# Using Results The assessment only matters if it changes what the team does next. Using Results helps teams turn Design Assessment scores into focused action. The goal is not to fix everything at once. The goal is to understand the pattern, choose the right place to start, and make one improvement that creates visible movement. Scores create awareness. Results create direction. ### **Why using results matters** Most assessments create a short burst of clarity. People review the score, talk about what it means, and agree that something should improve. Then the work gets busy again. The assessment sits in a deck, and the team returns to the same habits. The problem is not the assessment, but that the results do not turn into a clear next move. When that happens: - Scores become interesting but unused - Teams debate the findings instead of acting on them - Weak areas stay vague - Leaders ask for improvement without a plan - Teams try to fix too many things at once - Momentum fades after the assessment review Using these results helps teams move from interpretation to action. It gives the team a simple way to decide what to strengthen first. ### **What results should help you do** Assessment results should help the team make a better improvement decision. They should show: - Where design impact is strongest - Where the system creates drag - Which dimension is limiting progress - Which strength can be used as leverage - What can improve in the next 30 days - What should be tracked over time The goal is not to explain every score perfectly, but to identify the next useful move. * * * ## **Start with the full pattern** Begin by looking across all five dimension scores: - [Organizing Work](https://glare.helio.app/document-overview/design-assessment/results-guide/organizing-work) - [Managing Complexity](https://glare.helio.app/document-overview/design-assessment/results-guide/managing-complexity) - [Building Proof](https://glare.helio.app/document-overview/design-assessment/results-guide/building-proof) - [Guiding Decisions](https://glare.helio.app/document-overview/design-assessment/results-guide/guiding-decisions) - [Scaling Influence](https://glare.helio.app/document-overview/design-assessment/results-guide/scaling-influence) Do not start by fixing the lowest score automatically. A low score may matter, but the best starting point is the place where improvement will create the most movement across the system. Ask: - Which dimension is strongest? - Which dimension is weakest? - Which gap is largest? - Which dimension creates the most drag? - Which strength can help support improvement? - Where does the system break first? - What would create visible progress in 30 days? The first move should be focused enough to act on and important enough to matter. ### **Choose one improvement area** Pick one dimension to strengthen first. Trying to improve all five at once usually creates more activity than progress. The team needs a clear focus that connects the assessment to real work. A good improvement area should meet three conditions: - It shows up clearly in the results - It affects current work - It can be improved with one visible change For example: - If learning keeps getting lost, start with Organizing Work. - If large initiatives keep getting tangled, start with Managing Complexity. - If design value is hard to prove, start with Building Proof. - If teams keep revisiting decisions, start with Guiding Decisions. - If proof stays local, start with Scaling Influence. The right starting point is not always the weakest score. It is the weakest link that is slowing the system down. ### **Turn the result into a working question** Once the team chooses a focus area, turn it into a question. A good working question turns a vague gap into something the team can act on. **Instead of:** We need to improve Scaling Influence. **Ask:** How can we make one strong design signal easier for leadership to use in planning? **Instead of:** We need better Building Proof. **Ask:** What proof would show whether this design change improved the user outcome we care about? **Instead of:** We need stronger Guiding Decisions. **Ask:** What decision are we trying to make, and what signal would help us commit? The question should point to a behavior the team can change. * * * ## **Create a 30-day action** Use the results to choose one action the team can complete in the next 30 days. This action should be small, visible, and connected to real work. Good 30-day actions: - Create one reusable evidence summary - Define success before starting one project - Map one dependency-heavy initiative - Connect one UX metric to a business goal - Turn one finding into a clear decision note - Share one proof story with leadership - Add one signal review to an existing meeting - Compare one new design against a baseline Avoid broad actions like: - Improve communication - Get more strategic - Build better process - Increase design maturity - Become more data-driven Those may be true, but they are too vague to move. ### **Use strengths as leverage** Do not only focus on gaps. Strong dimensions can help improve weaker ones. For example: - Strong Organizing Work can support Building Proof because evidence is easier to find and reuse. - Strong Building Proof can support Scaling Influence because the team already has results worth sharing. - Strong Guiding Decisions can support Managing Complexity because clearer choices reduce drag. - Strong Managing Complexity can support Organizing Work because the team already understands structure and dependencies. - Strong Scaling Influence can support Guiding Decisions because leaders are more likely to trust evidence. The question is not only, “What is weak?” Ask: What strength can help us improve the weak area faster? That keeps the plan grounded in what the team already does well. ### **Make the action visible** A result only creates momentum when people can see what changed. Once you choose the 30-day action, define what visible progress looks like. Examples: - One project has a clearer decision trail - One findings summary gets reused by another team - One design change has a baseline and comparison - One leadership review includes a design signal - One complex initiative has clearer dependencies - One decision has a written rationale and owner The action should produce something the team can point to. Not a perfect system. A visible improvement. * * * ## **Review the result together** Assessment results should be reviewed as a team, not interpreted in isolation. A good review should focus on the pattern and the next move. Use this flow: 1. Review the five dimension scores. 2. Name the strongest dimension. 3. Name the dimension creating the most drag. 4. Discuss what the pattern suggests. 5. Choose one improvement area. 6. Define one 30-day action. 7. Decide who owns the next step. 8. Review what changed after 30 days. The review should end with a decision. If the team leaves only with observations, the assessment has not done enough. ### **What to avoid** Do not turn the assessment into a performance review. A low score does not mean a team is failing. It means a part of the system needs more support. Avoid: - Ranking teams against each other - Blaming one role or function - Trying to fix all five dimensions at once - Turning the results into a long transformation plan - Treating the score as more important than the pattern - Waiting for perfect alignment before acting The results should create movement, not pressure. ## **What improves when results are used well** When teams use assessment results well, design maturity becomes easier to improve. The team sees where the system is breaking. Leaders understand where support is needed. Improvement becomes specific enough to act on. Strong use of results helps teams: - Move from assessment to action - Focus improvement without overloading the team - Connect gaps to real work - Use strengths to support weak areas - Create visible progress in 30 days - Build trust through small improvements - Track maturity over time This is where the assessment becomes useful. * * * ## **How this connects to the other scoring pages** Using Results is the final page in the scoring section. The other scoring pages help the team understand the assessment: - Scoring Model explains what the score means. - How It’s Measured explains how survey responses become dimension and layer scores. - Reading Patterns explains how to interpret the shape of the results. Using Results turns that understanding into a focused next move. ### **Simple worksheet** Use this worksheet after reviewing your results: #### **1\. What is our strongest dimension?** Write the dimension and why it is strong. #### **2\. Which dimension creates the most drag?** Write the dimension and how it slows the system down. #### **3\. What pattern do we see?** Describe the pattern in plain language. #### **4\. What improvement area should we choose first?** Pick one dimension. #### **5\. What working question will guide the next step?** Write one question that turns the gap into action. #### **6\. What 30-day action will we take?** Choose one small, visible action. #### **7\. Who owns it?** Name the person or team responsible. #### **8\. What will visible progress look like?** Define what the team should be able to point to after 30 days. #### **Next step** Choose one dimension. Turn the result into one working question. Commit to one visible improvement in the next 30 days. The goal is not to complete the assessment, but to use it to make design impact easier to see, trust, and improve.