Business Thinking for Designers

How to use this book
Business models, financial portfolios, and industry regulations 
are not typically the focus of a designer’s work. Yet each of 
these can be impacted by design. 
The tools and frameworks in this book are meant to help you 
evaluate fundamental business concepts. This will put you 
in a better position to influence strategic decisions beyond 

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18 
Why you need to know business
the typical purview of design. Throughout the book, I’ll share 
advice from my experiences leading design, product, strategy, 
and development teams and organizations. I’ll also share 
insights from my peers and offer practical tips you can try for 
yourself. 
I’ve divided the book into thematic sections: 
• Business basics you should know
• Develop a business perspective
• Transcribe design value
• Communicate trade-off options 
• Put it all together
Given that no business or organization is the same, there’s 
no linear, step-by-step learning process that applies to all 
situations. Therefore, the book is not meant to be followed like 
a process or guide. Instead, each section serves as a reference 
to which you can return as needed to tune your business skills 
in parallel with the real-world scenarios you face. 
Whether working as an in-house designer or at an agency, for 
a large organization or a startup, the lessons in this book will 
be relevant. Feel free to skip around to find the content that’s 

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19 
Why you need to know business
most applicable in the moment. But try to keep the following 
mindsets as you build your business expertise.