You know the meeting.
Someone asks "what's the ROI of that redesign?" and suddenly you're tap-dancing through vague explanations about user satisfaction and brand perception. You can see them tuning out. You're losing.
I spent years in those meetings at Apple, EA, USAA, Nestlé. Defending work I knew was good but couldn't prove in language executives cared about.
Then in 2009, I stumbled onto something that changed everything.
The Template
Here's the scorecard structure I developed at Apple:
Four Perspectives of Design Impact:
- Credibility — Do they trust we know what we're doing?
- Impact — Does the work move business numbers?
- Usability — Can people actually use what we made?
- Detectability — Can people find what they need?
That's it. Four categories. Track metrics in each one.
Why It Works
The secret isn't the categories. It's the format.
In 2009, my colleagues at Apple used scorecards for everything—operational metrics, business performance, adoption rates. When I showed up with a design scorecard that used the same structure, I didn't have to teach them anything new.
I just showed them where design fit.
That's the mistake most designers make. We try to educate executives on design process. They don't care about our process. They care about their numbers. Show them design in their language, and suddenly they get it.
What Happened
Within six months, something shifted.
The questions in meetings changed. Instead of "justify this work," they became "what do you recommend?"
I'd been involved in product decisions all along. But for the first time, I could articulate how my decisions connected to outcomes they were tracking. That's all it took. Not better work. Better translation.
When It Doesn't Work
This approach failed spectacularly at EA.
Apple had a culture of measurement. Everyone tracked everything. When I showed up with a scorecard, it fit.
EA didn't have that culture. When I came in with scorecards and metrics, it freaked people out. I had to back up—build measurement culture before introducing design-specific tracking.
If your organization doesn't measure much of anything, the scorecard won't save you. Start smaller. One metric. One correlation. Build credibility gradually.
The Real Point
This isn't about accountability. I know that's not why you're reading this.
You're tired of defending work you know is good. You want the autonomy to make design decisions without seventeen approval meetings.
The scorecard is just the tool. The outcome is trust. Trust gets you the seat where decisions happen.
Download Design Scorecard Template as a Google Sheet
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