Key Takeaways

• A lack of executive support and a prevalent misunderstanding of design versus UX created much cultural inertia as well as significant roadblocks for those leading Design Teams in 2024. 
• To strengthen the impact of design in 2025, both design and business leaders must align design initiatives to measurable business outcomes and cultural priorities to further cultivate and promote robust cross-functional partnerships. 
• A renewed commitment to innovation and design requires bridging the digital literacy gap among executives by championing approaches like data-driven storytelling to articulate design's role in achieving core business success. 
• Effectively leading Design Teams moving forward involves redefining success metrics beyond mere outputs and prioritizing targeted cultural transformations through authentic, human-centered behavioral and operational strategies.

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