While catching up with my designer friends during these days of quarantine, a common topic surfaced in all our conversations despite the different countries, cultures, companies, seniority levels, and paths in the field:

在這些隔離日中與我的設計師朋友保持聯系時，盡管國家/地區，文化，公司，資歷水平和領域不同，但在我們所有的對話中都出現了一個共同的話題：

It’s no coincidence that this is also a frequent topic at OLX Group. Although Design has risen as the critical discipline needed to create real customer-centric organizations, in the vast majority of companies where this is not a reality yet, designers have a tough time overcoming disbelief and lack of trust by their business, product, and engineering counterparts.

這也是OLX Group經常討論的話題，這并非偶然。 盡管設計已成為創建以客戶為中心的真正組織所必需的關鍵學科，但在絕大多數尚未實現的公司中，設計師在克服因其業務，產品和工程而難以置信和缺乏信任方面遇到了困難同行。

But instead of rambling about how other disciplines don’t get us, I want to propose a reflection: are designers building the right skill set to turn the table and engage in crucial business discussions?

但是，除了要探討其他學科如何使我們困惑之外，我還想提出一個思考：設計師是否正在建立正確的技能來扭轉局面并參與關鍵的業務討論？

Looking back to my own experience and the collection of readings, lectures, courses, and conversations that helped me reach new levels in my career over the past fifteen years, my take on how to increase Design’s business impact comes down to four foundations:

回顧我自己的經驗以及過去15年中幫助我達到職業生涯新水平的閱讀，講座，課程和對話的集合，我對如何提高Design的業務影響的歸納歸結為四個基礎：

1. Incorporate data and metrics into your workflow.
   將數據和指標整合到您的工作流程中。
2. Deep dive into business strategy.
   深入研究業務戰略。
3. Master how to uncover real problems.
   掌握如何發現實際問題。
4. Sharpen your communication skills.
   增強溝通技巧。

I.將數據和指標整合到您的工作流程中。 (I. Incorporate data and metrics into your workflow.)

If you work in technology as a Product Designer, using qualitative and quantitative data to uncover insights and support your explorations already is (or should be) a large portion of your work. On the other hand, if you are coming from different specializations such as Graphic Design and Art Direction, there may be a tiny chance that this is new to you.

如果您以產品設計師的身份從事技術工作，那么使用定性和定量數據來發現見解并支持您的探索已經(或者應該是)工作的很大一部分。 另一方面，如果您來自不同的專業領域，例如圖形設計和美術指導，那么這對您來說是很小的機會。

Mastering how to assess data and using it to uncover problems, create hypotheses, develop tests, and propose solutions that drive key business metrics is the very essence of an unstoppable designer. Either if you are on top of your data game or just starting, these books can help you strengthen how you approach numbers in your design workflow:

掌握如何評估數據并使用它來發現問題，創建假設，開發測試以及提出驅動關鍵業務指標的解決方案是不可阻擋的設計師的本質。 無論您是處于數據游戲之上還是剛剛起步，這些書都可以幫助您加強設計工作流程中數字的處理方式：

• Testing Business Ideas — Amazon

  測試業務構想— 亞馬遜

• Designing with Data — Amazon

  使用數據進行設計— Amazon

• Lean Analytics — Amazon

  精益分析- 亞馬遜

• Validating Product Ideas — Amazon

  驗證產品創意- 亞馬遜

二。 深入研究業務戰略 (II. Deep dive into business strategy)

Expand your understanding of your organization’s goals, plans, and the role you play as a designer in that context by developing your business vocabulary and confidence. That means speaking the same language of your peer in product management, your director, CEO, and investors — but it doesn’t end there.

通過發展業務詞匯量和信心，可以擴大您對組織的目標，計劃以及您在其中扮演設計師的角色的理解。 這意味著您要在產品管理，董事，首席執行官和投資者中使用與同行相同的語言，但并不僅限于此。

It’s fundamental to understand what’s on their minds, what they worry about, and especially what they struggle to see that only you, with your unique design vision, can see.

理解他們的想法，他們擔心的事情，尤其是他們很難看到只有您，以您獨特的設計眼光才能看到的東西，才是基礎。

The list below is a mix of Product Management, Business Design, MBA, Marketing, and Strategy. It’s not a definitive list, but may help you deep dive into how product organizations, businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors operate:

下面的列表混合了產品管理，業務設計，MBA，市場營銷和策略。 這不是確定的清單，但可以幫助您深入了解產品組織，企業，企業家和投資者的運作方式：

• Zero to one — Amazon

  零比一- 亞馬遜

• Competing Against Luck — Amazon

  與運氣競爭— 亞馬遜

• Playing to Win — Amazon

  贏得勝利— 亞馬遜

• Inspired — Amazon

  啟發- 亞馬遜

• Business Model Generation — Amazon

  商業模型生成- 亞馬遜

• HBR’s 10 must-reads on Strategy — Amazon

  HBR的10則必讀策略- 亞馬遜

• The Hard Thing About Hard Things — Amazon

  關于困難的事情的艱辛— 亞馬遜

• The Messy Middle — Amazon

  凌亂的中間- 亞馬遜

三， 掌握如何發現實際問題 (III. Master how to uncover real problems)

One ordinary skill every excellent problem-solver has is the ability to dig deeper to find the root of any challenge. In hundreds of strategic discussions I’ve participated in different companies, it wasn’t uncommon to see leaders with an overvalued sense of pragmatism jumping into weak conclusions without really understanding the problem in front of them.

每個出色的問題解決者所擁有的一項普通技能是，深入挖掘發現任何挑戰的根源。 在我參與過不同公司的數百次戰略討論中，看到具有過高實用主義意識的領導者跳入虛弱的結論而沒有真正理解他們面前的問題的情況并不少見。

That’s when foundations I and II come together in your favor as a designer that sees the invisible: you are in a great position to challenge assumptions and guide conversations towards the real WHYs. Here’s a list of books that helped me sharpen this powerful design ability:

那時，I和II基金會以看不見的設計師的身份聚集在一起，對您有利：您處于挑戰假設并指導真正WHY對話的良好位置。 這是幫助我增強這種強大設計能力的書籍清單：

• Start With Why — Amazon

  從為什么開始— 亞馬遜

• What’s Your Problem? — Amazon

  你怎么了？ — 亞馬遜

• Value Proposition Design — Amazon

  價值主張設計— 亞馬遜

• This is Service Design Thinking — Amazon

  這是服務設計思想- 亞馬遜

• User Story Mapping — Amazon

  用戶故事映射-Amazon

• Jobs To Be Done — Amazon

  要完成的工作- 亞馬遜

• The User Experience Team of One — Amazon

  One的用戶體驗團隊— 亞馬遜

• Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Insights — Amazon

  面試用戶：如何發現見解— Amazon

IV。 加強溝通技巧 (IV. Sharpen your communication skills)

Many — probably most — business leaders are not yet used to collaborating with designers. Even less being challenged by them. If there’s no design leader at a C-level in your organization, it’s safe to say that you will face a lot of resistance and even disbelieve towards your contributions on a typical “business-only” conversation. To overcome these situations, you’ll need patience, assertiveness, and a whole lot of diplomacy while avoiding at all costs being condescending about the value of Design.

許多(可能是大多數 )企業領導者還不習慣與設計師合作。 他們受到的挑戰甚至更少。 如果您的組織中沒有C級的設計負責人，可以肯定地說，您將面臨很多阻力，甚至不相信您在典型的“僅面向企業”對話中所做的貢獻。 為了克服這些情況，您需要耐心，果斷和大量的外交，同時不惜一切代價避免屈從于Design的價值。

That’s true not just for your verbal communication, but your written and visual pieces as well. Take the dynamism of Design to new contexts other than the product itself. Leverage your skills to translate difficult conversations into organized, easily digestible, and actionable materials capable of helping everyone in the room visualize the problem as you see it.

這不僅適用于口頭交流，還適用于書面和視覺作品。 將設計的活力帶到產品本身以外的新環境中。 利用您的技能將困難的對話轉換為有條理，易于消化和可行的材料，能夠幫助會議室中的每個人看到問題。

Communication is, no doubt, the most vital ability to increase your relevance, and here are a few books that can help you become an invaluable facilitator that guides your team through better decision processes:

毫無疑問，溝通是提高您的相關性最重要的能力，以下幾本書可以幫助您成為寶貴的協助者，指導您的團隊更好地制定決策流程：

• Articulating Design Decisions — Amazon

  明確的設計決策— 亞馬遜

• HBR’s 10 Must-reads on Communication — Amazon

  HBR的10則必讀通訊- 亞馬遜

• Crucial conversations — Amazon

  至關重要的對話- 亞馬遜

• Getting to Yes — Amazon

  走向是— 亞馬遜

• Visual Collaboration — Amazon

  視覺協作- 亞馬遜

• Designing the conversation — Amazon

  設計對話- 亞馬遜

• The workshop survival guide — Amazon

  講習班生存指南- 亞馬遜

現在將其付諸行動！ (Now put it all into motion!)

To go beyond the visual surface of Design and increase our influence, assertiveness, and business impact, it’s crucial for designers to add new layers to their domain knowledge and ways of working. But make no mistake: reading some of these books won’t do you any favor if you don’t create opportunities to practice these four pillars.

為了超越設計的視覺范圍并增加我們的影響力，果斷性和業務影響力，對于設計師來說，在他們的領域知識和工作方式中添加新的層至關重要。 但是請不要誤會：如果您沒有創造實踐這四個Struts的機會，那么閱讀其中一些書不會對您有任何幫助。

Nurture a proactive attitude: talk with your manager and share your ambitions. Ask to be included in strategic meetings and discussions, even as a listener at first. Slowly increase your presence and participation, and show with your contributions that Design can play a much greater impact beyond the high-level perception of just visuals.

培養積極進取的態度：與您的經理交談并分享您的抱負。 要求包括在戰略會議和討論中，即使是剛開始時也要聽。 慢慢增加你的存在和參與，并與你的貢獻表明，設計能起到不僅僅是 視覺的高層次的看法產生更大的影響。

I hope these foundations help you grow further in your career as a designer. Oh, and of course, please let me know if you have any suggestions or questions!

我希望這些基礎可以幫助您進一步發展作為設計師的職業。 哦，當然，如果您有任何建議或問題，請告訴我！

Best of luck :)

祝你好運:)