What We Misunderstand About Design Leadership
—Sascha Hass, Hase Design Consulting Inc.

Sascha Hass brings fifteen years of design leadership spanning creative agencies, fintech startups, and global enterprise platforms. After leading design for Intuit’s Canadian consumer operations – managing brand-to-product strategy whilst mentoring teams across multiple geographies – Hass transitioned to fractional executive design consulting, now advising startups and established organisations on design strategy, team scaling, and product roadmap alignment. 

His design philosophy is rooted in the principles of transparency, intentionality, and user-centric thinking, acquired through formal training at Bauhaus University in Germany and refined through roles in industries from trading applications to health tech. Hass believes that authentic leadership requires constant self-assessment: Do I still add value to this team, and are we building something that genuinely solves a problem?

Why Has Design Leadership Become a Casualty of Scale?

Sascha Hass explains the disconnect between design as strategy and design as execution, and why most CEOs cannot articulate the value of intentional design thinking.

“The biggest misconception is that design is a generic concept or a final step in product development. In larger organisations, design gets pushed to the end of the process – a hand-off from product and engineering. You get two weeks to make it pretty. But that is waterfall thinking, and it misses the entire point. In startups, design is embedded in strategy from day one because everyone is wearing multiple hats. They need design to inform product decisions, not just execute them.

The real problem is that CEOs and C-level leaders often do not have a design background, so they do not understand the value of design principles. They see design as subjective – they think it is about whether something looks pretty. But good design is governed by principles. There are ten principles of good design, and if you follow them consistently, you create products that work intuitively, scale predictably, and build customer trust.

So our job as design leaders is to educate the C-suite. We have to prove that design thinking, done early and done rigorously, actually accelerates delivery and reduces risk. It is the same language problem. If your CEO is a designer, like Steve Jobs or the founders of Canva and Airbnb, you do not need to explain it. But most CEOs are not designers, which means we have to do additional work to translate design value into business terms.”

How Do You Balance the Temptation to “Follow the Competitor” with Authentic Product Strategy?

Sascha Hass describes the dynamics that cause smaller organisations to lose focus and drift into feature parity, and why research and validation are more critical than speed.

“Smaller organisations always have a business goal, right? But sometimes they are moving so fast that they abandon the customer need and start chasing whatever the competitor is doing. Oh, Competitor X just added mortgages. We should add mortgages too. But then I ask: Do your users actually want mortgages? Or are you just afraid of being left behind?

That is where I step in. I help them pause and think about the user’s job to be done. Sometimes the user is already using five different tools to get a job done. If you add a feature that does not fit into their existing workflow, they will not use it. You might generate short-term revenue, but you are confusing the business goal with the user need.

In fintech, this is especially risky. Everyone wants to be the all-in-one platform. But the market already has specialists. Competitors like Koho and Wealthsimple already own certain niches. So instead of trying to do everything, maybe you partner. Maybe you focus on what you do best and integrate with others. But organisations are so afraid of missing out that they build mediocre versions of everything instead of an exceptional version of something specific.

That is why due diligence matters. Yes, you can run experiments and test with users. I love that. But do not act on experiments without validation. Stay true to your core need and your core customer. Build something slower but more deliberately.”

How Are You Repositioning Yourself as a Fractional Executive Rather Than a Traditional Consultant?

Sascha Hass discusses why the fractional model better serves both startups and enterprises, and what excites him about this transition.

“When Intuit’s Canadian entity was dissolved, I had a choice: relocate to California, find another corporate role, or step back and think strategically about what I actually enjoy doing. I realised that in bigger organisations there are pros and cons. You have resources, but you also have bureaucracy and politics. In startups, things move faster, but there is less structure.

What excites me now is working fractionally. Design is not always needed full-time. It is project-based. Sometimes an organisation needs help building a design team from scratch. Sometimes they need strategic direction on a product launch. Sometimes they need a leader to establish design principles and governance. But they cannot afford or justify a full-time head of design.

So I come in, provide that leadership, solve the specific problem, and move on. I get to work across multiple industries – health tech, fintech, travel, legal. That breadth keeps me learning and energised. And for the organisations I work with, they get an experienced executive at a fraction of the cost of a permanent hire.

It is also more authentic to who I am. I do not have to play politics or pretend that a bad decision is a good one just because someone senior made it. I can be honest, direct, and focused on impact. That is the version of leadership I want to offer.”

What Is the Real Risk of Over-Relying on AI in Design?

Sascha Hass distinguishes between using AI as a productivity tool versus letting it replace critical thinking and human-led strategy.

“AI is a powerful accelerant for tactical design work. You can ask it to generate all the error states in an onboarding flow. You can ask it to help you prototype interactions. That saves hours. But AI cannot replace strategic thinking or the human relationships that actually move products forward.

The thinking part is still on us. AI can help with micro-flows, components, and visual exploration. But the organism – the whole system, the narrative, the information architecture – that requires a human brain. You have to ask: What is the user’s intent? What problem are we solving? What does success look like? These are questions AI can help you explore, but they are not questions AI should answer for you.

The real risk is that everyone now has access to good enough design. You can prompt an AI tool and get a mediocre website or app in a day. So what is the differentiator? It is no longer technical skill – anyone can do that now. It is the soft skills. It is the ability to understand your user’s context, build trust with your team, and make trade-off decisions that no AI tool can make for you.

I also worry about designers who are using AI to bypass critical thinking. They are not questioning the output. They are not pushing back. They are just accepting what the tool gives them. That is dangerous. As a designer, I still believe you have to be the thinker, the orchestrator, the umbrella that holds everything together. AI is your assistant. It is not your replacement.”

What Principles Guide Your Approach to Building and Leading Design Teams?

Sascha Hass outlines the framework for inheriting, assessing, and elevating design teams, emphasising observation, directness, and intentional communication.

“When you inherit a team, your first job is to observe and understand. What is their visual language? What design principles do they follow? How do they like to receive feedback? Some teams thrive in design critiques. Others prefer one-on-one sessions. You have to adapt to them first, not impose your style immediately.

Then I am very direct. I do not believe in softening feedback just for the sake of politeness. But I also adapt my communication style. Sometimes feedback is a comment in Figma. Sometimes it is a conversation. The point is consistency: everyone knows I am going to be honest, and everyone knows why I am saying what I am saying. No surprises.

Second, I lead with principles. I do not just say “Reconsider this dashboard”. I explain the why. I talk about information architecture, narrative structure, user intent. I give them the framework so they can make better decisions next time. That way, they are not just executing my ideas – they are internalising a way of thinking.

Third, motivation. I genuinely believe that if your team feels motivated and inspired, they will produce better work. That comes from authenticity. I am not playing a role. I am a professional, but I am also a human being who cares about creating something meaningful. When my team feels that, it changes how they work.

Finally, empowerment. I want my team to shine, not to be invisible behind me. I push them into presentations, I ask them to present their own work, and I celebrate their ideas publicly. That builds confidence and leadership skills within the team. Some people will move on, and that is okay. Others will grow into leaders themselves. That is the goal.”

Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network

Design leaders like Sascha Hass understand that the competitive advantage is no longer in tools or techniques. It’s in the ability to think strategically, build relationships, and navigate the messy human dynamics that exist in every organisation. Whether you’re scaling a design function, launching a new product, or navigating the AI revolution, you need trusted peers to validate your approach and challenge your assumptions.

At The Ortus Club, we host curated executive roundtables where design and product leaders come together to discuss real problems—not theory. You’ll engage with peers who face the same challenges: designing for fractional models, educating C-suite stakeholders, building high-trust teams, and deciding when AI accelerates versus when it substitutes for strategic thinking.

Design leadership is becoming a strategic imperative across industries. Join our network to engage in the conversations that shape how products—and teams—are built.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between design as a service layer and design as a strategic function?

A: Service-layer design is brought in at the end to make something “look pretty.” Strategic design is embedded from the start, informing product decisions, user research, and competitive positioning. Strategic design asks: What problem are we solving? Service-layer design asks: How do we make this look nice? Strategic design delivers business outcomes; service-layer design delivers pretty screens.

Q: How do you decide whether to add a feature or stay focused on your core offering?

A: Validate through user research, not competitive fear. Ask: Do our users actually need this? Does it fit into their existing workflow? Will adding it dilute our core value proposition? If the answer is “we’re doing it because the competitor did,” that’s a red flag. Instead, consider partnerships or integrations that let you specialise rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

Q: What skills matter most for design leaders in 2026?

A: Technical design skills matter less than soft skills now because AI has narrowed the quality gap. The differentiators are communication, the ability to build trust, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking. Design leaders must be able to educate non-designers (especially the C-suite), facilitate collaboration, and make trade-off decisions based on user need and business strategy. You have to be a translator and a strategic partner, not just a designer.

Q: How do you use AI without letting it replace critical thinking?

A: Use AI for acceleration, not abdication. Ask it to generate tactical assets (flows, components, prototypes), then question the output. Don’t accept it as gospel. You remain the thinker, the strategist, and the orchestrator. The umbrella that holds the whole system together is still human-led. AI is a co-pilot, not the pilot.

Q: What is the fractional executive model, and why is it gaining traction?

A: Fractional executive work means providing senior-level expertise on a project or phase basis rather than full-time employment. Many organisations need design leadership strategically (building a team, launching a product, establishing governance) but not constantly. Fractional allows them access to experienced executives at lower cost and gives those executives the freedom to work across multiple industries and stay energised.