The Design Ladder describes businesses 'use of design in terms of four tiers. The first tier, "non design," describes those for whom design is of no importance. The second, "design as styling," relates design to the physical form of a product. The third, "design as process," is for businesses that include design in the product development process.
「設計階梯」將企業運用設計的成熟度區分成 4 個層級：第一層是完全不重視設計；第二層認為設計就是造型；再往上，設計已融入開發產品流程，譬如國內的華碩與明基；最高境界，則是把設計與企業的經營策略與體制文化緊密結合。