Efficiency with Empathy: Scaling Design Ops at ViewSonic
Design Ops | ViewSonic
Impact |
During a critical phase of Account Unification at ViewSonic, the web product team faced extreme pressure from concurrent workstreams. As a Senior Designer, I identified that cross-functional friction and blurred work boundaries were leading to high burnout risks. I spearheaded a Design Ops initiative—moving from theoretical knowledge to organizational practice—to stabilize the workflow. This resulted in a 90%+ on-time delivery rate and an internal satisfaction score of 80+.
Background | Navigating Structural Chaos
- 🎨 Role: Product Designer of web products
- ⏱️ Duration: 2 months~
While the business moved fast, the underlying design processes remained manual and reactive.
- Fragmented Intake: Designers were constantly interrupted by ad-hoc requests via unofficial channels, breaking deep-work states.
- Invisible Workload: Without a centralized tracking system, it was impossible to quantify design capacity, leading to over-commitment.
- Accumulated Design Debt: High-pressure deadlines forced the team to bypass standards, creating long-term technical and visual inconsistencies.
- The Burnout Risk: The combination of "context switching" and "unpredictable timelines" threatened the team's mental health and output quality.
Design Strategy | Incremental Systemization
I adopted a "Start Small, Scale Fast" approach, treating the design process itself as a product to be iterated upon.
Phase 1: Visualizing the InvisibleI initiated a 2-week Sprint cycle, starting with a low-fidelity physical Kanban board.
- Estimation & Scoping: We mapped out every project and estimated hours required.
- Immediate Insight: Within two Sprints, we gained clear visibility into 2–4 weeks of upcoming work, allowing us to negotiate deadlines with data rather than intuition.
Phase 2: Scaling to the OrganizationAfter validating the workflow manually, we migrated the system to the company’s enterprise platform and expanded it to the entire design team.
- Standardizing Quality: We introduced icon lib and file-naming conventions to reduce repetitive labor and ensure UI consistency.
- The "Protective" Gate: Established a unified entry point for requests, giving designers the "psychological safety" to focus on strategy rather than logistics.
Achivement｜Measured by Data and Culture
"This was far more than just applying new colors or replacing components."
We needed to reference other product layouts to ensure visual and structural consistency, while also considering accessibility in real scenarios—such as keyboard navigation, focus order, and voice-over reading behavior.
Highlights｜Accessibility in Action
Interface Colors
All interface and chart elements were adjusted to maintain a contrast ratio above 4.5:1.Future updates will further adapt the color palette for color-blind accessibility.
AI Dashboard
Following WCAG principles, all dashboard operations—including delete, move, resize, and drag-and-drop—must be keyboard-accessible. We designed Enter and Shift-based keyboard controls to replicate these interactions while maintaining parity with mouse functionality.
Responsive Website
Previously, not all features were responsive. We simplified layouts to ensure a consistent and readable experience across devices, making accessibility part of visual simplicity.
UI
Reflection | Leading Beyond the Canvas
- Ops is a Force Multiplier: By solving the "how," I enabled the team to excel at the "what." A designer’s value lies in improving the team's collective output, not just individual craft.
- Iterative Governance: You don't need a complex tool to start. Solving problems with "paper and pens" first ensures that the process serves the people, not the other way around.
- Advocating for the Team: By quantifying design work, I successfully bridged the gap between creative needs and business demands, ensuring design has a seat at the planning table.
