Design Strategy vs. Design Vision: What's the Difference?


Design Strategy vs. Design Vision: What's the Difference?

by Jeff Humble


Dear Reader,

There's a rookie mistake that I see design strategists make over and over.

They think that a vision is a strategy. But vision and strategy are wildly different.

What's the difference, you say? Well, vision is more about where you want to be, while strategy is more about how to get there.

Why don't I show just show you? Check it out below:

Source, shared by Linus Mimetz in the Guild

Last night we hosted a Fishbowl event called Empowering Design Teams, and you can grab the recording below. We delved into the art of leadership in design. In the recording, you will hear stories and uncover insights to foster a culture of empowerment within your design team.


MINI-COURSE: Facilitative Leadership
Dates: June 5-19
Learn suspended Judgement, Active Listening, & Comfort with Ambiguity
Only 1 week left!!!
Buy a seat


COURSE: Defining UX Strategy
Learn to design a winning strategy that aligns design with business
Basic seats available now
Buy a seat


Until next week, give yourself a break. You've done enough for the week!

Jeff Humble
Designer & Co-Founder
The Fountain Institute

P.S. We've got a few seats left for Defining UX Strategy starting in 2 weeks. Join us and master design strategy in 6 weeks with videos, workshops, and tons of feedback. Join here

The Fountain Institute

The Fountain Institute is an independent online school that teaches advanced UX & product skills.

Read more from The Fountain Institute

Assumption Olympics: Why I Always Win Gold in Overreacting By Hannah Baker Dear Reader, I once pitched a new workshop format to a team of collaborators. One person nodded slowly and said, “Hmm… okay.” That was it. I smiled. Externally, totally composed. Internally? I sprinted up a mental staircase of conclusions: They don’t like it. They’re being polite. They think I’m not strategic. This was a bad idea. I’ve blown this opportunity. Maybe I’m not cut out for this work. I didn’t realize I was...

monopoly dotcom edition yahoo

Monetizing at the Cost of the User Experience by Jeff Humble Dear Reader, Companies don't like to consider how customers can be annoyed by monetization. Companies are always looking for ways to monetize their assets. Even attention is monetized these days. As we'll see in two examples, monetization can make or break the user experience. Monetizing Fail: Yahoo’s Decline (1990s-2010s) Yahoo used to be the tech darling of the internet, much like Google or OpenAI is today. The company had humble...

How to Build Comfort with Ambiguity By Hannah Baker Dear Reader, You're expected to lead even when you have no idea what the hell is going on. (I know, you’ve heard the next part a million times. Bear with me.) The world is moving faster than ever. Technologies shift overnight. Markets pivot on a dime. And somehow, you’re still just trying to get everyone to show up to the team meeting. We all know this, we’re surrounded by it. The speed, the volatility, the endless flood of decisions....