Buzzwords Defined: User Experience

User experience expert Dozie Nwaneri helps organizations of all types implement customer-first strategies. Today, he explains the basics of user experience and why it is a critical component for organizations of all types.

Level-set: Defining User Experience

User experience, or UX, refers to any interaction a user has with a product or service. We often talk about UX in the context of UX design, which is defining the experience a user has with a given product or service. Of course, you want that experience to be a good one – for example, ensuring they easily find what they’re looking for or accomplish the task they wish to complete. A user can be external (a customer or vendor, for example) or internal (an employee). externally and internally.

It’s important to differentiate here between UX and customer experience (i.e., CX). Generally, CX is more broad scope than UX. Where UX really focuses on a user’s specific interactions with an individual product or service, CX focuses on touchpoints across an entire organization – everything from products to customer service to website experience.

UX and the Design Process

A UX designer’s role in the design process is to make products, technology, services, etc., usable, enjoyable, and accessible for humans. At The Clearing, we liken it to human-centered design, where we are considering the human perspective during all phases of problem-solving.

Within that process, UX design always starts with data. An assumption isn’t enough – we need to hear directly from the users themselves. This allows us to understand and empathize with their needs, feelings, and pain points. We then take that research and data and use it as the foundation of our design decisions, wireframing, and prototyping. This iterative, intentional, and informed design process allows organizations to develop products and services that deliver the experience users want, driving loyalty and revenue.

Great UX vs. Poor UX

We think of UX as a virtuous cycle. As noted above, good UX drives customer loyalty and revenue. Poor UX, on the other hand, will greatly affect the number of customers a company retains. If users aren’t having a good experience with a product, they are unlikely to return to that company or its services.

Think of yourself as a customer. You would be far more likely to recommend a product or service that you had a great experience with than one you had a negative experience with. Extrapolate that out and it becomes easy to see how important good UX design is to an organization’s bottom line.

Tips for UX Success

As a leader, implementing a UX focus for your organization starts with you. Here are three items to keep in mind as you implement a customer-led focus.

• Make UX a shared value. Incorporating UX into corporate strategy by making it a shared value will ensure customer focus is always present by promoting accountability. This incentivizes team members to focus on products or services that meet defined customer needs instead of those that are simply easy to get into the marketplace.
• Consistently collect and evaluate customer data. Customer desires changes, which is why it is critical to consistently collect and review customer data. Not changing with the times is a recipe for obsolescence, and the best way to know when it’s time to change is by listening to what your users are telling you.
• Iterate before you commit. Evaluate your customer data and use a prototyping tool to rapidly develop potential products or services that meet defined customer needs. This will allow your organization to test into the right solution and avoid costly mistakes.

For more on UX or how to implement a customer focus at your organization, reach out anytime. I can be reached at dozie.nwaneri@theclearing.com.