How do you show design value to your organization?

Design value is the positive impact that design can have on your organization's goals, such as increasing revenue, improving customer satisfaction, or solving problems. But how do you show design value to your stakeholders, especially those who are not familiar with design methods or outcomes? Here are some practical tips to communicate and demonstrate design value in your organization.

1 Align with business objectives

The first step to show design value is to understand and align with your organization's business objectives. Identify the main goals, challenges, and opportunities that your organization is facing. How can design help achieve them? Decide how to measure and report the results of design work. Aligning with business objectives can help you speak the same language as your stakeholders, and show them how design contributes to the bottom line.

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Muhamamd Umer

Design Manager. Creating homes that elevate your everyday. From bedrooms that inspire more play to kitchens that ignite the inner chef. Ready to up the ante in your daily routine? Let's connect.
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1. Align with Goals: Connect design to business objectives, illustrating how it boosts revenue, user satisfaction, and key performance indicators (KPIs). 2. Data-Driven: Use metrics and A/B testing to prove the impact of design changes, highlighting improvements in engagement, conversions, or user satisfaction. 3. User-Centric: Emphasize that design addresses user needs, enhancing user experiences, loyalty, and retention. 4. Case Studies: Develop project-specific case studies and share stories that outline the positive outcomes of your design work. 5. Cost Savings: Showcase how design reduces operational costs, like lowering support inquiries and preventing expensive mistakes.

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2 Involve stakeholders in the design process

Be sure to involve your stakeholders in the design process. This means inviting them to participate in research, ideation, testing, and feedback sessions, and sharing your insights, prototypes, and deliverables with them. By involving stakeholders in the design process, you can build trust, collaboration, and buy-in, and show them how design solves real problems and creates value for users and the organization.

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Paola Fox

Product Designer | Product Management | UI/UX Design | Customer Experience
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I've found that involving stakeholders in the early stages of the design process makes it easier to discover and avoid risks — a healthy communication channel with stakeholders is crucial to obtain valuable input regarding the product and their expectations, validate assumptions, build trust, and increase user-centricity, which in turn will lead to better results.

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3 Showcase design outcomes and impact

Showcase your design outcomes and impact by presenting your design work in a clear, compelling, and engaging way, highlighting the benefits and value that it delivers to users and the organization. You can use different formats and channels to showcase your design work, such as portfolios, case studies, stories, testimonials, or dashboards. Showcasing your design outcomes and impact, helps demonstrate your design skills, expertise, and value proposition, and inspire your stakeholders to support and invest in design.

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Stan 💠 Kirilov

Founder @ StanVision - SaaS Design Agency | Jury member at Awwwards | Webflow premium partner
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In my experience at StanVision, I've emphasized the importance of data-driven results to showcase our design impact. We meticulously track key metrics like website traffic, user engagement, and conversion rates pre- and post-design changes. For example, a website redesign significantly boosted user sign-ups, a result we linked directly to specific design improvements – optimized layouts and calls-to-action. This approach not only demonstrates our design's aesthetic and functional enhancements but also its direct contribution to business outcomes, underlining the strategic value of our work.

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4 Educate and advocate for design

Sharing your design knowledge, best practices, and resources with your stakeholders, and explaining the rationale, methods, and principles behind your design decisions are useful strategies to educate others and advocate for design. You can also promote a design culture and mindset in your organization, by encouraging curiosity, empathy, creativity, and experimentation. Remember, educating and advocating for design, may increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation, and position yourself as a design leader and influencer.

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5 Seek feedback and improvement

Seek feedback and improvement on your design work and performance. This means asking for and listening to constructive criticism, suggestions, and praise from your stakeholders, and using them to improve your design work and processes. You can also seek feedback and improvement from other sources, such as peers, mentors, or users, and learn from their experiences and perspectives. Readily seeking feedback and improvement, can show your willingness to learn, grow, and adapt, and demonstrate your commitment to delivering design value.

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6 Celebrate and reward design success

Always celebrate and reward design success in your organization. You can do this by acknowledging and appreciating the achievements and contributions of yourself and your team members, and sharing them with your stakeholders and the wider community. You can also celebrate and reward design success by giving recognition, incentives, or opportunities to yourself and your team members, and by celebrating the positive impact that your design work has on users and the organization. By celebrating and rewarding design success, you can boost morale, motivation, and loyalty, and foster a culture of design excellence and value.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you show design value to your organization?

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1 Align with business objectives

2 Involve stakeholders in the design process

3 Showcase design outcomes and impact

4 Educate and advocate for design

5 Seek feedback and improvement

6 Celebrate and reward design success

7 Here’s what else to consider

Design

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How do you show design value to your organization?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Align with business objectives

2 Involve stakeholders in the design process

3 Showcase design outcomes and impact

4 Educate and advocate for design

5 Seek feedback and improvement

6 Celebrate and reward design success

7 Here’s what else to consider

Design

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