Summary
In recent years, hundreds of articles have been published on the best way to measure, demonstrate and argue quantitatively "what is the Return on Investment of UX & Design?" In this talk, Gonzalo will explain how to make small measurements but with great impact – rather than trying to cover a huge universe of variables to measure design's ROI, which only makes us lose ourselves in theory. It will be based on a "fictional" environment but one similar to his (hundreds of designers and hundreds of digital products across 10 countries.) Takeaways How to demonstrate your value to management by translating your work into numbers and milestones How to implement a Global DesignOps that permeates your whole company
Key Insights
-
•
Investing in design positively impacts financial performance and market share.
-
•
A clear ROI strategy allows design teams to demonstrate their value to the organization.
-
•
Aligning design goals with business objectives enhances credibility and involvement in decision-making.
-
•
Understanding the business strategy is crucial for translating design efforts into measurable outcomes.
-
•
Design investment can include time, tools, people, and methodologies, all needing assessment for ROI.
-
•
Classifying design goals into revenue, cost savings, and experience value facilitates clear communication of impact.
-
•
Long-term investments, like documentation and design systems, yield future returns.
-
•
Collaborative work between design teams and other departments improves overall project outcomes.
-
•
Design ROI is not easy to measure but starting simple can lead to actionable insights.
-
•
Effective storytelling is key to conveying the value of design within the organization.
Notable Quotes
"For us to report concluded that after 33 years of research investing in design practices have a direct impact on benefits."
"Promoting design means business growth and that's great; it's been proven to work."
"How can we from our design discipline find ways to measure our impact without harming our day-to-day work?"
"We as design leaders work a lot on levels one, two, and three, but sometimes we forget the most important alignment with the company strategy."
"We must transform our success into the language of the highest level to quantify our contributions."
"Integrating an ROI strategy means gaining credibility in early product development processes."
"The basics of our operations should focus more on obtaining results that align with the overall company strategy."
"It doesn't matter how big the company is; we can always start from a very simple context."
"Profit is revenues minus costs; focusing on these can help measure our contributions."
"The success of our ROI approach depends mainly on the moment you are in within the organization."
















More Videos

"We're excited to support research and improvements that bridge usability for assistive technology users."
Sam ProulxSUS: A System Unusable for Twenty Percent of the Population
December 9, 2021

"This is a super exciting time in the history of what we're calling design operations."
Kristin SkinnerTheme 1 Intro
September 29, 2021

"The car could arguably be one of the most negative technologies we've ever introduced at scale."
Dan HillDesigning for the infrastructures of everyday life
June 4, 2024

"Document documentation that can benefit a wider audience, not just those familiar with the domain."
Chris HodowanecAgile + User Experience: How to navigate the Agile landscape as an UX Practitioner
November 16, 2022

"Design systems should allow for human error and should not demand rapid input."
Rittika BasuAge and Interfaces: Equipping Older Adults with Technological Tools (Videoconference)
February 23, 2023

"The biggest hurdle is convincing organizations that sustainable choices can actually improve their bottom line."
Tim FrickThe journey of building a sustainable design practice
April 23, 2025

"It's about understanding the needs and designing the research accordingly."
Victor M. GonzalezPracticing Learners and Learning Practitioners
March 10, 2021
"Removing friction from workflows is key to improving healthcare delivery."
World Usability Day Panel Discussion (Videoconference)
November 10, 2022

"Every letter on the keyboard basically does something, and how on earth do you type into an edit box?"
Sam ProulxEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Screen Readers
June 11, 2021