Designers, learn the language of business to gain a voice at the business table.
“ Designers should have a seat at the business table.”
This is a phrase I’ve been hearing throughout my short career (2 years) as a UX/IX Designer. It’s something that I agree with, but to take it more literally, I believe we do have seat at this table. The problem is, do we have a big enough voice that is heard at the table? Through my personal experience and talking to other designers, the answer is no, and here’s why…
At this day and age, where everything is becoming digitalized, UX is more apparent as an asset to every company’s needs to distinguish themselves. Because of this, companies are “adding seats to the business table” for people who know Design.
Hey Designers! We finally got a seat! Now what?…
Now, we’re face with the actual problem. How do we gain a voice at the table? Right now, the Designers at this table are not being heard. And the reason is because we’re speaking a fundamentally different language. The language that everyone else is speaking is Business, the language we’re speaking is Design.
Is this really the problem? Let’s take a look at the problem through the eyes of a designer!
To reiterate, the problem is that Designers are not being heard. But we’re not gonna solve the problem by yelling. What we need to do is take a step back and rephrase the problem by approaching it in a “Design” way. A more empathetic way. The problem should be rephrased with Designers are not hearing other people.
How do we solve it?
In my opinion, the big thing is to add missing pieces to our language. What catches the attention of the people at the table? “Business” and “Goals.” This is how we are going to sell our ideas and grow that voice that will be heard. Speaking a language around “Business” and “Goals” will ultimately connect that bridge of communication. It’s going to sound easier than it actually is because now Designers not only have to design for the customer, but also design and market their design towards the people at the business table.
This is where I regret not minoring in Marketing… 😑
After thought: It’s ironic how a designer’s favorite word is empathy, however, we still struggle with empathizing with companies we work for. If empathy is truly our favorite word, it’s our duty to learn the language of business so that we can gain a voice at the business table.
“Designers, become business-minded or become irrelevant.”
— Bobby Ghoshal
