Business Thinking for Designers is now available!

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I’m so incredibly thankful that I chose to be a designer—to be able to combine my weird brain with the passions and desires that motivate me. I have experienced things I didn’t think possible in a career. I have developed relationships that I cherish. I have learned so much from countless others. It’s time I give back.

Today is the culmination of years of work. I never thought I would be an author; writing is not my forte nor my favorite medium, yet here I am. My friend Brandy mentioned this to me the other day, “for so many of us, we’ve had to back-in to this knowledge over our career. There was no guidebook. You’re sharing a guidebook we wished we all had.” 

It’s the perfect way to summarize what’s in my new book with InVision—Business Thinking for Designers. Today, it’s FREE and available online.  

So, why did I write this book?

The moments in my career where I have been most uncomfortable, yet committed, have been the moments where I matured in the most impactful ways. As an individual, as a team member, as a leader, and as a partner, these moments didn’t happen overnight. Nor were they without a lot of mistakes. 

Here are some of the moments I wish I had a book like this.

  • This is the book I wish I had 15 years ago when I took my first in-house corporate job

  • This is the book I wish I had 10 years ago, when I began leading teams

  • This is the book I wish I had before defining my annual objectives

  • This is the book I wish I had the countless times someone has asked me the ROI of design

  • This is the book I wish I had for the times I’ve been asked to build an organization from scratch

  • This is the book I wish I had when first ran product and design functions together

  • This is the book I wish I had when I was asked to introduce design to a company, only to be questioned from day one about why I was doing the things I was doing.

  • This is the book I wish I had the times my boss was let go within six months of hiring me

  • This is the book I wish I had before every professional interview I’ve had

  • And the most important reason: this is the book I wish I could have shared with others to show my mistakes, my successes, and the scenarios that led to both and everything in-between. 

And who did I write this for?

I’ve been fortunate to have wonderful mentors and roles in my career. I’ve also been fortunate to have less than ideal situations. Situations that were really painful to go through, but in the long run led me to solutions I would not have otherwise. 

When thinking of the audience for this book, I thought about the moments I’ve experienced and the experiences others have shared with me. This book is for:

  • The current generation of design leaders

  • The future generations of design leaders

  • Designers who have been underrepresented in our field and industries

  • Designers who feel compelled to challenge themselves and the status quo

  • Designers who want to transition into new roles

  • Designers who want to remain a designer

  • Designers interviewing for their next gig

  • Designers who have to find new ways of doing things

  • Designers who didn’t know what they were getting into when they accepted a leadership role

  • Designers who feel stuck in their careers or pigeonholed in their roles

  • Designers looking practical steps to build bridges with cross-functional partners

  • Me

Why did I choose to write with InVision?

  • The Design Better team provides free, high quality resources for designers. Everyone who wants this book should have access to this book. 

  • I believe a small percentage of people will invest in one of my services. I earn my living helping designers and teams increase their influence and impact at work. 

When I wrote this book, the world was in a very different place. Right now, being an author is about #27 on my list of priorities. Like many others, I’m a parent, a partner, a part-time teacher, a solopreneur, and STILL NOT GETTING TO THE GYM!!! But I am so much more fortunate than so many and I recognize the privilege that is afforded me to be talking about a book.

It is completely OK to not read books right now. It’s completely OK to not be focused on developing your career at this moment. It is completely OK to be feeling anxious, scared, annoyed, productive, angry, innovative, sad, or overwhelmed. I’m feeling a lot of those too. 

Today though, I’m feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride in myself that I have not felt in a long time. I am relieved to have gotten to this day, knowing that this is one of the items I can now check off my list. 

If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it. I hope you reach out with your thoughts, questions, and critiques. I hope it helps you in the ways you need help. Lastly, I hope you’re doing as well as can be expected. You all bring me hope and joy.

Today, I’m going to take a few moments to celebrate—to dance.

Special thanks to Bart King for his wonderful guidance and thoughtfulness while editing the book. To Kim Williams, Kara Defrias, Lori for their video contributions to the book.

To Nguvet Vuong, Sarah Mills, Susan Price, Chris Wilkinson, Keith Aric Hall, Lucas Coelho, and Greg Storey for their honest and direct candor while reviewing the book. To Aarron Walter, Rob Goodman, and Eli Woolery and their teams for all the knowledge and know-how in putting this together. 

And finally, to my wife Sally Rumsey, for many sleepless nights of support and encouragement. 

Ryan Rumsey