Venturing into the complex world of Design Strategy
The reflections of a UX/UI Designer transitioning into Design Strategy. I have recently moved into a more strategic role from a very practical design one. I was once really intimidated by the position and anything that had the word “Strategy” in it, but now getting stuck into it — I’m in love with it.
Here are my reflections from my first 9 months as a Design Strategist, my evolving understanding of it, how I’ve made sense of it until now, and some of the advantages and challenges of this move from Design Do-er to Design Strategy.
1. My introduction to Design Strategy
I remember my first interactions with a Strategist. I was an intern at my first Design agency, I was doing my rounds of introductions, meeting and shadowing all the different practitioners you would typically see in any digital design agency.
Met the funky, creative UI and Visual Designers, the deep-thinking Service Designers, Client-engagement types, Sales, Researchers, Tech-experts and then there was the Design Strategist.
Asking around very bluntly, “so what does a Strategist actually do?!” I got a range of reactions. Some laughed and giggled — “good question”. Some took my newbie question seriously and responded with a short answer — one that I still remember to this day. “Strategists listen, observe, digest everything about a particular business objective, and guide the team to victory”.
Now, with my slight confusion about how someone could actually do all of that, I continued to smile, nod and move along swiftly before anyone noticed. Eventually found my place as a Design Consultant, honing my practical design skills to become a UX designer.
Along with my confusion, I was also extremely intrigued by it.
Seeing it in practice over time
It was difficult for me to understand the role initially as it wasn’t as straightforward and directly tangible as other disciplines such as UX Research or UX, UI or Visual Design — where I could see it in front of me.
It’s so intimately entangled with the business and client-facing, where each discussion would piece together the understanding of the business. This consistent connection between business and user is at the heart of the role.
I came to this realisation over time. I now know that crafting a strategy takes time, patience and industry experience.
The responsibility of the role
One of the biggest responsibilities is placed on a Design Strategist and the most challenging questions are asked of them. “What are we doing? Why are we doing that? And How are we going to do it?”
The responsibility of the Design Strategist is to guide and provide the focus and intent of a project, giving confidence to all involved in an actionable plan. I’ve found that often ‘the business’ stakeholders wouldn’t be able to fully accurately articulate the focus. Hence bringing a Strategist onboard to make sense of it all.
This ‘focus’ is only as good as what comes after the focus is set. The actions once a focus is established can take different forms…
1. Identify opportunities — This is done through listening, observation, and gathered research (often coupling multiple sources of truths together to have a complete picture of a challenge or state of the business.
2. Direction setting — Set the direction & areas of focus (this can be expressed in an action plan, timeline, or scale of maturity)
3. Enabling execution — Gather the right resources, people and teams together with the proposed direction/strategy so they can create
2. So, what then is ‘Design Strategy’?
There are many definitions out there, with many design academics, practitioners and theorists for you to get a definition, but truthfully it can be articulated in many ways and there’s no one set definition. So go nuts, I won’t re-hatch the same quotes you’ve seen a million times.
But I will reflect on how I have come to understand it now…
Starting with 2 pursuits, 1 — To unearth the user’s needs and 2 — To align this with business objectives. The cross-section where these two meet is the focus and Design Strategy is the pursuit of a solution (tangible products, services and/or experiences) that satisfy both goals.
So how does a Design Strategist do ‘Strategy’?
It is the intentional and consistent quest to answer one of two questions at a time and/or in combination.
One: How do we understand our users better so we can be more intentional with our execution of ideas? Serve the customer.
Two: How can the business objectives align to that particular customer, so the business can provide goods and services to them? Serve the business.
This, in a nutshell, is explored simultaneously and through tactical actions provides guidance in the creation of a Strategy.
This, in a nutshell, is explored simultaneously and through tactical actions provides guidance in the creation of a Strategy.
The typical Design Strategist is…
- Cool and smart.
I recall thinking how cool and at the same time annoyingly smart they were. Often on the older side, they would always ask the most powerful and ‘loaded’ questions that would open everyone’s thinking in a call, meeting or workshop. - Wise and seasoned.
They always seem to understand complex stuff, they would see the ‘bigger picture, always knowing and planning the next step. - Proactive and rational.
They would always seem confident in having an answer on how to progress.
I now know that it’s knowledge from past projects and experiences within the Customer Experience field that allows them to have this wisdom. They would be able to see things clearly because they’ve probably seen them before, or something similar. - Curious and patient.
They would carefully unpack the issue at hand. Slowly dismantling the brief, peeling away the layers of the business, the customers and the systems around them reveals the path that makes the most sense to explore. Often within a cloud of messy assumptions and expectations — great Strategists make sense of that complexity. - Bi-lingual.
A Design Strategist needs to be fluent in both design and business languages — they’ll be mobilising teams of both design and business folk and often are used as a bridge so they can work together.
3. Now I’m in the role
These are some points I’ve come to learn more intimately from picking up the role.
Design Strategy has a role in all stages of the design process
The task of getting the idea across, moving from one phase to another, from business idea to concept, from Concept to Mock-up, from Mock-up to a Proof of concept (POC), from Concept design to Solution design, from Live developed product to Iteration — this consistent movement is focused and nurtured by a direction, this direction is the role of the Design Strategist.
Design strategy is collaborative and at its best when it leverages the skills of other disciplines. Some of these collaborators outside of Design are …
- Business stakeholders or ‘the client’ if you’re an external party — these people are the source or representatives of the business, often having final sign-off and will fund projects. Getting them on-side and believing in your strategy is vital.
- Project Managers — who are in charge of keeping initiatives on track and on time. Gaining an understanding of project timelines is critical. As a Strategist, you need to have this in mind when strategising what’s next.
- Researchers — tasked with looking into details (big and small) of the customer, industry and business. They are the ones that will help you tackle and unpack those big questions and should be used as a bridge between you and the customer.
- Business Analysts — tasked with digesting the wants and needs of the business, the role is very close to the business and can be a great way to establish the positioning of a strategy. Validating and sense-checking a strategic approach with BAs is always wise.
- Technologists (and Digital Architects) — the big technical minds behind the creation of digital products and systems. Getting an understanding of the technical feasibility of an idea as well as known technical challenges is key to a strategy that is made real.
- Developers — tasked with executing and building the product. Being able to communicate the project’s strategy with them, will enable you to work with them in the development of the product.
- Data Scientists (Data Analytics) — when a question of the performance in the form of data needs to be explored, captured and leveraged.
How does Design Strategy sit alongside other Design disciplines?
I like to think a Design Strategist, in context with the other design disciplines, is the Director on a film set.
This role has ownership of the ‘vision’ and the responsibility to enable the wider team to produce the best possible execution of that vision. They must have the know-how of how the film is to be shot, have an influence on who stars in it, plan each scene, discuss the script, be in the editing room — and ultimately when the final cut is made, and the end product.
They are the overarching ‘control tower’ — someone who has visibility over what’s happening & what’s about to happen.
4. So was it the right move?
I’ve listed reasons why any hands-on Designer could put on the Strategist hat (the advantages Designers have) but also areas where Design Strategy requires consideration (the challenges Designers may face).
Designer advantages
- Your exposure to the design process is of HUGE value!
As a Designer, you are a practical part of the creation process. So you know what it takes to bring ideas to life. You know what a good brief looks like, so use that as a benchmark for what you present to the Designer once the project is ready to be executed. - Keep your collaborative nature, but expand your reach further!
Great designers collaborate and absorb what is around them — insights, customer data, existing products, a point of view or a plan of action.
As a Design Strategist, you’re also constantly on the hunt for information to bring this all together to establish a path. - Visualise your thinking!
Never underestimate the power of putting your thinking into words, scribbles, a sketch or a flow. Make your intent tangible — just as you would as a designer, a Strategist that is able to communicate complexities simply, is a powerful one. - Retain a customer-centric approach
This is inherited as a Designer and is a strong attribute that will ground your approach in customer truths and never assumptions! - It’s all storytelling.
Similar to how you would demo an idea to a stakeholder, or review a solution with a design peer, you can often propose your ideas as a story, often projecting into the future, as a potential result or outcome of your strategy. - Stay curious.
Similar when designing a product or service, you should be constantly validating your decisions — similarly in Strategy, keeping this curious nature will only enrich your understanding. The more you ask, the more you learn, and the more you learn, the more informed you are to make the right decision. This is vital when working up a strategy.
The challenges you may face
- “The business” is a huge part of your role — get familiar with it.
As a Designer, you’re often not too worried about the business value, as this has already been approved and validated by the business stakeholders. Within Strategy, this is a constant question and a much bigger consideration. - Learning the language of the business.
Something that many Designs have the privilege of ignoring — the language of the business is a valuable tool to help you navigate it and be able to move the project forward within it. - You need to structure your time more
You are going to be given big, complex and nasty problems to try and solve. I’d hope your organisation respects the gravity of the task at hand and gives you enough time/space to think. Much of what you do as a Strategist is self-initiated and you need to make sure you protect your time to gather information, digest it and make sense of it. - Be ready to have a point of view.
You will be asked for guidance, and be ready to present your perspective on complex topics within your business and organisation. - You will be front and centre, presenting — a lot.
This may not be a challenge or any different to some Designers but as a Strategist, you are often presenting ideas, project statuses and team direction. Get used to the performance of it, there will be repetition. - You are constantly working with unknowns
A big part of your role is knowledge gathering — so you must get answers to many unknowns, so you can have as complete of an understanding as possible. Be ready to seek this out. - You are often expected to output your thoughts onto a presentation deck.
As you can imagine, you’re often convincing and persuading others to follow you on your journey and proposed strategy. Getting heaps of information and distilling it into a deck presentation — get used to doing this quickly and often. - A Strategy will evolve, change and pivot along the way — and that’s okay!
Similar to the design process, a strategy is going to change, it won’t be perfect straight away and it will need to adapt. Strategy is not a perfectly drawn path to success or a magic ball into the future. You will most likely need to change direction and that’s okay.
So how does Strategy sound for you — are you a Designer that feels ready to take the leap?
Disclaimer: These are my personal thoughts, for now. I’m sure as I venture deeper into Design Strategy these will change and evolve.
