The Quantity Over Quality Trap: Why Leaders Rush Everything—And How to Fix It

Last week, a mentee told me about a familiar frustration.

She's an in-house designer working at a non-profit. Despite creating structure, advocating for quality, and educating her leadership team, she keeps hitting the same roadblock: they prioritize quantity over quality.

Everything feels rushed, and leadership is focused on output over outcomes.

Don Norman explained why this happens:

"Designers talk about the power of design. But the most important customer for a designer is the people they work for—the boss of their boss. And what language do they speak? Profits, loss, and margins." -Don Norman

If you've been advocating for better design and not getting results, you might be speaking the wrong language.

The Real Problem: Leadership Doesn't Value Design the Way You Do

Most leaders don't fully understand design. They see it as a tool to make things look nice, not as a strategic function that impacts business outcomes.

So when designers advocate for quality over speed, leadership hears:

• "This will take longer."
• "This costs more."
• "This isn't urgent."

The challenge isn't just that they value quantity—it's that they don't see the business case for quality.

What You Can Do

If leadership isn't prioritizing quality, shift your approach:

? Speak Their Language: Instead of talking about design principles, connect design decisions to business goals. Example: Instead of "White space makes this easier to read," say, "This layout increases readability, which improves engagement and conversions."

? Show the Cost of Rushed Work: Keep track of how often rushed projects require extra revisions or rework or fail to perform well. Example: "We spent an extra 10 hours revising this because the scope wasn't clear from the start. A structured intake process would cut that time in half."

? Align Design with Business Growth: Demonstrate how quality design impacts revenue, efficiency, or audience engagement. Example: "This optimized layout reduced bounce rates by 15%, which means more people are staying on our site and taking action."

? Create Small Wins That Prove the Point: Leadership won't change overnight, but a single well-documented success can shift their mindset. Pick one project to approach differently, track the results, and use it as a case study.

What Happens If You Don't Shift the Conversation?

You'll stay stuck in a cycle where leadership sees design as a service rather than a strategic function.

If you want more influence, you need to reframe the conversation from "Why design matters" to "How design impacts what leadership cares about."

Your best design work won't speak for itself if it's not framed in a way leadership understands.

Speak their language, prove the value, and position design as a business driver, not an aesthetic upgrade.

I'm Barney, a passionate design leader, mentor, and mental health advocate who loves exploring the intersection of creativity and wellness. Follow me for more insights into design, creativity, LinkedIn growth, and managing work-related stress. If you're looking for a design mentor, send me a DM.