Designers' struggle with presenting business outcomes is a tale as old as tech. But is it even true, and if so, why? I’d liketo take a moment to investigate some of the reasons why it can be hard for designers to present relevant numbers as achievements and what we might do to fix that.
Distance matters
In many organizational setups, designers' work and perceived value creation are too far removed from where business outcomes are measured. Where the maturity of the design team (and often other disciplines alongside design) is low, a lot of the design work happens in the delivery phase of a product design lifecycle. Designers build solutions to problems defined by others and hand over the visual artifacts to be “produced” by engineers. In such waterfall-like structures, designers are often already busy with the following projects when the results of a release are measured. A lack of shared responsibility and ownership for the results leads us to resort to the part of the job we are rewarded for, despite agile setups and sprint rituals. If Designneeds to run ahead of the team to provide work packages for engineers, the team will be bound to remain out of sync.
This issue becomes even worse in agency or consultant settings, where designers are brought in to “help out on projects,” design “a first version,” and be billed by the hour. Client companies will be reluctant to keep them around for more than the delivery of their direct work package, and agencies are strongly incentivized to keep their designers booked with productive tasks as much as possible.
Even higher levels of UX maturity may not help designers when introducing UX metrics unique to UX. While helpful in measuring and displaying the UX team's efforts, dedicated metrics exclusive to design may further increase the disconnect between UX and the rest of the team. In communicating business impact, as we may need to do in case studies and UX portfolios, UX Metrics are only helpful if they serve as leading indicators to business KPIs.
You can only count what is measured
Let’s not forget that, in addition to the lack of involvement, many teams and companies, especially in the early stages, are not (yet) equipped to truly measure the data that drives their business. Yes, ideally, we designers could ask for the impact of a feature or update, even if we weren’t directly connected to the team when it was released, but what if the outcome wasn’t measured at all?
Even AI collecting and analyzing data needs resources and effort. Since neither time nor effort comes for free, many companies will begin by measuring only the things with the highest and most direct business outcomes. That may very well mean that while your design solution made the user experience better and thus contributed, the actual impact won’tbe measured.
Why do we need to show it at all?
So if all the things I mentioned are true, how are we expected to show numbers at all, you might ask. I believe the need for proof of impact stems from a common misconception about the role of design in tech teams.
UX designers like to position themselves as more than visual artists, and we carry the argument that companies that invest in UX outperform their competitors around like a shield. And while there is no doubt that it’s true, it comes with a few challenges. It leaves designers who can’t prove their impact due to the foregoing reasons hanging and raises expectations within other disciplines that aren’t entirely within the control of design.
It’s not only about the numbers
When designers and (our leaders) argue that they are the “customer advocates” and that we should design and lead the way to create more successful products, it places us outside (or above) other disciplines like product management. But in reality, we need to be close partners with these disciplines. It matters that we understand how they and the rest of the organization measure success.
So, often, when we are asked to discuss KPIs and how our work was impactful, it is to ensure we are team-compatible and understand what matters to the business. I think this is a key aspect to understanding why and how to talk about business impact as a designer. It’s not just about the numbers you present but why those numbers matter and how you choose to talk about them.
Not convinced? Consider this. Picture yourself in a job interview, and the hiring manager or a product leader asks you about the impact of your design work. Your interviewer will not know the right benchmarks unless you apply for a job in the same industry. Even when they do, it may very likely be impossible to tell what other factors like seasonality, marketing, economic climate, and so on have played a role in the outcome. The conversation isn’t just about the numbers but your understanding of success factors.
Differentiate with understanding
While this may seem tough, especially when data is scarce, I believe there is also an opportunity here for designers. By actively considering not just the numbers we present ourselves but also how they matter and how we want to address our contribution to the team's goals beyond our own UX measures, we get to present ourselves as more thoughtful partners who are genuinely invested in the joint success of the team and not “just” great customer experiences—and that’s what we are paid for.
How to talk about numbers
Let’s get practical. If you are in a UX design position, make an effort to become a part of the product team (or squad) that builds the product, not just the design team. Think of a sports team; in soccer, for example, the players are joined by their goal to win the match, and when they win, they win together. Everyone on the team gets to celebrate a whopping 3:0 victory, not just the striker who scored the goals directly. It’s a team effort, so the team wins and goes on your record. When connected to the team, asking for the score becomes much more manageable.
Another thing to remember is that there don’t always have to be concrete KPIs that tell the story of your understanding of what makes the business tick. When you can‘t get them, you may use leading indicators you observed in your UX work, during tests, or feedback you got during interviews with stakeholders and users. Tie positive effects to your team's goals with the project and explain your reasoning.
Don‘t let a lack of measured numbers stop you
I guess I‘m trying to say that a lack of numbers won‘t necessarily hold you back from getting the UX role you desire. There are many circumstances why you may not have access to them, and many of them are not your fault. Lots of designers just like you are in the same predicament. Even when you have the measured results to present, understanding how your design decisions made an impact is far more insightful and meaningful to hiring managers than just the number of % your team was able to lift a KPI.
Instead of desperately waiting for a project that lets you play the numbers game, build a case around how your design decisions impact outcomes.
I know this is all easier said than done, and figuring out these things yourself can be frightening initially. If you could use some support, I‘d be happy to jump on a coaching conversation with you to help you build your impact story.
