How UX can have a major impact on your business

We recently delivered a masterclass to our clients and partners on user experience design. Here are some insights given on the day by our head of UX Paul Harrison.

With good user experience (UX) design a staple in digital product development, it has the scope to transform not only how users ‘feel’ about a product or service, but also their perception of the company and the employees that developed it. According to Harrison, one of the biggest misconceptions about UX is that it’s just the visual on top. It’s about working with stakeholders to define strategy and requirements, validating these through prototyping, user testing and analytics, to become embedded into everything we do. So what is the business imperative for investing in good UX design? “UX is about getting it right. It helps add more value to your products and services that better support the user and enhance their lives. It’s about adding functionality and not only making it work for the customer, but making them want to come back for more,” he says.

The business value of good UX is that it helps to create a sustainable competitive advantage. Rewards can include a seamless experience, as users feel at home across the product suite and on any device. Other benefits include differentiation from competitors and increased brand loyalty. Harrison also notes the importance of recognising that UX is about strategy. UX design should be rooted in understanding and reacting to customer needs and creating a customer-centric culture that becomes a strategic source of innovation. UX, therefore, defines your brand to be more than just the logo and colours and helps build an engaging brand experience that drives customer desire, he affirms.