As designers, we all want a seat at the table. So what do you do when you don't have one? How do you convince C-level leadership to invest in user research and build a design system? How do you lead with a product vision and strategy when others view your role as making interfaces look pretty?

Skip the presentations on how design has impacted other companies and instead do something specific and personal for your own. Start by focusing on what your leaders are already convinced of. Don't just show the numbers, but also create an emotional impact. Expose the current experience, then help visualize and share what the future experience could be. Create a compelling strategy that connects the dots of how you'll get from where you are to where you need to be. Then execute relentlessly, and witness the transformation.

This is the story of how the design team at SimpleNexus demonstrated the business value of design to help a basement startup grow and reach a $1.2 billion evaluation.