Driving Business with User Experience
Today, user experience(UX) is one of the trendiest topics in the industry. This is a term that some of you might have heard frequently. If you are not in the design industry, you may not be familiar with the nuances of User Experience and how it can impact and influence your business.
Although, in the existing scenario, UX is one of the most in-demand disciplines, however, this field has always been around since the 1990s. With the rapid proliferation of smart devices, today it plays a significant role in our lives. The user experience is much more than just “making things look good.”
UX is a process of designing products (digital or physical) that your customers find helpful, easy to use, and delightful to interact with. It is about enhancing the experience that users have while interacting with your product and ensuring that they find value in what you are providing.
A good user experience is good for business. According to a study by Forester, companies who invest in UX see a lower cost of customer acquisition, lower support cost, increased customer retention, and increased market share. Compared to their peers, the top 10 companies leading in customer experience outperformed the S&P index with close to triple the returns. The research also shows that, on average, every dollar invested in UX brings 100 dollars in return. That’s an ROI of a whopping 9,900 percent.
User experience contributes to many success stories. Jeff Bezos invested 100 times more in user experience rather than advertising during the inception of Amazon. Tom Proulx, the co-founder of Intuit, was one of the pioneers of usability testing, emphasizing ease of use in his products. Mike Gebbia of Airbnb gives credit to UX for taking the company to $10 billion.
What exactly makes UX-focused companies successful? Well, let’s say that they:
Understand design is more than just aesthetics
When companies say their product is user-centric, they are not referring to it as just attractive and visually appealing. Companies that follow UX philosophy give as much weightage to the physical look and feel of the product as it is with usability and user satisfaction.
When a product is not easy to use, it is a bad design. For instance, if you had to study a manual on using the iPhone for the first time, it would not be a good experience, no matter how exquisite the phone looks or seamless the touch might be. Experience is an essential flavor that turns a good design into a great one. Innovation and aesthetics alone can never make a product successful — only when it is user-friendly.
Sell experiences, not just the product.
When you buy a BMW or an iPhone, you are not just buying a car or a phone; you purchase an identity and join the ‘platinum’ club. The customer receives higher value by purchasing the product, and eventually, the brand becomes the customer’s identity. Canvassing the journey of how a product will be used and creating profound experiences beyond the product ensures customer satisfaction.
Make UX the company motto.
Any design-oriented company emphasizes strategy, research, prototyping, feedback, aesthetics and still ends up with experiences that don’t work. On the contrary, companies like Apple, Nike, Google, and IBM consistently deliver great product experiences. So, how do they manage to do that? In the grand scheme of things, the secret sauce which makes a product successful is when the entire company focuses on user experience. The UX culture is something for which people do not need a certification or a degree. It is a practice and a way of seeing things that make everyone think about the user. The best part is, you need not step out of your primary role to contribute to UX.
For instance, a software developer can optimize the loading time, use subtle animations, and display loaders and response indicators wherever needed. A business analyst can ensure that the evaluation metrics are focused more on the users than the revenue model. Of course, all these are the responsibilities of a UX designer, but when the organization is structured to support UX, great experiences are developed.
Involve the designers till the very end
In a typical project lifecycle, the designers are involved during the inception and development phase until the designs are delivered. After this, the designer is bid farewell, and the business takes up all the decisions related to experience and innovation.
Believe in research, not opinions.
As UX designers, we generally see underperforming products because they were designed without the end-user in mind. These products result from situations where executives (who think they know their users) typically make the critical decisions. As a result, the product is designed for the executives and not for the customers.
Numbers must manage UX, and decisions must be based on research, data, and facts. It’s never just an opinion. The first step toward improving the UX and reaping the business benefits is to conduct a usability assessment of the product. This process uncovers the most common problems, thereby helping the designer visualize the pain points in the journey.
To quote a cliché, the difference between “try” and “triumph” is that little extra “oomph!” Each stakeholder needs to peel off the facade, understand the foundation and become actively involved in UX decisions.
About the author
Atishay is a seasoned product designer known for his strategic approach to design and implementation. His work focuses on aligning user needs with business objectives to create impactful digital solutions.
