I believe businesses thrive when design is involved in the front and the back of the house. To design great experiences designers need to have a holistic understanding of what is offered to customers and how operations make it happen. The lack of this understanding can bring unintended consequences, like the time we designed a flow to sell more add-on products without checking if preparation centres could take them on.

Thick data sheds light on existing behaviours, mindsets, and reasons why people behave the way they do. On top of that, qualitative data is memorable and sticks with people, making it easier to advocate for users when they are not in the room. The decision-making process has to be data-informed and when data is insufficient or unreliable, relying on a hypothesis-based approach, quick experiments and experience is the best approach to make the right decisions.

Design teams benefit from being led by a leader who can talk business. The ability to translate business goals, performance, and opportunities to steer the team in the right direction is fundamental for the perception of design within the business and the growth of the practice and the team. Equally, a design leader should be clear on what is in discovery and delivery, to connect all the dots and ultimately deliver a seamless experience in sync with business needs.

When we think in terms of objectives, we are all one team – the one trying to solve a shared issue and achieve the same outcome. Leaning on design as an approach to solving problems creates a collaborative environment that helps build strong relationships within Tech and with Commercial stakeholders, Legal and Compliance, Customer Experience, Marketing, and Consumer Insights.