UX STRATEGY: THE FIVE STAR RECIPE OF YOUR DIGITAL PRODUCTS
Among many other fabulous speakers at the London Generate Design Conference, back in September this year, we met the guru of UX Strategy, Jaime Levy. We put some thought into what should be the recipe for a digital product that satisfies users and boosts the business.
UX strategy is a profitable plan of action for two kinds of people
In Levy’s vision, UX strategy is what bridges the gap between business strategy and the UX design of digital interfaces.
A UX strategist does basically two things:
- ascertain that the UX of a product is aligned with business objectives;
- validate that a digital solution actually solves a problem for real customers in a dynamic marketplace
What does this mean? When designing a digital product — be it a website, a promotional landing page, an app, a tool for e-learning- we have to make sure that all its components are aligned to business objectives. The creative process should thus help produce a digital artefact that is in fact aimed at nurturing and enhancing the brand value, leveraging on intrinsic innovative qualities.
This help generate twofold benefits: for the brand, increased retention on the page, increased awareness, better transactions, which eventually translate into more cash flow and profit. On the other hand, users come away from the digital experience feeling like they’ve done what they wanted to, plus, perhaps, with the newfound appreciation for something they may have never otherwise done, noticed or learnt.
How to apply a UX strategy approach for top-notch interfaces
J.Levy’s framework for UX strategy is comprised of four basic tenets: 1.The business Strategy 2.Value Innovation 3.Validated User research 4.Killer UX Design.
1. The business strategy: what does our digital product stand for?
First thing first then when designing a digital product, we should ask ourselves: what is the goal of our company, or of the company we are designing for? which user need the product is supposed to be solving? Is there any competitor already into that? What we aim at by building that product?
These questions pertain to the first tenet of the UX strategy Framework, which is Business Strategy. Essential to this phase of the project are an evaluation of the current competitive landscape (through a sound competitor research and analysis) and a validation of the value proposition, which means identifying the primary customer segment and understanding what is its biggest problem you are determined to solve.
2. Achieving differentiation through value innovation.
In a digital ecosystem awash with free or almost free services, companies can’t hope to compete on a cost leadership basis, but they need to pursuit differentiation. The second tenet of J.Levy’s UX Strategy framework is value innovation: pursuing solutions that are unique, useful for customers and problem solving, possibly by venturing in market blue oceans where competitor are yet to sail to.
Very often and particularly in digital, value innovation implies a profound overhaul of our mental models. Mental models are the frameworks we use to think about the world, or the ideas of how complex systems are organised and work.
“Mental models are the steps we think we need to take to accomplish a task. Innovation can happen when we are able to rethink an offline experience with a digital interface.”
Uber, for example, has drawn on the offline experience of hitchhiking to conceive a digital platform based on a pretty innovative business model. The reason why Uber has been such a disruptor in the market lies primarily in its ability to take a human activity which was familiar to users and put a digital interface on it.
3. Get to know your user VERY well
So far so good, but how can we know if our business strategy is correct and how many customers are we going to garner through our digital products?
We can only rely on guesses, until we carry out a solid user research to validate the starting assumptions. However, user research often requires time, money and resources. When some projects run on a tight budget, some other methods can prove handy, like building personas, or outlining storyboards.
4. Don’t make me think!
Of course great design and UX has to seal the whole process. Stellar UX Design is the fourth tenet of the UX Strategy Framework and the one most concerned with creativity, design and the ease and relevance of the user’s experience on our interfaces. It basically means creating frictionless experiences for users on the digital product, in order to elicit their actions.
“It doesn’t matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice.”S.Krug, Don’t make me think
Wrapping up
Although some may find implementing a UX strategy challenging at first, it is a crucial move to build up interfaces that are really useful and engaging for users and rewarding for your business purpose. When teamed up with sound and clear business objectives, UX can go to great lengths in terms of designing digital products that are here to perform.
References
- How UX strategy can transform the world. J.Levy @LondonGenerate Conference 2017
- S.Krug, Don’t make me think
- J.Levy, UX strategy
This article has been written for and appears on Creativity Matters, a newsletter on communication and brand strategy by Linea ATC
