Early in my career, I thought being strategic meant having opinions about business decisions.
I'd sit in meetings thinking "that's the wrong strategy" while never actually contributing. I assumed my design work would speak for itself.
It took years to realize: strategy isn't about having opinions. It's about shaping decisions.
What Strategic Designers Do
They connect design work to business outcomes.
Before starting any project: What metric does this affect? How will we know it worked?
They understand decision-making.
Who decides? Who influences? Who blocks? They sequence work to build support before the formal review.
They think in systems.
Not screens. How does one design change affect the broader product, the user journey, the business model?
They earn a seat at the table—then use it.
When product direction gets decided, they're in the room.
The Mindset Shift
From: "My job is to design what's asked of me, really well."
To: "My job is to ensure we're solving the right problem, then design the solution."
From: "Good design speaks for itself."
To: "Good design needs translation to be heard."
How to Build This
- Study the business, not just the product. Read earnings calls. Understand the revenue model.
- Build relationships outside design. Coffee with a PM. Learn what Finance struggles with.
- Practice speaking in outcomes. Every presentation, lead with business impact.
- Develop a point of view. Where is the company vulnerable? What would you bet on?
- Make strategic contributions visible. Document when your decisions affected metrics.
The Uncomfortable Truth
AI is changing tactical design work. Strategic design work—deciding what to build and why—becomes more valuable, not less.
The window for developing these skills is now.
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