Design Engagement Guide
Version: 1.0, June 2025
To strengthen how we partner across teams, we're providing more structure around how design engages on projects—clarifying our services, when and how we plug in, and what's needed to make the work successful.
This is about setting shared expectations, aligning earlier on design's role, and ensuring we begin with the clarity needed to avoid downstream issues like extended timelines, rushed decisions, or missed user insights.
Design adds the most value when we understand the problem, the users, and the goals. When context is limited or shared late, our contributions are constrained—and the risk of re-work or misalignment increases.
We've heard from partners that our previous engagement model (embedded, consultative, and advisory) was helpful—but needed more granularity. That's what this guide is here to provide.
Included you will find:
- • A breakdown of design services by activity
- • What inputs are needed to get started
- • What outputs you can expect
- • How design's involvement can flex based on your team's goals, readiness and priorities
It is our aim to reduce ambiguity, align earlier, and contribute to better outcomes with fewer roadblocks.
Design isn't just about polished visuals—it's a strategic partner throughout the project lifecycle. Our greatest impact happens when we're involved early enough to support:
- • Strategic decision-making and direction-setting
- • Evidence-based planning and scope alignment
- • User-centered problem framing and solution exploration
- • Tactical execution like prototyping, testing, and hand-off
Whether design is deeply embedded or offering lighter-touch input, we still need a baseline level of clarity:
- • A clearly framed problem statement
- • An understanding of users and their context
- • Business goals and success metrics
- • Clarity on type of design work needed and when
- • Access to decision-makers and a review plan
With the right inputs, design can flex support to fit your needs:
- • Research insights or stakeholder synthesis
- • Workflow maps or user journeys
- • Concept testing for early ideas
- • Low→high-fidelity prototypes & iteration planning
- • Visual assets and engineering-ready hand-offs
- • Usability testing before launch
- • Design sprints, workshops, discovery sessions
Details for each service are in the Design Services Menu.
When early clarity is missing we may start in an advisory role to help scope foundational work. Without the right inputs, design support risks being superficial and driven by assumptions rather than user needs or shared goals.
- All projects seeking design support should be added to your pillar's prioritization queue.
- Advisory-level projects may move forward on a rolling basis as time allows.
- Following Q3 prioritization, we'll meet with top-priority projects for intake conversations.
- Please review this guide and the linked Design Services Menu ahead of those conversations.