Experts define branding as the result of interacting with the business. It’s the impression left. The idea a person holds of the business. As this pertains to product design, the first visual impression and the emotions a user experience induces are a dominant portion of the brand.
I approach product design with the notion that I’m either helping the brand, or hurting it. I remind myself and teams that users have no forgiveness for our explanations in falling short of delivering a great experience.
The contrast of helping versus hurting the brand is an easy arbitrator in guiding decision-making. In my experience this frame of reference needs to be regularly communicated when the imperatives of schedules and budgets legitimize choosing expediency for short-term goals at the expense of product adoption in the long-term.
If your startup needs help with this, contact me on Slack.