97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 6. Understand and Speak the Language of Business

Dwayne Hill

In life, exhibiting the ability to speak and communicate effectively through language can enable enriching experiences, build trust, and reduce embarrassing moments. Effective speech and communication also carry over into the business world. Designers who can speak the language of business helps them communicate design decisions in narratives that resonate with business decision makers.

UX designers not only advocate for users; we also solve business problems. Whether you’re a consultant or you work inside an organization, you’re paid to solve a problem for the end user on behalf of a business that wants to increase profits, reduce expenses, and gain a competitive advantage.

The following terms will help you communicate with your business peers. These are just a small fraction of the terms you could learn, but knowing and using these will help you build positive relationships with your business partners since you’ll be speaking from a perspective they understand.

• Return on Investment (ROI): A way to measure the performance and efficiency of an investment. When companies invest in something, such as people, research, or product development, they want the benefits of their investment to outperform what the investment cost. If a company invests $500K a year (cost) in your team, then your team should generate more ...