‘What’s in it for me?’ and other user questions you must answer

Azza El Arabi
UX Collective
Published in
5 min readFeb 26, 2022
Man thinking, wondering

As a UX Writer, I always aim to place myself in the user’s shoes. That is why one of the most significant user questions I seek to answer is ‘what’s in it for me?’ If you want your customers to buy a product, sign up for a service, complete an action or continue giving you their business, you have to be able to answer this question. The best user experiences address the ‘why’ behind using a brand’s products or services over its competitors’.

Important note: The approach I discuss in this article is not meant to replace user research. Nay! User research is a fundamental stage of the design process. In writing this article, my primary goal is to get you to think like your end-user when you design product experiences and content. Use this approach as a sense check at each stage of the design process, to ensure you are not veering away from solving crucial user problems.

I’ve outlined some of the questions I use to critique my thinking when designing UX solutions and content. These are listed based on a handful of scenarios at different stages of the user journey.

Scenario: The user is considering whether to buy your product/service

This is a very important moment where you have an opportunity to convince potential customers that your product or service stands out and delivers unique value. Consider these questions:

  • What makes your product/service better?
  • How does your product/service address my needs?
  • What value do I get for my money?

Here, I recommend conducting user research to understand your users’ jobs to be done, pains and gains. How does your product relieve pains and enable gains? Craft a value proposition messaging hierarchy to articulate exactly how your product addresses users’ needs and ensure that this information is front-loaded across key acquisition touchpoints.

Below is an example of a value proposition matrix I recently created for Adidas’ loyalty program, to clearly map out what our customers’ needs and pain points are, and how our product addresses them.

Figure 1: Adidas loyalty program value proposition matrix

Illustration showing a filled in value proposition matrix

Scenario: You need a user to complete a task

Completing tasks requires your users to give you their time and energy. So it’s very important to clarify why they should make the investment into your product. Consider these questions:

  • What is the benefit of completing this task?
  • What happens if I don’t complete the task?
  • How quickly can I get this done?

Let users know upfront how many steps are involved or how much time it will take to complete a task. There are numerous design elements you can use to give users feedback about where they are in a given process. Progress step UI elements help achieve this. Confirmations and status update messages also help users know when they’re done or what they can expect if their inputs are being processed.

Figure 2: Progress step UI elements help users know how many steps are needed to complete a task

Illustration showing an account creation UI with three steps
Source: designmodo.com

You can also make task completion more engaging by leveraging gamification. Gamification — as the name suggests — inserts gameplay elements into the user experience to make it more fun and appealing to the user. Think leaderboards, badges, points and medals.

Figure 3: An example of gamification used by Duolingo

Illustration showing the use of badges in duolingo’s UI
Source: smashingmagazine.com

Scenario: Your customer is thinking of cancelling their subscription with you

It’s a moment that most businesses dread: the prospect of losing a customer. But understanding what goes on in your customers’ minds at that moment can help address their concerns and demonstrate the value you provide. Consider these potential customer questions:

  • Why should I continue buying from this brand or paying for a service?
  • What am I benefiting from my subscription?
  • What other brands can give me similar or greater value for my money?

If users stand to lose a benefit or miss out on a deal, consider using persuasion techniques that leverage concepts such as loss aversion. Loss aversion is a behavioural trait where users would prefer avoiding the loss of benefits or monetary value over gains. Clearly and honestly articulating what your customer might lose if they cancelled a subscription can help convince them to stay on.

Figure 4: Scribd uses loss aversion to prevent cancellations

Scribd UI showing what a customer can lose if they cancel their subscription
Source: Scribd.com

When it comes to service subscriptions, you can create a user-friendly experience by giving your customer the option to pause their subscription. This is especially helpful if a cancellation could otherwise result in your customer losing work or critical data.

Figure 6: Essay-support service Kibin gives subscribers the option to pause their subscription

Kibin UI showing what the customer can benefit by pausing their subscription
Source: kibin.com

P.S: I wrote this article as part of my course work for the MA Content Strategy program from FH-Joanneum. If you liked what you read, please check out my colleague Beate’s article: 5 mistakes that undermine your content strategy efforts. Also, visit the program’s recently launched open educational resource knowledge base for more resources on content strategy.

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Published in UX Collective

We believe designers are thinkers as much as they are makers. Curated stories on UX, Visual & Product Design. https://linktr.ee/uxc

Written by Azza El Arabi

UX writer, Content Strategist. Lifelong learner. When I'm not writing or reading about user-driven communications, I'm travelling or chilling with my cat.

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