Once I got over my initial Design is Horseshit! reaction, I actually found this helpful:

Companies like Apple are making design impossible for startups to ignore. Startups like Path, Airbnb, Square, and Massive Health have design at the core of their business, and they're doing phenomenal work. But what is ‘design’ actually? Is it a logo? A Wordpress theme? An innovative UI?

It’s so much more than that. It’s a state of mind. It’s an approach to a problem. It’s how you’re going to kick your competitor’s ass. This handy guide will help you understand design and provide resources to help you find awesome design talent.

That's right, Design is a method of problem solving that anyone can do.

Good design is:

1. Innovative

2. Makes a product useful

3. Aesthetic

4. Makes a product understandable

5. Unobtrusive

6. Honest

7. Long-lasting

8. Thorough

9. Environmentally friendly

10. As little design as possible

That last point -- as little design as possible -- is at the heart of the Lean UX approach.

And it's something anyone can do. Which is fortunate, because good design is important.

So I give kudos to Startups, this is how design works. It gave me a lot to think about.