DESIGN Ops & leadership

Duolingo: Redefining design leadership

Problem

  • Product teams at Duolingo have had PMs and engineering leads, but no formalized design leads

  • This led to conflicting incentives, unhealthy friction, and team churn

Solution

  • Formalize the role of design team lead

  • Reset expectations for product team leads, and how different types of Design roles work together

  • Revise and formalize paths to leadership in Design career ladders

Says “what does design leadership mean?” Current mental model: disparate circles. New mental model: venn diagram of circles labeled product strategy, people, process, pixels.
Says “Q1 change plan” with details about what’s changing and who is affected

My role

I articulated the problem to senior leadership; then it became a special assignment to work on this in addition to my product work

What I did

  • Articulated the problem to senior leadership

  • Proposed a solution

  • Worked with cross-functional partners and across the Design org to get buy-in and refine the solution

  • Defined the details of the plan, from rollout strategy to new-norm operations

Outcomes

  • This change is in process of rolling out

  • Product teams will:

    • Ship more high-impact work because projects are shaped by a truly cross-functional lens

    • Hit OKRs faster because of stronger cross-functional alignment upfront

  • Role managers and program managers will have a partner that provides:

    • More visibility into OKRs, staffing needs, and designer health

    • Stronger voice advocating for design priorities

  • All designers will have more clarity and confidence about their day-to-day work because a design perspective shapes what they work on

  • Designers with an interest in leadership will have a clear, formal path for growth and impact