UX Strategy: How To Devise Innovative Digital Prod pedal integral vidal
UX Strategy: How To Devise Innovative Digital Products That People Want
Have you ever wondered how some digital products manage to stand out from the crowd and delight their users? How do they achieve such a high level of user satisfaction and loyalty? The answer lies in their UX strategy.
UX strategy is a plan of actions designed to reach an improved future state of the organizations user experience over an established period of time. It aligns the companys brand identity with the desired user experience at every customer touchpoint. It also ensures that user-centered insights are integrated with the business strategy.
In this article, well take a closer look at what defines UX strategy, why its an important skill to have as a UX designer, and how to develop a successful UX strategy for whatever product or service youre designing.
The Four Tenets of UX Strategy
In her 2015 book UX Strategy: How to Devise Innovative Digital Products That People Want, Jaime Levy defines four tenets of UX strategykey elements that work in harmony to make a strategy effective. They are:
Business strategy
This is where you define the companys guiding principles, as well as competitive advantage, revenue streams, and high-level business objectives. You need to understand how your product fits into the market landscape, who your competitors are, what your unique selling proposition is, and how you can generate value for your business.
Value innovation
This is where you pursue value for customers (differentiation) and lower costs for the company simultaneously. You need to identify what makes your product valuable to your target users, what problems it solves for them, what benefits it brings them, and how you can deliver it in a cost-effective way.
Validated user research
This is where you get direct input from your target users before starting a design. You need to avoid assuming what is valuable to them, and instead use various research methods such as interviews, surveys, usability testing, analytics, etc. to validate your assumptions and hypotheses. This saves you from wasting time, money, and effort into a product no one actually wants.
Killer user experience design
This is where you craft an exceptional user experience focused on the key features of the product. You need to use design principles, best practices, and tools such as personas, user journeys, wireframes, prototypes, etc. to create a product that is not only functional and usable, but also enjoyable and memorable.
How to Create a UX Strategy
Now that you know the four tenets of UX strategy, how do you actually create one? Here are some steps you can follow:
Define the problem and the opportunity
The first step is to clearly articulate what problem you are trying to solve with your product, and what opportunity you have to solve it. You need to frame the problem from the users perspective, and state it as a user need or goal. For example, Users need a way to easily book travel accommodations online. You also need to define the scope and boundaries of your product, such as who are your target users, what are their main tasks and scenarios, what are the key features and functionality, etc.
Conduct user research and analysis
The next step is to conduct user research to validate your problem statement and understand your users better. You need to use various research methods such as interviews, surveys, usability testing, analytics, etc. to collect both qualitative and quantitative data about your users. You also need to analyze the data to identify patterns, insights, pain points, opportunities, etc. You can use tools such as personas, user journeys, empathy maps, etc. to synthesize and communicate your findings.
Develop a vision statement and value proposition
The third step is to develop a vision statement and a value proposition for your product. A vision statement is a concise and inspiring statement that describes the ideal future state of your product and how it will impact the world. For example, To make travel easy and affordable for everyone. A value proposition is a clear and compelling statement that explains how your product solves the users problem, what benefits it brings them, and why they should choose it over other alternatives. For example, Airbnb is a trusted online marketplace that connects travelers with local hosts who offer unique accommodations around the world.
Prioritize features and functionality
The fourth step is to prioritize the features and functionality of your product based on their value to the user and the business. You need to decide what are the must-have features that are essential for your product to work, what are the should-have features that are important but not critical, what are the could-have features that are nice to have but not necessary, and what are the wont-have features that are out of scope or irrelevant. You can use tools such as feature matrix, MoSCoW method, Kano model, etc. to help you with prioritization.
Create a roadmap and action plan
The final step is to create a roadmap and an action plan for your product. A roadmap is a high-level overview of the major milestones and deliverables of your product development process over time. It shows what features and functionality will be implemented in each phase or iteration of the project. An action plan is a detailed breakdown of the tasks and activities required to complete each milestone or deliverable. It shows who is responsible for what, when it will be done, how it will be done, etc.
Conclusion
UX strategy is a plan of actions designed to reach an improved future state of the organizations user experience over an established period of time. It aligns the companys brand identity with the desired user experience at every customer touchpoint. It also ensures that user-centered insights are integrated with the business strategy.
To create a UX strategy, you need to follow four tenets: business strategy, value innovation, validated user research, and killer user experience design. You also need to follow five steps: define the problem and the opportunity, conduct user research and analysis, develop a vision statement and value proposition, prioritize features and functionality, and create a roadmap and action plan.
By having a UX strategy in place, you can ensure that you are solving the right problem for your target users, creating value for them and for your business, delivering an exceptional user experience that stands out from the competition, and measuring and improving your results over time.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about UX strategy:
Q1: What are some examples of successful UX strategies?
A1: Some examples of successful UX strategies are:
Netflix: Netflixs UX strategy is based on providing personalized recommendations for its users based on their viewing history and preferences. Netflix uses data-driven algorithms and machine learning to create tailored suggestions for each user across different devices and platforms.
Article with HTML formatting ---------------------------- Q2: What are some common challenges or pitfalls of UX strategy?
A2: Some common challenges or pitfalls of UX strategy are:
Lack of UX vision and strategy: Without a clear direction and plan for UX, the product team may end up designing for themselves, for stakeholders, or for assumptions rather than for users.
Misunderstanding of what a UX strategy is and can do: Some people may confuse UX strategy with UX design, UX research, or UX tactics. They may also underestimate the value and impact of UX strategy on the business outcomes and user satisfaction.
Overemphasis on business needs and underemphasis on users in the UX vision and strategy: While it is important to align UX with business objectives and competitive advantage, it is equally important to balance them with user needs and wants. Otherwise, the product may fail to meet user expectations and deliver value.
Q3: How do you measure the impact of UX strategy?
A3: To measure the impact of UX strategy, you need to define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect the goals and objectives of your product. These KPIs can be both quantitative and qualitative, such as:
User satisfaction: How happy are users with your product? You can measure this using metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), or User Effort Score (UES).
User engagement: How often and how long do users interact with your product? You can measure this using metrics such as retention rate, churn rate, session duration, or frequency of use.
User behavior: How do users use your product? What actions do they take? You can measure this using metrics such as conversion rate, completion rate, error rate, or task success rate.
Business outcomes: How does your product affect the bottom line of your business? You can measure this using metrics such as revenue, profit, cost savings, or market share.
Q4: How do you communicate and collaborate on UX strategy with stakeholders?
A4: To communicate and collaborate on UX strategy with stakeholders, you need to use various methods and tools to share your vision, research findings, design decisions, and progress. Some examples are:
Stakeholder interviews: Conduct interviews with key stakeholders to understand their expectations, requirements, concerns, and feedback regarding your product.
Stakeholder workshops: Organize workshops with stakeholders to co-create and align on the UX vision, value proposition, roadmap, and action plan.
Stakeholder presentations: Present your UX strategy to stakeholders using slides, diagrams, charts, or videos to explain your rationale and evidence.
Stakeholder reports: Provide regular reports to stakeholders on the status and results of your UX work using dashboards, scorecards, or newsletters.
Q5: How do you keep your UX strategy updated and relevant?
A5: To keep your UX strategy updated and relevant, you need to constantly monitor and evaluate your product performance and user feedback. You also need to adapt your UX strategy to changing user needs, market trends, business goals, or technological capabilities. Some tips are:
Conduct ongoing user research: Keep in touch with your users and collect their feedback using surveys, interviews, usability testing, analytics, etc. Use this feedback to identify new problems or opportunities for improvement.
Conduct competitive analysis: Keep an eye on your competitors and their products. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and look for gaps or niches in the market that you can fill.
Conduct environmental scanning: Keep abreast of the external factors that may affect your product or industry. These factors may include social, economic, political, legal, or technological changes.
Article with HTML formatting ---------------------------- Q5: How do you keep your UX strategy updated and relevant?
A5: To keep your UX strategy updated and relevant, you need to constantly monitor and evaluate your product performance and user feedback. You also need to adapt your UX strategy to changing user needs, market trends, business goals, or technological capabilities. Some tips are:
Conduct ongoing user research: Keep in touch with your users and collect their feedback using surveys, interviews, usability testing, analytics, etc. Use this feedback to identify new problems or opportunities for improvement.
Conduct competitive analysis: Keep an eye on your competitors and their products. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and look for gaps or niches in the market that you can fill.
Conduct environmental scanning: Keep abreast of the external factors that may affect your product or industry. These factors may include social, economic, political, legal, or technological changes.
Conduct SWOT analysis: Review your products strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Use this analysis to identify areas for improvement or innovation.
Update your UX vision and value proposition: Based on your research and analysis, revise your UX vision and value proposition to reflect the current and future state of your product and users.
Update your feature prioritization and roadmap: Based on your updated UX vision and value proposition, revise your feature prioritization and roadmap to reflect the most important and valuable features and functionality for your product.
Update your action plan and KPIs: Based on your updated feature prioritization and roadmap, revise your action plan and KPIs to reflect the tasks and activities required to implement your product features and functionality, as well as the metrics to measure their success.