Design education’s blind spot: business fundamentals

Designers shape experiences, but they also shape businesses. However, many early-career design programs fail to teach students how to connect their craft to tangible business outcomes. According to Steve Johnson, Vice President of Design at Netflix, “Design without business is just decoration.” He argues that designers must understand business goals to develop the product sense needed for meaningful impact.

This gap is familiar to the newly established Figma Campus Leaders network—a first cohort of 56 students spanning 23 universities. Although their academic coursework covered the fundamentals of design as a craft, it wasn’t until they took on industry roles or supplementary business courses that they recognized how essential business fluency is to their work. Consulting with teams at Figma and the wider design community helped them understand why this gap persists and how early-career designers can bridge it.

The intersection of design and business

Good design alone doesn’t guarantee good business outcomes, and it’s easy to lose sight of that when focusing solely on user needs. Steve Gustavson, Corporate Vice President of Design and Research at Microsoft, notes that many designers of all seniority levels simply want to build cool things—but “you can’t design useful things without an understanding of the user and the business.”

There’s also a cultural element to the disconnect. Taryn Cowart, Brand Studio Design Manager at Figma, observes that some creative people resist tying their work to business goals. But she believes that being able to discuss craft, design quality, and delight in the context of business success is a superpower. User experience and business impact are tightly linked: thoughtful design drives engagement and growth, while poor choices frustrate users and drive churn. Ryan Reid, Head of UX Writing at Figma, explains that design failures often ultimately push users to stop using a product altogether.

For this reason, collaboration between the design and business functions is essential. Mihika Kapoor, former Product Manager at Figma, describes product sense as an ability to know what positively impacts user experience. Designers with that instinct—who also understand business language and constraints—tend to make stronger contributions. Siddhi Sundar, Head of Product Innovation Research at Netflix, calls business acumen “the X factor that distinguishes good from great in any design organization.” This means understanding how design affects revenue, costs, and profitability; tying product priorities to market conditions; and planning for roadmaps at scale.

Closing the gap: skills beyond the classroom

Building business sense takes a deliberate effort outside the standard curriculum. Product and design leaders suggest several practical starting points.

Take classes outside of design coursework

Consider enrolling in non-design courses. A marketing class that analyzes case studies offers insight into how different people approach product and market problems, says Ryan, who observes that such classes can help designers understand alternative perspectives and their part in the bigger picture.

Set up coffee chats beyond the design team

Speak with professionals who contribute to the product workflow in other roles. Siddhi recommends talking to content designers, UX researchers, and business researchers, all of whom tend to have strong business acumen. Learning from each stakeholder group helps build an understanding of how a company achieves success.

Learn from industry newsletters and podcasts

Listening to how industry experts talk about product building helps designers connect design decisions to businesses of various scales. A few recommended resources from the Campus Leaders:

  • Lenny’s Newsletter: a “weekly advice column about building product, driving growth, and accelerating your career,” with an accompanying podcast.
  • Masters of Scale: hosted by Reid Hoffman, featuring advice from business leaders.
  • Dive Club: a podcas with design executives such as Mig Reyes, VP of Product Experience at Duolingo, who explains the shift from “UX” to “Product Experience” as a way of reflecting how product and business drive design.

Get hands-on experience

The best way to learn is by doing. Mihika credits early work—even at a student startup or through real industry roles—as far more formative than classroom study. Building and shipping a product teaches business lessons that cannot be replicated in a course.

Study what makes your company work

Pay attention to how other teams operate, especially in open communication channels like Slack. Following cross-functional updates provides insight into the broader product development process. Siddhi advises reading strategy memos and watching how leadership discusses impact, debates ideas, and pushes the envelope. Engaging with decision-makers at every level builds intuition about how good business decisions are made.

Design and business need not be opposing forces. Product sense and craft reinforce one another. As Adam Morris, Head of Product Design and UX at The Economist, predicted at Config 2025, emerging prototyping and visualization tools will push designers to step up their business acumen even further.