Baking UX into the DNA of Your Organization’s Strategy

In the previous lesson, I asked you to take an initial look at your role, your resources, and your reach. Now, over the next three lessons, we're going to dive into those three areas in more detail, starting with your role and how it aligns with something much bigger: your organization's goals.

Because if you want UX to be seen as more than a support function, you can’t define your role in isolation. You need to connect it to the outcomes your leadership team is already striving for.

Why You Shouldn’t Ask for a Job Description

One problem I often see is that UX practitioners implicitly wait for their manager to define their role. Maybe they don't directly ask "What should my role be?" but their behavior suggests they expect management to take the lead.

The intention is good. The outcome usually isn’t.

Most managers don’t have the time (or the context) to define your role in a meaningful way. They don’t know your full skill set. They don’t always understand UX deeply. And they’re juggling a dozen other priorities. So what do you get in return?

Either something vague and generic. Or a polite but firm, “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

That’s not leadership. That’s maintenance.

Instead of asking what your role should be, come to them with a proposal. Show that you’ve thought about where you can add the most value. Frame it in terms they care about. Make it easy for them to say yes.

This isn't just a UX tip; it's a universal rule for working with leadership: never go to management with a problem unless you also bring a potential solution.

The Secret Weapon: Your Organization’s Strategy

Every organization has a strategy document floating around somewhere. It might be a PowerPoint from the senior leadership team, a CEO memo, or a PDF in your company wiki that nobody’s opened since it was uploaded.

Dig it out. Read it carefully.

These documents are more than corporate fluff. They’re your map to influence.

Inside, you’ll usually find the goals that matter most to leadership over the next 1 to 5 years. Things like:

• Reaching new customer segments
• Increasing revenue per user
• Improving employee productivity
• Strengthening brand loyalty
• Reducing operational costs

These aren’t just executive priorities. They’re your starting points. Because when you tie UX to goals that are already considered urgent and important, people stop seeing your work as “nice to have.”

Find the UX Angle in the Business Goals

Take each goal and ask yourself: How could UX contribute to this?

You might be surprised how often the answer is “quite a lot.”

For example:

• If the goal is to improve employee satisfaction, you might look at the internal tools staff use every day. Could they be more intuitive, faster, or less frustrating?
• If it’s about growing market share among Gen Z, consider whether your digital products align with their expectations around speed, personalization, or visual language.
• If leadership wants to reduce support costs, you could examine the onboarding experience, help content, or navigation to reduce friction and prevent confusion.

Now, not every goal will have a clear UX application. You don’t need to force it. Your job here is to find the intersections—where user experience has a natural role to play in business success.

Prioritize Where You Can Make the Most Difference

Once you’ve mapped out a few potential connections, it’s time to focus.

Ask two questions:

1. How important is this goal to the business right now?
2. How much influence do I realistically have over it?

Goals that rank high on both fronts should be your top priorities. That’s where you’ll have the best chance of delivering visible results and earning trust.

Also, consider the feasibility. Some goals might be technically within your remit but would require fighting through years of legacy systems or organizational red tape. Save those for later. Start where you can move quickly and show value.

Write It Up as a One-Page Role Vision

With your priorities in place, draft a simple one-page proposal. This doesn’t need to be formal or fancy. It just needs to show your thinking.

Structure it like this:

• Your Understanding of Company Goals: A brief summary in your own words.
• Where UX Can Contribute: A few bullet points on how user experience can support each goal.
• Your Role: A description of how you propose to spend your time and focus your energy.
• Next Steps: What you’d like to do next, and any input or validation you’re seeking f