
Coda MVP
MVP Implementation: The initial version of our Voice of User Tool in Coda, featuring the CRM View and VoC Summary Table.
Key Components:
Centralized Feedback Repository
Weekly Cross-functional Meetings
Integration with Existing Tools
Clear Process Documentation
Impact
The Voice of User tool became a cornerstone of Beacon’s design collaboration process.
Key Outcomes:
- Centralized Feedback System: Single source of truth for customer insights.
- Improved Collaboration: Faster iteration cycles and stronger alignment across teams.
- Streamlined Processes: Earlier design involvement and reduced bottlenecks.
- Cultural Shift: Design recognized as a connector, not a silo.
These improvements directly influenced product roadmap decisions and strengthened cross-team communication — transforming how Beacon delivered design value.
Measurable Improvements: Key metrics demonstrating the tangible impact of our solution
Final System Architecture: An integrated ecosystem connecting our Voice of User tool with key operational touchpoints. The system bridges customer feedback collection (VOC) with design coordination, project management (ShortCut), and asset delivery (Figma). Dashed lines represent information flow between systems, while solid lines indicate direct dependencies.
Lessons Learned
Tailor Solutions to Each Team
Plan for Scalability Early
Collaborate Iteratively
“This initiative demonstrated the power of applying design thinking to operational challenges. By breaking down silos and creating a centralized system, we significantly improved team efficiency and customer focus.”
— Beacon Leadership Review, 2023
This project marked a defining chapter in my growth as a DesignOps leader. It taught me that designing for designers means designing systems of trust, clarity, and collaboration. From starting as a product designer to leading organizational change, I learned that effective design isn’t just about what we create — it’s about how we work together to create it.
