Business Thinking for Designers

01. Use the rule of three. The rule of three is a writing 
principle based on how we as humans recognize patterns. 

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Since three is the smallest number of elements required to 
create a pattern, this principle suggests that using three 
elements at a time is more effective than using another 
number. An example of this principle in practice is using 
three complications to support the situation. 
02. Complications should create tension. Without tension, 
stakeholders may be less than compelled to act. While 
design tools like Journey Maps and Service Blueprints are 
incredibly powerful for developing insights, time and time 
again I see designers fail to create enough tension from 
these tools to compel hard decisions to be made. 
03. Support one complication before introducing another. 
Another mistake I see in presentations is the misordering 
of slides. Each complication should come with supporting 
arguments before introducing a new complication. Using 
the rule of three, include three supporting arguments for 
every complication. This is essential to both introduce and 
close a complication, ensuring your audience is able to 
follow along.
The real power of this framework is translating the structure 
into slides. The format tells a story where each page answers 
the question: “And so what?” In figure 5-2, the progressive 
order of the story being told follows the pyramidal shape, 

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ensuring each part of the story connects with the business 
rationale.
Figure 5-2: Structure your presentation with the SCR format by Ryan 
Rumsey
Pro tip
When creating a presentation using SCR, fill out the header of 
each slide first. Each header should represent a situation, a 
complication, a supporting argument for a complication, or the 
resolution. This provides the story with a clear structure before 
you find the appropriate data to support each slide.

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As you become familiar with the approach, you’ll find it’s 
applicable for more than just product or design decisions. 
Here’s an example from my past, where I used the SCR 
Framework to present my decision to change the priorities of 
my team. I modified the structure to include three situations, 
three complications, and one resolution: S-C-C-C-R. 
• Situation 1: Cultural transformation is needed to drive 
improved decision-making across empowered product 
teams.