A working view of the UX Live Center after launch, making DesignOps visible as a place teams could use for guidance, workshops, and collaboration.
FIG. 1 - OPERATING HUB
The situation
BMW already had mature global UX capability: design standards, design system guidance, UX measurement, Figma administration, frontend standards, and DesignOps services. The problem was not that these services were missing. The problem was discoverability and last-mile access.
For a new local hub, documentation alone was not enough. Teams needed a front door: a place to ask questions, understand which service applied, get routed to the right owner, and build confidence in BMW ways of working.
My role
I owned the India setup end to end: identifying and shaping the space, aligning facilities and architecture, coordinating launch communications, managing stakeholders, planning the opening event, and setting up the operating rhythm after launch.
The local service model followed the UX Live Center pattern used across hubs: service desk, walk-in consultation, awareness training, community formats, and localized UX services such as UI design, user research, usability testing, journey mapping, expert reviews, and eye-tracking. For India, I focused the operating model on the services teams most needed: standards access, design critique, UX consultation, workshops, service routing, and support for teams building their first design function.
In practice, the most common requests were around the Density design system, design-to-code AI workflows, Figma access and administration, and onboarding support for teams setting up local design capacity.
The local operating model translated global DesignOps services into intake, consultation, workshops, standards access, and referral paths for India product teams.
FIG. 2 - SERVICE MODEL
The program challenge
The biggest delivery risk was physical: the office floorplan had already been approved before DesignOps was involved. The allocated room was too small for the service we needed to run. It could support a meeting, but not a workshop, training session, service desk, or community format.
With two to three weeks left before launch, I escalated the issue and worked directly with facilities and architecture to adjust the plan. The goal was simple: the space had to support 20 to 30 people working together, not become a branded room that looked good but could not operate.
The final days were still tight. Two or three days before launch, logistics, decor, and interiors were still being finished. I was on site coordinating vendors, final setup, and event readiness - leg brace included.
The buildout was still in progress while launch readiness, vendor coordination, communications, and service planning moved in parallel.
FIG. 3 - BUILDOUT AND LAUNCH READINESS
The revised floorplan made the center usable for workshops, training, service-desk conversations, and team collaboration instead of a small meeting room.
FIG. 4 - WORKSHOP-READY FLOORPLAN
The operating model
I treated the UX Live Center as a service, not a room.
Teams could come through a service desk or weekly walk-in slot, use the space for workshops and co-working, request design critique or consultancy, and get help navigating global standards and services. When questions needed global ownership - design system, measurement, Figma administration, or frontend standards - the center acted as the local intake and routing layer.
That made the center useful in both directions. Local teams got clearer access to UX support, and recurring local friction became feedback for global DesignOps owners.
WHAT SHIPPED
- A permanent UX Live Center at BMW TechWorks India.
- A launch event on 18 September 2025 with roughly 150-200 people in office and 60-70 joining virtually.
- A weekly walk-in consultation slot and service desk.
- A bookable workshop and co-working space, with bookings routed through me.
- Local access to design critique, UX consultation, standards, guidelines, and DesignOps services.
- Stakeholder alignment across facilities, architecture, communications, India leadership, product teams, and global DesignOps.
A global DesignOps model became a local operating rhythm.
What changed
Design support became findable. Teams had a place to go, a predictable cadence, and someone accountable for what happened next.
The launch created visibility; recurring sessions created adoption signals. Across launch, workshops, and Knowledge Cafe sessions, the center reached roughly 800-900 attendees. The strongest demand came from Density design system support, design-to-code AI workflows, Figma access, and onboarding support for teams building local design capacity.
The center also helped India present UX as an operating capability, not only a remote global service. It gave the hub a visible design presence and a practical way to connect product teams with global DesignOps.
The launch introduced the UX Live Center as a local access point for DesignOps services and helped create early visibility across the hub.
FIG. 5 - LAUNCH PRESENTATION
The opening brought teams together around the new space, turning the center from a facilities project into a visible community touchpoint.
FIG. 6 - COMMUNITY TURNOUT
A launch session explaining the DesignOps service offer: standards, consultation, workshops, tooling support, and routes into global capability.
FIG. 7 - SERVICE AWARENESS SESSION
Presenting the India UX Live Center at launch, with final setup still fresh and a leg brace quietly part of the delivery story.
FIG. 8 - LAUNCH OWNERSHIP
What I would improve
If I were setting this up again, I would define the measurement model before launch: request categories, unique teams supported, repeat visits, service routing, workshop bookings, satisfaction, and examples where consultation changed a product decision.
The work taught me that service design and program delivery meet earlier than people think. If the operating model needs workshops, consultation, and community rituals, the floorplan is already a product decision.