Building compelling business cases for Design Systems

Building compelling business cases for Design Systems Laura Van Doore @lauravandoore

Design Systems are here to stay @lauravandoore

70% According to the UXPin Enterprise UX Industry Report of companies have a Design System Source: UXPin Enterprise UX Industry Report 2017 to 2018

How accurate is this for the audience here today?

We’re convinced @lauravandoore

But this guy isn’t @lauravandoore

Why do product teams want design systems? • Growing design teams Organisations are investing more in design. • Infinitely more complex design problems Software needs to become more sophisticated to keep up with the demands & desires of our users. • Distributed teams Agile delivery models encouraging cross functional teams, making it harder for teams to stay in sync @lauravandoore

But most of all … Maintaining design & tech debt is starting to feel like this:

“ This all makes perfect sense, the benefits speak for themselves. This is a no-brainer. — ME, 4 YEARS AGO

This was going to be me:

EXPECTATION vs REALITY

So how can we design our business case to best communicate the clear and tangible benefits of having a design system?

THE IMPORTANCE OF UXing your business case @lauravandoore

Audience Know your enemy @lauravandoore

Know your audience • Emphasise benefits that appeal to your audience, not to you Resist the urge to only focus on the team benefits, and focus on measurable business benefits instead. • Write in the parlance of your audience Avoid jargon and use the language of business to craft your business case. @lauravandoore

Don’t go to war alone @lauravandoore

Don’t go to war alone • Get internal buy-in before external There’s no point in trying to convince upper management that you need a design system if you haven’t successfully convinced your team yet. • Form a united, cogent case together Get designers, developers, BAs, product managers together and get every teams perspective. You’ll find more and more benefits this way. @lauravandoore

Timing is everything @lauravandoore

Timing is everything • Recognise your position in the funding cycle Is the business investing to scale up? Or is upper management doubling down on cost reductions? Try to avoid asking for a large investment when the business is scaling down. • Present the cure when the pain hurts the worst If a design system has been a hard sell, focus on waiting for an opportunity where the benefits can really shine. @lauravandoore

Getting the timing wrong can make the rest of your case fall over @lauravandoore

1 Knowing your audience is half the battle 2 Don’t go to war alone, rally the troops 3 Time your business case for high impact @lauravandoore

THE CHALLENGE Translating team benefits to tangible business outcomes. @lauravandoore

What are the benefits of design systems? • Consistency — A consistent experience across products & devices • Efficiency — Efficient workflow & communication across teams • Maintainability — Easier to test and maintain code • Accessibility — Baked in accessibility, to create more inclusive products • Scalability — Less of a headache to build upon through the future @lauravandoore

What does it look like if we re-interpret or translate these benefits into a format that provide business outcomes?

Team Benefit: Efficient workflow

Business Benefit: 28% Faster to market

Team Benefit: Business Benefit: More maintainable 34% Less maintenance cost

Team Benefit: Business Benefit: Consistent Interface 18% Less support requests

Team Benefit: Business Benefit: Accessibility 12% Potential userbase increase

Team Benefit: Scalability Business Benefit: A stable foundation that will support the next 5 years of feature growth

THE ANATOMY OF A great business case @lauravandoore

Buckle up @lauravandoore

1 Problem Statement What are we solving?

1 Problem Statement A good problem statement… • Identifies the core problem • Outlines who’s impacted by the problem • Describes how this negatively impacts business goals @lauravandoore

1 Problem Statement Problem selection • Your product team is likely to be impacted by multiple problems • Instead of selecting one of your ‘own problems’, UX your business case by choosing a key business problem. @lauravandoore

2 Benefits & ROI What are we gaining from the proposed initiative?

2 Benefits & ROI “ A design system increases ROI largely because it reduces cost rather than directly increasing revenue — BRAD FROST

2 Benefits & ROI Benefits & ROI • Financials come first Upper management will usually look for financial benefits first, and then focus on peripheral benefits, like employee satisfaction. • Emphasise business outcomes, over team benefits Remember to frame your business case around tangible business outcomes, rather than ambiguous benefits. @lauravandoore

3 Cost & Resources

3 Costs & Resources Presenting Cost • Demonstrate that you clearly understand the cost It’s much easier to persuade the naysayers if you can calculate & clearly articulate the project costs. • Present multiple cost scenarios Give your case a better chance by presenting different cost/resourcing options to balance the project funding & risk. @lauravandoore

4 Risks

4 Risks Risks of going ahead • Be realistic, rather than utopian Try to be open and honest about the potential risks. Otherwise your business case will seem too biased and lose credibility. • Outline the risks of failure What’s the worst case scenario? @lauravandoore

4 Risks Risks of falling behind • There is risk in doing nothing • Bigger product team = Increased need for design system As a product team grows larger, there’s more need for standardised ways of working. The more people you have, the less efficient workflows will be. @lauravandoore

4 Risks Make sure the reward outweighs the risk. @lauravandoore

5 Implementation Plan

5 Implementation Plan Delivery • Present a solid roadmap Show a clear, deliverable scope, as well as your plans to grow & extend the design system over time. • Pinpoint where you’ll see a return Clearly indicate in your delivery plan when and how you’ll start to reap the benefits of the design system (hint: the sooner the better) @lauravandoore

1 Problem Statement 2 Benefits & Estimated ROI 3 Cost & Resources 4 Risks 5 Implementation Plan @lauravandoore

3 ROLLOUT STRATEGIES To manage cost & risk @lauravandoore

#1 Chip Away @lauravandoore

#1 Chip Away The design system is something that is only worked on in spare time, or when designers/engineers are between projects. Cost Risk Speed Quality @lauravandoore

#2 Hibernation @lauravandoore

#2 Hibernation Getting a core team of designers & engineers working on the Design System full-time. Possibly allows the time for designers/engineers to come up with the best implementation. Cost Risk Speed Quality @lauravandoore

#3 Piggyback @lauravandoore

#2 Piggyback Plan to get the bulk of the Design System implemented as a part of another project. Balances out the cost better, as you see the returns immediately. Cost Risk Speed Quality @lauravandoore

Rollout strategies 1 Chip Away 2 Hibernation 3 Piggyback @lauravandoore

Benefits & ROI 2 Problem Statement 1 Implementation Planning Cost Estimation 3 4 Risk Assessment 5

Thanks Laura Van Doore @lauravandoore