Bringing accessibility to agile teams: my first talk on DesignOps
Taking the stage for the first time was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. Speaking to a room of over 100 designers at the CPHUX and IDA Design event, I shared insights on something I care deeply about — building accessibility into agile teams through DesignOps.
In today’s fast-moving digital world, creating inclusive and accessible products is no longer optional — it’s essential. Accessibility isn’t just about compliance; it’s about respect, usability, and designing for the full range of human diversity. This talk was a chance to shine a light on how we can embed accessibility into our design processes, not as an afterthought, but as a core practice.
I focused on how DesignOps plays a key role in enabling this shift. When applied well, DesignOps can:
- Streamline workflows so accessibility is built in from the start
- Improve alignment between design, development teams
- Help distributed teams deliver consistent, user-centered outcomes — especially in large organizations like Nordea, where meeting the European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a legal requirement
I shared a few examples from our own workflows — what’s worked, what hasn’t, and where we’re still figuring things out. The response from the audience was encouraging.
This was my first time speaking on stage like this, and I’m glad I did it. If nothing else, it reminded me that sharing what you know (even if it feels small) can be useful to someone else.