The Translation Layer

If you’ve ever watched business leaders and designers try to communicate, you’ve probably witnessed something akin to a foreign film without subtitles — lots of gesturing, confused looks, and the occasional breakthrough moment when someone accidentally says something the other side understands. As someone who’s spent years in the trenches of this cross-cultural communication (most recently leading Creative Events + Programs for the Amazon Design Excellence team), I’ve become something of an interpreter between these two worlds.

We’re Not Even Using the Same Dictionary

Let’s start with the obvious: business leaders and designers often speak completely different languages. One group is talking about KPIs, ROI, and flywheels while the other is discussing design systems, visual hierarchy, and user journeys. It’s like one person is speaking Excel and the other is speaking Figma.

The challenge isn’t just vocabulary — it’s how each group sees the world. Business thinks in quarters and conversion rates; design thinks in experiences and emotions. Both are valid, both are necessary, but bridging this gap requires intentional effort from both sides.

The Business-Design Rosetta Stone

So how do we create this translation layer? It starts with finding shared values and goals that both sides care about. Customer satisfaction, for example, is something both business and design can rally around — even if they measure it differently. According to McKinsey’s findings, design can contribute significantly to business value when there’s alignment between design decisions and business goals, as both aim to create better user experiences and drive outcomes.

When I worked on Conflux (Amazon’s cross-org creative conference) and other design initiatives, we had to “sell up” the value of design culture. The key was connecting our design-focused activities to business outcomes they cared about.

This meant showing how our design programs improved retention, increased innovation, and ultimately contributed to business success. We weren’t just doing “feel-good programs” — we were building essential infrastructure for creative excellence that directly impacted the bottom line.

Data: The Universal Language

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my years in design operations and community development (as you can see from my LinkedIn profile), it’s that data can be your best friend when building bridges between business and design.

At Amazon, we meticulously tracked everything about our design programs — not just attendance numbers, but who are they? Where are they coming from? What teams are participating and who isn’t? This allowed us to speak the language of business while advancing design goals.

This aligns with McKinsey’s insights on the business value of design — tracking metrics like customer engagement and retention not only helps designers advocate for their work but also enables clearer alignment with business priorities. By framing our work in terms of metrics and outcomes, we made it easier for business leaders to understand and support our design initiatives. It wasn’t about compromising our design values — it was about translating them into terms that resonated with business stakeholders.

Meeting Halfway

Building common ground isn’t about designers becoming mini-MBAs or business leaders becoming amateur designers (though a little cross-training never hurts). It’s about creating a shared space where both perspectives are valued.

This means:

1. Developing a shared vocabulary — Creating a lexicon of terms that both sides understand and use consistently.

2. Establishing clear success metrics that honor both business and design values.

3. Creating structured feedback processes that allow for meaningful design critique while respecting business constraints.

4. Celebrating wins in ways that resonate with both groups.

According to Peter Merholz, design leaders need to shift from managing down to managing up, which means understanding the broader business goals and effectively translating design work to fit them. It’s about balancing creative excellence with business viability.

During my time managing design communities and programs, I found that the most successful organizations weren’t those where design dominated or business called all the shots — they were the ones where a healthy tension existed between the two, with mutual respect serving as the foundation.

The Long Game

Building common ground between business and design isn’t a one-and-done effort — it’s an ongoing process that requires constant attention and care.

The same principle applies to business-design relationships. The investment you make in building mutual understanding today will pay dividends for years to come, creating an environment where both business and design can do their best work.

Worth the Effort

Is it sometimes exhausting to serve as a translator between business and design? Absolutely. There are days when I’ve felt like I’m speaking two different languages simultaneously while also trying to juggle flaming torches. But is it worth it? Without question.

When business and design truly understand each other, magic happens. Products become both useful and delightful. Strategies become both profitable and human-centered. Organizations become both efficient and creative.

And that’s a world worth building — one awkward translation at a time.

Final Thoughts

Fostering a design-driven culture requires an intentional effort to align business priorities with design goals. By translating design into business terms, empathizing with different perspectives, and creating opportunities for collaboration, we can bridge the gap and unlock the full potential of both worlds. And when we achieve that mutual understanding, the result is a more innovative, effective, and human-centered organization.

Elysia Syriac is an Experience Designer with a passion for Design Operations, crafting dynamic spaces where creatives can connect, grow, and recharge. At Amazon, she led Creative Gatherings for Amazon Design, driving events like Conflux and shaping new experiences that foster learning and collaboration. Her work is bold, experimental, and always community-driven. An active member of AIGA, DesignOps Assembly, and Volunteers of America, Elysia is constantly exploring, learning, and turning big ideas into unforgettable moments. Connect with Elysia Syriac on LinkedIn and follow more of her writings on Medium.