Why development leaders are investing in design | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Design has become a strategic driver of software success, not merely a visual layer added at the end of development. An IDC study of more than 500 development leaders found that teams prioritizing design report stronger business outcomes, faster delivery, and better collaboration. The research also shows that human design expertise is increasingly important as AI accelerates product creation.

The Business Case for Design

• 75% of development leaders consider design “very” or “extremely important” to modern software development.
• Leaders who rated design as “extremely important” were five times more likely to say their last project far exceeded expectations.
• The main business benefits associated with design investment were:
  • Improved customer retention
  • Higher customer engagement
  • Increased product innovation
• Design now influences customer satisfaction, employee productivity, accessibility, and data-driven decision-making.

Designer–Developer Collaboration

• 52% of leaders said their organizations have increased software output over the past two years.
• Collaboration between design and development from the beginning of a project helps teams:
  • Align on scope and trade-offs earlier
  • Reduce rework and friction
  • Iterate in real time
  • Improve morale and time to market
• Among respondents, stronger design collaboration led to:
  • More innovation for 54%
  • Better customer experiences for 47%
  • Faster time to market for 43%
• Effective collaboration was described as synchronized, structured, and mutually supportive rather than divided into isolated handoffs.

Design Expertise in AI-Driven Development

• AI makes it easier to create initial concepts, but generated outputs still require substantial human refinement.
• Designers provide essential oversight in:
  • Quality control
  • User experience
  • Brand consistency
  • Cross-functional review
• 80% of development leaders said design has become more important to the success of AI-powered products than it was two years ago.
• The strongest teams treat AI output as a starting point, not a finished product. Human judgment is needed to turn fast-generated concepts into usable, user-centered experiences.

Organizations seeking an advantage should treat design as a business priority, integrate designers and developers throughout the development process, establish scalable design practices, and preserve human oversight of AI-generated work.