The designer with business confidence

Whatever your design discipline, a better grasp of how business works could help you have more impact, influence decision making, and collaborate more effectively with other disciplines.

But where should you start your journey to business confidence, and will you compromise your design values in the process?

Transcript

1. The designer with
   business confidence
   Starting a journey to make sense of business
   Tom Prior | UX Crunch | 23 March 2021
   

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2. I’m not a business expert.
   

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3. I’m not a business expert.
   

   You don’t need to be either.
   

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4. The designer who ‘gets’ business.
   

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5. Deep discipline expertise
   Design craft
   Cross-discipline expertise
   Code
   Presenting Writing Agile
   Project
   
   
   management
   

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6. Deep discipline expertise
   Design craft
   Cross-discipline expertise
   Code
   Presenting Writing Agile Business
   Project
   
   
   

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7. Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
   Raise some eyebrows.
   

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8. The business confident designer…
   

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9. The business confident designer…
   1 Knows how their design aligns with strategic activities
   

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10. The business confident designer…
    1 Knows how their design aligns with strategic activities
    2 Can articulate how design has business impact
    

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11. The business confident designer…
    1 Knows how their design aligns with strategic activities
    2 Can articulate how design has business impact
    3 Considers themselves a business decision maker
    

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12. Why business
    
    
    confidence matters
    

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13. Collaborate
    more effectively
    Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
    

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14. Influence
    decision making
    Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash
    

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15. Keep that seat
    
    
    at the table
    Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash
    

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16. Designers have
    business superpowers
    Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash
    

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17. Comfort
    
    
    with ambiguity
    Business Superpower
    1
    

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18. Unlocking
    
    
    intrinsic value
    Business Superpower
    2
    

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19. Framing
    
    
    problems
    Business Superpower
    3
    

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20. The design +
    business dilemma
    

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21. Some business models don’t
    
    
    have people or the planet’s
    best interests at heart.
    Photo by ActionVance on Unsplash
    

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22. “This is all too often
    how UX design is
    considered and
    practiced.
    ”
    
    Erika Hall, Co-founder of Mule Design
    https://twitter.com/mulegirl/status/1332389999656927232
    

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23. Be a catalyst
    
    
    for change
    Photo by Raphael Renter on Unsplash
    

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24. We are the business
    

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25. Opportunities
    

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26. Business model
    innovation
    1
    Opportunities
    

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27. Business model
    innovation
    1 2
    Digitally native
    vertical brands
    Opportunities
    

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28. Business model
    innovation
    1 2
    Digitally native
    vertical brands
    3
    The Circular
    Economy
    Opportunities
    

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29. Photo by Malik Skydsgaard on Unsplash
    Getting started
    

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30. Strategic activities
    
    
    Business impact
    
    
    Relationships & culture
    

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31. Strategic activities
    
    
    Business impact
    
    
    Relationships & culture
    

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32. “The design team don’t
    think strategically”
    Business stakeholders
    

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33. Make strategy
    practical
    

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34. Strategy is what you do,
    and what you don’t do
    

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35. Map your organisation’s
    strategic activities
    Blue Ocean / Strategy Canvas https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/strategy-canvas/
    

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36. “Why aren’t we
    
    
    doing it like…”
    The design team
    

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37. METRO BANK
    MONZO
    HIGH
    LOW
    INVESTMENT
    PHYSICAL DIGITAL CUSTOMER SERVICE PRODUCTS COMMUNITY
    https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/strategy-canvas/
    

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38. HIGH
    LOW
    INVESTMENT
    PHYSICAL DIGITAL CUSTOMER SERVICE PRODUCTS COMMUNITY
    METRO BANK
    MONZO
    https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/strategy-canvas/
    

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39. HIGH
    LOW
    INVESTMENT
    PHYSICAL DIGITAL CUSTOMER SERVICE PRODUCTS COMMUNITY
    METRO BANK
    MONZO
    https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/strategy-canvas/
    

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40. HIGH
    LOW
    INVESTMENT
    PHYSICAL DIGITAL CUSTOMER SERVICE PRODUCTS COMMUNITY
    METRO BANK
    MONZO
    1. Make the call centre experience less stressful
    
    
    2. Make help documentation easier to navigate
    
    
    3. Design a customer service chatbot
    https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/strategy-canvas/
    

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41. HIGH
    LOW
    INVESTMENT
    PHYSICAL DIGITAL CUSTOMER SERVICE PRODUCTS COMMUNITY
    METRO BANK
    MONZO
    https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/strategy-canvas/
    

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42. Strategic activities
    
    
    Business impact
    
    
    Relationships & culture
    

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43. “design is often times viewe
    d
    
    as a cost center, rather than
    something that creates value for
    the business
    ”
    
    Enrique Allen, Co-Founder of Designer Fund
    20 levers for communicating the business impact of Design
    

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44. return on investment (ROI)
    

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45. return on investment (ROI)
    = £££
    

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46. return on investment (ROI)
    = £££ = £££
    

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47. return on investment (ROI)
    = £££ = £££
    or…
    
    
    Ability to pay staff
    
    
    Efficiency
    
    
    Customer happiness
    
    
    Reputation
    
    
    NPS score
    
    
    Ability to reinvest
    or…
    
    
    Time
    
    
    Effort
    
    
    R&D
    
    
    Training
    
    
    Testing
    
    
    Technology
    

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48. “We want to make a customer service chatbot”
    Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash
    

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49. 20 Levers for Communicating The Business Impact of Design
    

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50. Reduced call centre
    demand
    
    
    Lower staff turnover
    
    
    Training time
    
    
    Internal tools
    
    
    Customer retention
    
    
    Brand perception
    
    
    Customer satisfaction
    
    
    NPS
    
    
    20 Levers for Communicating The Business Impact of Design
    

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51. Identifying measures
    Photo by Verne Ho on Unsplash
    

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52. Reduced call centre
    demand
    
    
    Lower staff turnover
    
    
    Training time
    
    
    Internal tools
    
    
    Customer retention
    
    
    Brand perception
    
    
    Customer satisfaction
    
    
    NPS
    
    
    20 Levers for Communicating The Business Impact of Design
    

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53. Reduced call centre
    demand
    
    
    Lower staff turnover
    
    
    Training time
    
    
    Internal tools
    
    
    Customer retention
    
    
    Brand perception
    
    
    Customer satisfaction
    
    
    NPS
    
    
    Number of calls
    
    
    Call length
    
    
    20 Levers for Communicating The Business Impact of Design
    

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54. Reduced call centre
    demand
    
    
    Lower staff turnover
    
    
    Training time
    
    
    Internal tools
    
    
    Customer retention
    
    
    Brand perception
    
    
    Customer satisfaction
    
    
    NPS
    
    
    Number of calls
    
    
    Call length
    
    
    More effective,
    more quickly
    
    
    20 Levers for Communicating The Business Impact of Design
    

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55. Reduced call centre
    demand
    
    
    Lower staff turnover
    
    
    Training time
    
    
    Internal tools
    
    
    Customer retention
    
    
    Brand perception
    
    
    Customer satisfaction
    
    
    NPS
    
    
    Number of calls
    
    
    Call length
    
    
    Retention rates
    
    
    More effective,
    more quickly
    
    
    20 Levers for Communicating The Business Impact of Design
    

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56. Reduced call centre
    demand
    
    
    Lower staff turnover
    
    
    Training time
    
    
    Internal tools
    
    
    Customer retention
    
    
    Brand perception
    
    
    Customer satisfaction
    
    
    NPS
    
    
    Number of calls
    
    
    Call length
    
    
    Retention rates
    
    
    NPS score
    
    
    More effective,
    more quickly
    
    
    20 Levers for Communicating The Business Impact of Design
    

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57. In
    fl
    uence, power,
    
    
    impact, actual design
    Some numbers
    The business
    Designers
    

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58. In
    fl
    uence, power,
    
    
    impact, actual design
    Some numbers
    The business
    Designers
    numbers aren’t a
    
    
    silver bullet
    

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59. Strategic activities
    
    
    Models & measures
    
    
    Relationships & culture
    

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60. Photo by Ambreen Hasan on Unsplash
    

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61. Photo by Alex McCarthy on Unsplash
    

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62. Photo by Nastuh Abootalebi on Unsplash
    

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63. “The real problem is not design education. The real
    problem is our mindset. Our reluctance to learn
    business.
     
    
    …we are stuck between our wish for more impact and our
    fear of losing our identity and values.
    ”
    
    Alen Faljic, Founder and CEO of d.MBA
    20 levers for communicating the business impact of Design
    

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64. group dynamics
    Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
    

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65. Reach out to decision makers
    • Start with an email
    
    
    • Show genuine interest
    
    
    • Practice empathy
    
    
    • Follow up
    Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash
    

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67. “Them: Why are there so many names for the same thing in
    business accounting
    ?
    
    Me: Why can't you decide what we call software designers?
    ”
    
    Mia Blume, Design Executive Coach & CEO @designdeptco
    https://twitter.com/mialoira/status/1362489561075511296
    

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68. translate for
    each other
    https://twitter.com/martynreding/status/1105073935291424768
    Martyn Reding, founder of Design Leaders Studio
    

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69. decks = currency
    Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
    

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70. dogma
    

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72. design
    

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73. • Have a beginners mindset
    
    
    • Take the pressure off yourself
    
    
    • Choose foundation reads
    
    
    • Consider short courses
    
    
    • Newsletters & other resources
    Getting started
    

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74. https://www.designbetter.co/business-thinking-for-designers https://wordery.com/creative-strategy-and-the-business-of-
    design-douglas-davis-9781440341557/
    By Ryan Rumsey, CEO at Second Wave Dive
    Business Thinking for Designers
    By Douglas Davis, Strategist and Author
    Creative Strategy and the Business of Design
    

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75. 6 weeks - $1995 6 weeks - 2.980€ - 3.200€
    Second Wave Dive d.MBA
    

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76. designersinbusiness.com
    

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77. @tomprior
    
    
    thomasprior.co.uk
    
    
    designersinbusiness.com
    
    
    Good luck!
    

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