How I’ve Learnt to Show the ROI of UX and Design

I’ve always approached design through a commercial lens. My journey into UX actually started with a background in engineering, maths, and education, not the typical design route. To transition into UX, I created my own startup and assigned myself the role of designer. That gave me full control of learning by doing, and as I ran usability research and offered free heuristic evaluations to app developers, I noticed something powerful: my feedback improved their metrics.

App ratings increased. In-app purchases went up. From the very beginning, the return on investment of design work was front and centre for me. I didn’t plan it that way, but it stuck. I saw that design was never just about aesthetics. It was about impact. That mindset has shaped how I approach every role I’ve taken since.

Making the Case to Leadership

Fast forward to 2016, I joined a company where a rebrand was underway. I was still early in my career and had no formal authority, but I spotted a huge opportunity. When I asked leadership about their rebrand plans, they said they’d just “swap the asset,” meaning the logo. I knew that wasn’t enough.

I used what I call a graceful injection of fear. I helped them imagine what a poor execution would look like: a brand that felt cheap or inconsistent. That fear worked. I got their attention. And then came the unexpected: “Can you do it?” I said yes, even though I had never done a rebrand like that before. I asked for people, 10, to be precise, and they gave me the headcount with just three months to deliver.

I didn’t have all the answers, but I focused on setting expectations clearly. I told them: you won’t see conversion improvements immediately, but we will track what matters and we will show results. In the end, we saw significant increases in orders, around 10 percent on iOS and 7 percent on Android. That was enough to unlock budget and build a permanent design team. Years later, that team had grown to over 500 people.

The Power of Understanding Your Audience

If you’re presenting to a CFO or a C-suite leader, you need to UX the room. Who’s in the room? What do they care about? What language do they speak? It often comes down to two key things: are you making money or saving money?

When I first started out, “making money” felt out of reach. Sales teams are doing that, right? But I learned quickly that saving money is just as powerful and often more immediate. Proving the value of UX doesn’t have to start with grand promises. Show the savings, the efficiencies, the reduced calls to customer service. Build from there.

And most of all, build relationships. When I meet a CFO for the first time, I ask how they’ve worked with design teams in the past. What went well? What didn’t? That information helps me shape my message and position my team’s value in a way that resonates with their priorities.

Lessons from Tougher Conversations

I’ve made mistakes along the way. One of the biggest traps is expecting everyone to “get it.” When you work in design, it can feel personal when someone challenges your choices. But getting emotional rarely helps. Instead, I try to stay curious, ask what’s behind the feedback, and explain my decisions calmly.

Another common pitfall is relying too heavily on outdated case studies. Years ago, I used to quote the Design Value Index and talk about stock performance at companies like Apple and Coca-Cola. But those examples often fall flat. I now lean on more recent research from McKinsey and others, which offer data that can be tailored to the situation I’m in.

And timing is everything. You might want to show the value of design right away, but the organisation might not be ready. If the infrastructure isn’t in place, if there aren’t frontend developers to build your ideas, it’s risky to overpromise. That’s why starting with internal design projects, like improving internal tools or workshop experiences, can be a smart first step.

My Top Three Tips for Showing the ROI of Design

1. Start Early with Design Hypotheses
   Build ROI thinking into your design process from the beginning. Don’t wait until the end of a project to figure out what success looks like. In my team, we won’t close a Jira ticket until we’ve reflected on whether we met our design goal. Even if it didn’t work, we learn from it.

2. Learn the Language of Business
   Get comfortable speaking in terms that matter to leadership. It’s not about ditching your creative voice, but about showing you understand how design fits into business outcomes. There are great courses out there that can help you make that shift.

3. Use Creativity to Your Advantage
   You’re a designer, so let it show. When you present to a board, use storytelling, visuals, or even motion graphics if it fits. Don’t spend weeks on it, but use your creative strengths to help your message land emotionally as well as logically. People remember how you made them feel.

And when all else fails, you can always inject a little fear. Use with caution, of course.