A look at the value and benefits of User Experience (UX) design for growing businesses in the USA and why you should invest in the best possible experience for your users
As the saying goes, “Good design is invisible. Bad design is everywhere” and none so apparent as with today’s User Experience (UX) design.
User experience (UX) design is the process used to create products (digital or physical) that provide meaningful, valuable and relevant experiences to users. UX is how a person interacts with and experiences a product, system or service. It includes the user's perceptions of utility, ease of use, and efficiency. In today’s day and age, this mostly plays out in web and mobile apps. When we use an app, we are looking for a way to have an effortless experience, without having to think less and do less.
Designers and design teams have long since embraced the benefits and thinking of UX but what about growing businesses that are yet to see the value?
UX can be seen as a ‘nice-to-have’, but it is really a ‘must-have’ for all modern, tech-enabled companies. We look at three key benefits of UX:
UX at its core is a problem-solving discipline. It’s about building products that solve customer problems. If your product doesn’t actually solve your consumer’s problems, it will need to be reworked.
This rework costs time and money. It’s estimated that up to 50 per cent of a developer’s time is spent on avoidable rework. That is, work that could have been avoided if the project had been designed properly the first time. These fixes can cost up to 100 times more to fix after development (reported in Usability: A Business Case).
UX means getting it right from the start and that means saving those rework costs.
A study also found that:
Think of UX as mind control for your product - The right UX can make customers do what you want. “The impact of UX is crystal clear: the more satisfied your users are, the more likely they are to do whatever it is you are encouraging,” says Abby Covert, Information Architect and author of How to Make Sense of Any Mess.
Good UX design means:
And if you are encouraging your users and customers to buy products, then UX will get them to do more of that, increasing your sales and growing your business.
Well designed software increases the probability of your customers solving their problems with ease, thus becoming repeat users and bringing others along too. This will also filter through to your brand and brand reputation.
What is one of the key things Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon have in common? They have all invested heavily in their UX. They are the market leaders and continue to grow.
These companies invest in UX because it has been proven to deliver superior products, happier customers, motivated employees and reduced development costs. All sources of competitive advantage in business.
If you’re not paying attention to the needs of your users and their UX experience but your competitors are, you’ll definitely start to see the negative effects on your business.
UX business cases stats:
Creating a memorable experience that works both in favour of the users and business owners comes only through design.
Conclusion
While UX may just seem like the just process of creating thoughtful and useful products through solutions driven by human-centred design, the benefits and value can be seen in global businesses like Uber, Etsy, Airbnb and Apple and countless others.
The value can be seen in the money it saves you, the increase in sales and the way it helps you stay competitive. Focussing on UX first allows you to add value to your customer’s life, create better connections and grow your business.
Scrums.com provides world-class design for our custom build web and mobile apps with the best User Experience practices. Our problem-solving UX can help grow your business, save your money, increase your sales and help you stay and become competitive.
