It’s no secret that great design can make or break a brand. But for many executives, particularly those without a design background, measuring the return on investment (ROI) for design efforts can feel like deciphering an abstract painting. Is it purely aesthetic, or is it adding measurable value to your business?

The truth is, design is much more than making something look good. It’s about solving problems, enhancing user experiences, driving conversions, and even building teams that consistently deliver value. For non-design executives, understanding how to quantify design ROI is key to making informed, strategic decisions that impact your bottom line.

This article will simplify the process by explaining ROI metrics, how you should calculate ROI for design work, and why design subscription service could be the game changer to amplify design ROI for your business.

Why Design ROI Matters to Executives?

The Strategic Edge of Design

Investing in design goes far beyond visual appeal. It’s about creating systems, user interfaces, and experiences that foster customer loyalty and drive revenue. Companies like Apple and Airbnb have demonstrated how excellent design can be a powerful differentiator in competitive markets.

Whether it’s redesigning a website to boost conversions or refining a product’s user experience to improve customer retention, quantifiable benefits emerge when design is strategically woven into your processes.

For the Skeptics

Why should executives care about tracking design ROI?

• Data-Driven Decisions: ROI insights help steer resources toward initiatives that deliver actual results.

• Securing Stakeholder Buy-In: Measurable impact makes a stronger case for continued design investment.

• Staying Competitive: Tracking ROI ensures your business adapts to market demands and industry trends.

What are the key metrics for tracking design ROI?

1. Conversion Rate

Good design isn’t just about aesthetics—it plays a crucial role in guiding visitors through your website or product seamlessly. By creating a user-friendly experience that’s visually appealing and easy to navigate, you can build trust and keep visitors engaged. Track pre- and post-design improvement metrics on relevant pages, such as form completion rates or purchases.

For example:

• Redesigning landing pages or checkout flows can lead to conversion rate lifts of 30-200%, according to Forrester.

• ASOS simplified checkout page, reducing cart abandonment by 50% and boosting revenue by £300M/year.

Formula: (New CR - Old CR) × Monthly Users × Avg. Order Value

2. Customer Retention

Excellent design fosters positive user experiences by making products intuitive, enjoyable, and easy to use. When users interact with well-designed interfaces, they are more likely to feel satisfied and develop trust in the brand. Over time, this trust strengthens customer loyalty, encouraging repeat interactions and long-term relationships. It is proven that enhanced user interfaces increase app retention rates by up to 30% .

Formula: (New Retention Rate - Old Rate) × Users × Avg. Lifetime Value

3. Operational Efficiency

Standardizing branding and design workflows significantly reduces inefficiencies by streamlining processes and ensuring consistency across teams. For example, companies that adopt design systems often report development cycles that are 25-40% faster, as reusable components and clear guidelines eliminate redundant work. This not only saves time but also improves collaboration between design and development teams, resulting in a more cohesive final product.

Formula: (Old Dev Hours - New Hours) × Hourly Rate × Features/Year

4. Employee Productivity

A UX investment impacts both customer and employee experiences. Clunky interfaces can slow down workflows, frustrate teams, and lead to lower productivity, while well-designed, intuitive systems streamline processes and reduce time spent on repetitive tasks. By improving internal tools and systems, businesses empower employees to focus on high-value work, ultimately driving better outcomes for both the team and the customers they serve.

Formula: (Time Saved per Task) × Frequency × Hourly Wage × Employees

5. Cost Savings from Error Reductions

Poorly designed assets can lead to significant delays caused by repeated error correction and constant revisions. This not only wastes time but also increases costs and reduces overall productivity. Clear, high-quality design from the start ensures smoother workflows, minimizes mistakes, and helps teams meet deadlines more efficiently.

Formula: (Old Error Rate - New Rate) × Total Actions × Cost per Error

How Do You Calculate Design ROI in 6 Steps?

Step 1. Identify Your Design Investments

Start by listing out all costs associated with design:

• Software and tools

• Salaries for design staff or external consultants

• Training or onboarding processes

• Implementation costs

Step 2. Define Key Metrics to Track

Decide on the metrics most relevant to your business goals. For example:

• Percentage increase in conversions

• Time saved on approval workflows

• Retention improvements

Step 3. Assign a Value to Each Metric

How much additional revenue does a 10% conversion increase bring? If streamlined processes save your team 10 hours weekly, what’s that worth in monetary terms?

Step 4. Collect Before and After Data

Using analytics tools, track performance before making design changes. Establish baseline metrics to measure against.

Step 5. Compare Costs to Gains

Once your initiatives are live, compare the results to your baseline metrics. For example:

• Revenue increase = Additional income post-design

• Cost savings = Hours saved average hourly cost

Step 6. Plug in the Numbers

Use our Design ROI Formulas above for a quick estimate of how design impacts your bottom line. Enter your costs and metrics, and the calculator does the rest.

How DesignBff’s Subscription Service Can Help Increase Design ROI?

Investing in design subscription service is a smart way to get more out of your design efforts. With access to a senior design team and efficient workflows, you can improve performance across key areas of your business.

1. Boost Conversion Rates

Great UX and UI design can drive big improvements in conversion rates. Studies show that optimized UX can increase conversions by up to 400%, while better UI can boost rates by 200%. With DesignBff, you’ll have expert designers improving your landing pages, checkout flows, and calls-to-action through A/B testing, prototypes, and reviews.

2. Improve Team Productivity

DesignBff uses tools like Monday.com and Ziflow to simplify design workflows, saving time and improving collaboration. Consolidating tools can save teams over 8 hours a week, and 80% of workers say collaboration tools boost engagement. By cutting redundancies and centralizing progress tracking, DesignBff helps your team launch campaigns faster and focus on strategic tasks.

3. Reduce Errors

Minimizing design errors saves money and protects your brand’s reputation. DesignBff uses structured workflows, quality checks, and automated validations to reduce error rates by 40-60%. This means fewer revisions, faster approvals, and fewer support tickets caused by design issues. With DesignBff, your designs will be polished and error-free.

4. Increase Retention

High-quality, consistent design plays a big role in customer retention. Improved UX can boost retention rates by 15-30%, and 93% of customers are more likely to stay loyal to brands with cohesive visual content. DesignBff ensures your brand identity stays consistent across all touchpoints, helping build trust and loyalty. DesignBff helps you create designs that leave lasting impressions and keep users coming back.

5. Speed Up Development

DesignBff gives you ongoing access to a dedicated design team, helping you maintain consistency and accelerate development. Tools like centralized asset management, standardized design components, and integrated feedback loops enable faster delivery of campaigns and features—up to 30-40% faster.

With DesignBff’s subscription service, your business can see measurable improvements in conversions, productivity, retention, and development speed. It’s a cost-effective way to achieve better results, drive innovation, and maintain design excellence.

Take Action & Maximize Your Design ROI

Successful businesses don’t just see design as an expense; they see it as a strategic enabler of growth. Measuring design ROI ensures you remain grounded in data and prioritize initiatives that deliver the most impact. Whether you’re looking to improve conversions, streamline workflows, or strengthen retention, design is the key to unlocking real results.

To calculate your potential ROI and discover how a design subscription service can transform your Design ROI, book a call with DesignBff today. Let’s discuss how we can help you level up before your next marketing campaign launch or website revamp.

Frequently Asked Questions about Design ROI

What is ROI in marketing, and how does design fit into it?

ROI in marketing measures the financial return from a specific investment. Design plays a critical role in improving key metrics like customer acquisition, retention, and engagement, all of which directly impact marketing ROI.

Can I Calculate Design ROI separately, and how?

Yes! You can calculate ROI for design systems by tracking metrics such as Conversion Rate Lift, Error Rate Reduction, Employee Productivity Gains, Customer Retention Improvement, and Product Development Efficiency. These metrics help demonstrate the system's overall impact.

Should design be considered a one-time cost or a continuous investment?

Design should be evaluated as a continuous investment. Iterative improvements help you adapt to trends, meet evolving customer expectations, and stay competitive in your market. For a long-term investment, it’s essential to start with a reliable partner who can provide ongoing support. A design subscription service could be an excellent option, offering a flat-rate cost and a comprehensive range of services to meet your needs.

What’s the difference between design ROI and UX KPIs?

Yes! You can calculate ROI for design systems by tracking metrics such as Conversion Rate Lift, Error Rate Reduction, Employee Productivity Gains, Customer Retention Improvement, and Product Development Efficiency. These metrics help demonstrate the system's overall impact.