Design principles

The Design @ Visa Principles exemplify how we design. These principles guide the practices that drive impactful decisions and operations, both individually and collectively at Visa. They also represent how we lead as designers. Each Principle is equipped with an actionable framework to help you not only design, but also share with partners, offering a practical way to achieve your ‘what.’ This framework is supplemented with valuable resources useful for everyday work.

To learn more, explore this content in our Design @ Visa principles PowerPoint deck (internal only).

Principle #1: Design for humans

We design for human needs and solve complex business problems with a research-based approach that prioritizes inclusivity and access for people of all abilities.

How?

Through user research, Visa Global Accessibility Requirements (VGAR), and Visa’s Inclusive Design and Product Equity (Principles)

Business outcome

Visa products are customer and user-led, rooted in market needs, and mitigate legal risk.

Customer outcome

Customers find our products friction-free, easily accessible, and built for them.

Here’s a fictional customer mindset quote that demonstrates how our products are designed with their humanity in mind:

Questions to explore as you design with partners​

• Who might we be unintentionally excluding?
• Who are we and how can we include our customers and partners in the design process?
• What biases might be showing up in our products and how can we mitigate them?
• How can we ensure our products are accessible for people of all relevant attributes:
  • Demographics such as ability, age, gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, orientation, religious beliefs, education, neurodiversity, geography, technology access, culture
  • Psychographics such as lifestyle, buying habits, behavioral segments
  • Firmographics such as business size, revenue, industry
• Do our customers feel that our products were designed for them?
• How can we ensure our our business and product requirements prioritize customer needs first?
• Are we empowering our customers to self-serve (unless they need our interaction?)

Resources​

• Inclusive design principles
• VGAR (internal only)
• Content guidelines

Principle #2: Design with courage

We design with courage and a growth mindset, and through iteration and experimentation we can better design for our customers.​

How?

Through leading teams in our design process, starting small before scaling outward, and making space for experimentation in a flexible but fail-fast approach.​

Business outcome

Visa increases reach and obtainable market and sells to a more diverse set of customers.​

Customer outcome

Customers find Visa’s products flexible, valuable, and uniquely suited to meet their needs or optimize their lives.​

Here’s a fictional customer mindset quote that demonstrates how our products are designed with their humanity in mind:

Questions to explore as you design with partners​

• How can we get rapid feedback on a small scale before bringing it to a larger group or audience at the enterprise scale?
• How can we use our design process to help us address challenges?
• Can we introduce an experimental ”spike” to our sprint or iteration to uncover new ways to address a design challenge?
• How can we design for adaptability and flexibility so that we can meet the ever-evolving needs and requirements of our customers and partners?
• How can we leave room in our approach to learn from both successes and failures and adopt a “fail fast,” “be bold,” approach?
• Can we perform research to help us take bold, calculated moves while mitigating risk?

Resources (internal only)

• Agile pathways on Visa University
• Case studies
• Design @ Visa Playbook slides
• Design @ Visa Customer Obsessed video
• Growth mindset pathways on Visa University

Principle #3: Design with purpose

We design with a shared purpose to uplift everyone, everywhere while advocating for OKR alignment, standards and governance. ​ ​

How?

Through alignment to Visa’s mission and purpose, our Objective and Key Results (OKRs), and shared standards such as our Visa Product Design System, Brand Identity, UX Guides, and more.

Business outcome

Visa ensures our products promote efficiency, are market-leading, and continually reflect “one Visa” in our product experiences.​

Customer outcome

Customers find our products consistently excellent, efficient, easy-to-use, and future-forward.​​

Here’s a fictional customer mindset quote that demonstrates how our products are designed with their humanity in mind:

Questions to explore as you design with partners​

• How can we build products and experiences to reflect the Visa brand, as well as partner products that are excellent?​
• How do we orchestrate our work so that we can deliver as ”one” Visa to our customers?​
• Can we leverage the Visa Product Design System?​
• Can we leverage a shared set of standards or governance to ensure excellence in our work?​
• How does our work clearly map to a shared mission or goal (such as an OKR)?​
• How does our work regularly get measured to optimize for users? 

Resources​

• Visa Accessbility
• Visa brand identity guide (internal only)
• Data experience @ Visa
• OKRs on Insite
• Design @ Visa PPT Template (internal only)
• Product Lifecycle Management (internal only)
• Visa’s purpose and strategy
• UX Guide Portal (internal only)

Principle #4: Design with trust

We design for trust to create lasting and successful relationships with our customers and partners.​

How?

Through transparency, security, and integrity as leaders of design and a strong partnership with technology and product management.​

Business outcome

Visa fosters greater brand loyalty and customer lifetime value (CLV) to deliver on Design ROI.​

Customer outcome

Customers find our products reliable, authentic, seamless, and trust us enough to ensure their financial well-being so they keep coming back.​

Here’s a fictional customer mindset quote that demonstrates how our products are designed with their humanity in mind:

Questions to explore as you design with partners​

• Do users find interacting with our products, employees, and experiences to be positive, reliable, and predictable?​
• Do users trust Visa products enough to keep coming back and build a lasting business relationship with us?​
• How can we communicate as clearly as possible with our partners and users?​
• Have we ensured we are using a consistent voice and active, readable, and human language in our products?​
• Can we approach our partners and customers with honestly and help them trust in our subject matter expertise?​
• How can we create an environment that is transparent and open even when a situation is complex?

Resources​

• Design @ Visa Playbook slides (internal only)
• Design @ Visa Customer Obsessed video (internal only)
• Visa brand identity guide (internal only)
• Visa leadership principles (internal only)
• Visa’s purpose and strategy (internal only)
• Content guidelines

Take action

Now what? Take action using the Design @ Visa Principles: ​

1. Refer to them as you work

Familiarize yourself with the Design @ Visa Principles and bring them up in team conversations as needed.

2. Share with your partners

Embed these Principles in kickoff decks (see summary slide) and conversations with technology and product partners to advocate for design.​

3. Incorporate questions

Incorporate the research questions in your work, especially into the early phases of design. Focus on asking the context-relevant questions that can your team make impact.  

4. Use suggested resources

Use the suggested resources to help you accomplish design projects, sprints, and tasks. ​