About the book
Design leader Audrey Crane introduces business leaders to design: what design is, why it matters, how to powerfully take advantage of design as a toolset, and how to build (or rent) design capabilities effectively. Although design is a big, nebulous word, What CEOs Need to Know About Design approaches design tactically so companies can use design to increase internal product alignment, improve efficiency getting products to market, and overall customer satisfaction.
This book was written for those who are seeking a primer on design, including topics like:
is there any meaningful ROI to investing in design?
what’s a wireframe, and is it the same as a mockup?
how are interaction design, visual design, user experience related?
other executives in the company have suggested starting a design team, but want to figure out what that entails…how do we get started with this?
what am I supposed to be doing during these “feedback sessions”?
how to establish design-driven processes
In partnership with Sense and Respond Press What CEOs Need to Know About Design is now available on Amazon.
Excerpt from opening pages
A few months ago, the CEO of a 200-person, $25M B2B (business-to-business) company called me. He said, “As a former developer, I understand technology. I’ve learned about running my company’s finances, HR, Marketing, and Operations. I believe design is crucial for my company’s success. But I don’t know about design, and I don’t know how to know. Can you help me?”
What a question! Where to start?
Also, why hadn’t more executives asked me this? Design’s been the “new black” for 10 years! At least 50 VC and analyst reports tout the value of design. Every new company wants to be the “Apple of” something.I started interviewing Business Leaders who were not Designers themselves, but who had seen success after advocating for design in their organizations. I asked how they’d become advocates, why they believed in design, and what value it provided. I discovered some wide gaps in their knowledge and expectations. This aligned with what I’ve learned from 20 years of helping clients design software, run design teams, and uncover opportunities for meaningful innovation; and supporting the design process necessary to realize their ideas. These lessons provided the foundation for this book.
Reviews
The strongest companies I work with use design as their secret weapon. This short primer makes it not such a secret any more. If how to leverage and lead design is still a secret to your company, buy this book.
Jeff Patton
Jeff Patton & Associates
If you're the CEO of a technology-powered company, you owe it to your customers, your employees and your investors to learn the power and potential of professional product design. Audrey has been there since the start of the Internet and has worked with countless companies, product teams, and executive teams to leverage the value of product design.
Marty Cagan
Silicon Valley Product Group
‘Design thinking' is very much in vogue of late, but ask most business leaders exactly how they and their organizations weave design into the fabric of their strategy and operations, and you'll likely get blank looks or a laundry list of random, high-level aspirations. Audrey's book is the answer, offering pragmatic, boots-on-the-ground guidance for intentionally building and scaling design sensibilities throughout one's organization. Read it today, live it tomorrow, and your organization will soon realize the rewards that flow from user-centered design.
Scott Johnston
Chief Product Officer, Docker