The first step to becoming a more strategic designer

There’s a lot of talk about “being more strategic” as a designer. But what does that actually mean in day-to-day work?

Hey, Miranda here 👋

There’s a lot of talk about “being more strategic” as a designer (including by me). But what does that actually mean in day-to-day work?

It starts here: 👉 Strategic designers ask better questions.

Not just about pixels or polish. But about context, constraints, goals, and outcomes.

It sounds simple, but it’s one of the clearest ways to level up from executor to partner.

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Why strategic thinking makes you more valuable

Designers who think strategically:

🔗 Connect their work to business and user outcomes
🧠 Make better decisions with less rework
🤝 Gain trust from cross-functional partners
🎟️ Get invited earlier into the product development process

These are the folks who get promoted faster because they have more influence.

And it doesn’t take years of experience to start thinking this way. It starts by changing what you ask.

Here are 3 common scenarios where better questions = better outcomes

1. When a PM hands you a feature request

❌ Jump straight into designs

Instead ask…

• "What problem are we solving?"

• "Why is this important now?"

• "How will we know if it’s successful?"

These questions help you understand the why behind the request and design a solution that actually addresses it.

Grab my Universal Brief - it’ll help you fill out all the context you need before starting any design task

2. When working through design tradeoffs

❌ Focusing on personal preferences or aesthetics

Instead ask…

• "What’s the most critical thing for the user to accomplish here?"

• "Where can we reduce complexity without hurting clarity?"

• "What’s the risk if we cut this feature or interaction?"

Good questions lead to sharper prioritization and better collaboration.

3. When presenting your work

❌ Just show some screens

Instead, frame your work with…

• "Here’s the problem we were trying to solve."

• "Here are the tradeoffs we made and why."

• "Here’s how this connects to the broader goal."

Strategic designers don’t just design things — they design decisions. And good decisions come from good questions.

Grab my Design Crit Context Template- it’ll help you frame up the necessary context to conduct very intentional design reviews

A few power questions to keep in your back pocket

• "What does success look like for this feature?"

• "What are the key user behaviors we want to see improve?"

• "What assumptions are we making that we haven’t validated?"

• "What would make this project a failure — and how can we avoid that?"

• "What’s the cost of getting this wrong?"

• "What business metric does this connect to most directly?"

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I challenge you…

1️⃣ This week, look at one recent project you were involved in and list out 3 questions that would have helped you uncover more context, design a better solution, and/or made the process smoother.

2️⃣ Then, next time a request comes in, instead of saying, “Got it!”, ask a better question. Maybe even the same ones you identified from the last task.

Get curious. Dig deeper. Understand the problem before solving it.

And if something shifts because of it? Shoot me a message — I’d love to hear what changed.

Strategic thinking starts with better inputs. And the best way to get better inputs? Ask better questions.

You don’t need a new title to be a strategic designer. Just a better habit.

The bottom line

Better questions make better designers. It’s not about having all the answers — it’s about being curious enough to ask the questions no one else is asking.

That’s how you start designing like a strategist.

Let me know what questions you’ve started asking lately — or ones you want help refining.

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P.S. A few more ways I can help you

1. I’ve created quite a few resources for UXers, take a look.

2. Bring your burning product & UX design questions over to one of my regular Live AMAs and get my professional advice on the spot.

3. Follow me on Tiktok or Instagram for critiques, advice, & how-to's focused on helping you grow in your career and land a job in this difficult market.

4. Join me over on LinkedIn for personal experience stories and targeted tips for experienced designers