02. Connecting Design to Financial Outcomes
As Designers, when we don't connect our work to financial outcomes, we lose control of the narrative, leaving others to fill in the blanks. Businesses assess money-in and value-out. How much value an investment creates shows where to invest further. Designers usually focus on Product or Customer Outcomes (launched an improved flow, reduced cognitive load, etc). Sometimes, we connect our work to Business Outcomes (improved conversion, increased NPS, etc) however, rarely do we link our Design work to Financial Outcomes (decreased Customer Acquisition Costs, increased Annual Recurring Revenue). When executives don't know how something like "reduced cognitive load" impacts the bottom line, it opens up reasonable and challenging questions like, "Why should I invest in Design?" To grow your influence, always link your Design work to Business and Financial Outcomes. Don't assume others can make this leap on their own.
03. Co-Create & Test the Right Solutions
I rapidly turn insights into decisions:
- • Concept exploration (sketch → prototype)
- • User validation
- • Decision frameworks with tradeoffs called out
Speed + clarity lets teams move with confidence without guesswork. Example: Tested simplified mobile plan-selection flows — reducing decision time and improving conversion for paid upgrades.
04. Deliver with Engineering for Velocity
I ensure a smooth path to production:
- • Detailed interactions + platform standards (iOS/Android/Web/)
- • Accessibility and compliance checks
- • Cross-functional reviews to remove blockers
I stay engaged after handoff to ensure quality, refinement, and measurement. Example: Improved billing UX with fewer errors → fewer support tickets and faster revenue recognition.
05. Measure & Continuously Optimize
Launch is not the finish line. I analyze performance trends and continuously improve the experience to drive ROI:
- • Funnel + analytics insights
- • Experimentation (A/B testing)
- • Hypothesis-driven backlog opportunities
Example: Iterative improvements increased feature adoption and drove higher active usage across mobile.