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It is well known that recombination and transport rule the performance of dye sensitized solar cells (DSC's); although, the influence that these two phenomena have in their performance, particularly in the open circuit-potential (V oc ) and in the short circuit current (J sc ), is not fully understood. In this paper a phenomenological model is used to describe the quantitatively effect that transport and recombination have in the performance of the solar cell and their influence in its optimal design. The model is used to predict the influence of the recombination reaction rate constant (k r ) and diffusion coefficient (D eff ) in the V oc and in the J sc , whether a linear or non-linear recombination kinetic is considered. It is provided a methodology for decoupling the conduction band shifts from recombination effect in charge extraction experiments. Results also suggest that the influence of recombination in the V oc and in J sc is highly dependent on the reaction order considered. This fact highlights the importance of considering the reaction order when modeling data obtained by experimental methods. The combined results are analyzed and discussed in terms of the collection efficiency and in the optimization of the photoelectrode thickness. The model provides also a useful framework for exploring new concepts and designs for improving DSCs performance.