Design Strategy

Coming smack dab at the intersection between design and business strategy is the process of design strategy. Design strategy emphasizes prototyping, collaboration and rapid iteration rather than waiting to start design until the point at which every possible question has been answered. Design strategy has empathy for the customer and the end user, and focuses on harnessing that empathy to discover opportunities— opportunities to make their interaction with the product, service or brand easier, more enjoyable and ultimately more profitable.

Think about it like this: On one side of the page you have a list of your business goals. On the other side of the page, you have a list of your user needs. How do you mesh the two together, ensuring that you're serving your customers while ultimately taking steps toward achieving the goals you've set out for your business? Via the process of design strategy, which uncovers previously undiscovered opportunities to meet both needs.

Design strategy helps teams avoid analysis paralysis, a condition that occurs when one has so much information and so many things that need doing that they're unable to begin doing anything.