@crazybutable @inthehands IMO it's an unhealthy shop if the designers systematically know more about the customer than the developers do. That suggests developers who are too isolated, and need to be more engaged with the product and the users.
I've had great experiences with designers who've incredibly improved my work. But I've never personally seen great software from orgs where design held unilateral approval decisions. Those are the orgs I've most often seen make terrible "x-platform" UX.