Resources to help you communicate the value of design to the C-suite

A curated collection of frameworks, case studies and tools to help you show the ROI of design and have productive conversations with C-level executives.

Many business leaders still see design as a cost, not an investment. But design can drive business success through multiple channels:

✅ Better Customer Experience → Higher Retention

✅ Improved UX → Higher Conversion Rate

✅ Strong Brand → Lower Customer Acquisition Cost

But how to translate what design means for the business and what impact it can have on a group of people who could not care less about design?

Key principles for communicating with C-suite:

⚫️ Understand what OKRs your executive team is currently focusing on

⚫️ Connect design decisions to business outcomes

⚫️ Use data to support your arguments

⚫️ Focus on metrics that matter to executives: revenue, growth, retention

⚫️ Present both short-term wins and long-term value

⚫️ Show competitive advantages

⚫️ Use examples from competitors who've succeeded through design investment

Useful resources:

20 Levers for Return on Design by Designer Fund

Abigail Hart Gray, Director of UX at Google: How to explain design to non-designers with numbers by Design Better

Made to measure: Getting design leadership metrics right by McKinsey

The design metric evolution: from inputs to outcomes by Patrizia Bertini

Calculating ROI for Design Projects in 4 Steps by NN group

Google's HEART framework by Kerry Rodden, explained by Aaron Walter

4 stories from Chief Design Officers at Zoom, Cisco, JPMorgan Chase and citizenM on measuring and communicating design's business impact by Future London Academy

Design for Business Impact: case studies from multi-billion dollar companies and early-stage startups by Designer Fund

Design Quality vs. Measurable Design: A Balancing Act by Method

Ready to connect design and business in your organisation?

Learn how to make an impact in the boardroom with our Executive Programme for Design Leaders.