Getting to Know Us: The Design Strategist Role

Table Of Content

• Architecture Career Guide: What Is a Design Strategist and How You Can Become One
• Browse UX / UI Design Topics
• How Can Designers Adapt to New Technologies? The Future of Technology in Design
• User experience (UX) and user interface (UI)
• How to use design strategy in a big business decision like a rebrand
• Understanding the basics

The ideation process involves brainstorming sessions, creative workshops, and rapid prototyping. By encouraging diverse perspectives and fostering a culture of experimentation, design strategists help teams generate innovative ideas that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Design strategists use design thinking to align products and services with business goals. Moreover, the DMBA program's emphasis on business fundamentals ensures that our graduates possess a well-rounded understanding of financial management, market analysis, and strategic planning. An article in Forbes highlights that graduates with a strong foundation in business fundamentals are better positioned to navigate the complexities of the corporate world and bring innovative solutions to the table. Tracking these UX metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) can provide quantitative evidence of a design strategy’s value, aligning it with business goals and user satisfaction.

Architecture Career Guide: What Is a Design Strategist and How You Can Become One

By creating a design strategy based on a tactical approach we become more like consultants, working with the client to find the problem that needs to be solved. Instead of approaching the design process thinking only about deliverables, the strategic designer thinks about business objectives and outcomes (both theirs and the client’s). It’s important for designers to develop a tactical thinking approach to working with internal stakeholders. By doing so, the designer gains a better understanding of business objectives, user goals, and is able to translate these needs into meaningful design strategies and solutions. A strategic mindset helps designers develop a design strategy framework which contributes to improved client relationships and better user experiences, and aligns projects with business results. Design strategists focus on optimizing conversion rates and user engagement in digital platforms.

Browse UX / UI Design Topics

They can integrate sustainable practices, materials, and processes into design solutions, contributing to a more sustainable future. Additionally, design strategists can champion the design of products and services that address social issues and improve people’s lives. Design strategists start by conducting comprehensive user research to identify unmet needs and market opportunities. By gaining a deep understanding of user preferences, pain points, and aspirations, they can uncover gaps in the market and potential areas for innovation. This user-centric approach ensures that the resulting product or service addresses real user needs and has a higher chance of success in the market. Conversely, user needs focus on the functionality, accessibility, and usability of the product or service.

How Can Designers Adapt to New Technologies? The Future of Technology in Design

In my experience, building a brand community helps cultivate loyalty and advocacy (which, in turn, can justify premium prices). While ecommerce growth has slightly tapered off post pandemic, it remains a significant avenue for sales and brand visibility. Yet brands across all industries are still trying to navigate this evolving landscape.

Design strategists can also explore the ethical implications of AI and ML, ensuring that technology is used responsibly and in alignment with user needs. Once the design strategist has gathered insights through empathy, they move on to defining the problem statement. This involves synthesizing the research findings, identifying patterns, and reframing the problem in a way that encourages innovative thinking.

What do you love about your current role and what are the challenges?

What do they do all day? Conran's Rachel Morris on role of a junior strategist - The Drum

What do they do all day? Conran's Rachel Morris on role of a junior strategist.

Posted: Wed, 20 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

These goals are quantifiable (e.g. increase top-line revenue by 65% in 18 months; increase user satisfaction from 6.5 to 7.5, etc.), and they require you to develop a strategy. Design strategy takes into account desirability, viability and feasibility. It aligns user needs, business goals and technical constraints in order to design the best possible solution – one that provides a competitive advantage. It aims to bring insights around what your product or brand will look like, so that it stands out among your competition and creates a strong emotional bond with your customers.

User experience (UX) and user interface (UI)

The adoption of omnichannel strategies with various sub-channels (e.g., buy online, pick up in-store, and ship from store) can also be challenging, and while convenient for consumers, it often complicates execution. Unlike most MBA programs, the DMBA curriculum also includes practical design courses that focus on experience and service design, like Experiences Studio, and futures design, like Strategic Foresight. These are people who are adept at analytical skills, creative thinking, as well as resilience, flexibility, and agility. All of which the World Economic Forum called out as the “core skills required by workers today” in The Future of Jobs Report.

How to use design strategy in a big business decision like a rebrand

They consider factors such as information architecture, navigation, interaction design, and visual design to create intuitive and visually appealing digital interfaces. By placing the user at the center of the design process, design strategists ensure that digital experiences are seamless, efficient, and enjoyable. Design strategists map out user journeys, identifying touchpoints and interactions from initial discovery to post-purchase support. By understanding user needs and pain points at each stage, design strategists optimize the user experience to be intuitive, seamless, and enjoyable.

He/she is also a master storyteller and can engage his customers and clients through powerful narratives. The Strategic Foresight Framework combines various tools that help identify emerging trends in an industry. These tools help avoid potential future risks your product might have to face while driving toward new opportunities. A VPM (Value Proposition Map) is a powerful tool that visually depicts key things that make up your product simply yet effectively.

DesignOps works the same way—except they focus specifically on the design team. Start with the sales and content teams working together on a brief detailing each feature, benefit, and advantage of the product or service the landing page needs to include. Don’t be afraid to make large-scale design changes frequently, as long as they’re underpinned with the right product and business strategy. The company works with illustrators and designers to create custom hero images for its high-value blog posts.

Design strategists play a critical role in shaping digital products, services, and platforms to align with business goals and user needs. Let’s explore how design strategy is applied in the context of digital transformation. Design strategists work closely with marketing and branding teams to develop a strong brand identity. They collaborate to define the brand’s values, personality, and visual elements such as logos, typography, and color schemes. By considering the target audience and market positioning, design strategists ensure that the brand identity reflects the company’s values and resonates with the intended audience.

This involves analyzing industry trends, studying competitors, and understanding the target audience. By gaining deep insights into the market landscape, design strategists are equipped to identify opportunities, anticipate challenges, and develop strategies that resonate with customers. On the other hand, as a UX designer, you’re responsible for designing a product or service's user experience and aspects of the user interface.

Think about the bigger picture and what’s important to your client or company. Look for issues that occur during the design process and discuss them with people on your team. Design strategy is a broad field, and there are various specialization areas youcan explore to further enhance your expertise. Some specialization areas within design strategy include service design, UX/UI design, brand strategy, and innovation management.