Closing the Gap: Design Embraces Business

In this session, Jose Coronado, an accomplished design leader and former Head of Strategic Planning and Operations at Target, will challenge traditional narratives about the relationship between business and design. Jose advocates for a shift from expecting businesses to "embrace design" to empowering design teams to embrace business. Drawing on lessons from his career, including building design teams from scratch and turning around underperforming ones, Jose will share actionable strategies for aligning design with business goals to drive measurable outcomes. This talk will inspire attendees to rethink how they articulate design's value and foster stronger cross-functional collaboration.

Key learnings:

• Practical strategies for aligning design teams with business objectives
• Overcoming challenges in building design teams and turning them into high-impact groups
• Approaches for fostering collaboration and breaking down silos between design and business partners