How many times have you heard the line "designers should learn the language of business"?

I confess I've been one of the voices encouraging designers to get more familiar with the terminology of our business peers.

On a purely functional level, it improves the chances we leave a meeting understanding what the hell was agreed upon.It also signals we've taken steps to educate ourselves in themes that matter to those around us. For a discipline which prides itself on understanding people and their world, that's a good look.

But that doesn't mean we should blindly adopt the business world's lexicon as our own...Elements of business language is problematic. Jargon, buzzwords and acronyms are often used excessively. This can alienate those unfamiliar with the terminology.

Language acts as a gatekeeper in some organisations. It can be exclusionary, either by accident or design. These are undesirable side effects of domain-specific language.

Design is rife with unique terminology, but the language of design is less commonly adopted outside of our discipline.

The danger of confusing business language is its pervasiveness.

And, as we learn it and understand it, we can adopt it too.

We fit in. And we add to the problem.

So what can we do to improve the situation?

1. Empathise.

Designers pride themselves on appreciating the perspective of others: a people-centred lens helps us deliver better outcomes.

This mindset can extend to how we see our places of work, our users being those we share meeting rooms with.

Next time you're invited to a workshop alongside a new starter, put yourself in their shoes.

How would you feel hearing an onslaught of business jargon?

Intimidated to ask for a definition? Unable to follow the discussion?

If so, ask the group "Could someone remind us what this means?"

When company-specific acronyms creep in, remind colleagues to spell out their meaning for the benefit of those hearing them for the first time.

2. Vocalise with clarity.

Everyone benefits from more straightforward language.

There's a place for domain-specific terminology, but clarity is always desirable.

If your business has in-house terminology, suggest alternatives that spell out their definition more clearly.

Acronyms and initialisms often save little time to vocalise compared to when written down. Be the person who speaks them in full.

Instead of ROI, say Return on Investment.

It's easy to fall back on verbal shorthand for design terminology too, so apply the same principle when referring to your UIs, UXs, and CTAs.

3. Maintain a glossary.

One of the first documents I create with a new client is a terminology cheat sheet.

Notes, Notion, Excel: whatever your format, keep a log of new terms as they arise.

Let colleagues know you're doing this. It's a gentle reminder that business language shouldn't be taken for granted.

Design leader? Make it shareable and editable for your team, and embed it into your onboarding process for new starters.