How do you prove the value of your UX design?

Working on product design, I've realized that understanding the problem is just as important as the solution itself. 👍 I always kick off my design process with in-depth user and market research. 🧐 It helps me identify the user's pain points and business opportunities. Using personas and user journeys 🚀, I break down complex information into actionable insights. I absolutely love it!

As a product designer I have realised, defining a problem highly depends on the context, and as an individuals we have limited context. I say this because many a times we start without understanding the nature of the problem, i.e. whether it is a symptom or a cause. Then accordingly we can chose the extent of the problem that we should be attempting to solve. So, the first thing any designer should do is to gather context & perspectives on the problem. 1. Internal context- stakeholder interviews, data analysis, understand business strategy, etc. 2. External context- user interviews, market research, surveys etc. After we have gathered enough findings we can then define a clear problem statement and their related metrics.

A UX designer is a problem solver. Do you want to demonstrate the value of user experience design? Then, explain well what the user will gain with your designs and how it will impact the company's strategy. For example, will the user be more efficient with your solution, and that gained efficiency will translate into revenue for the company? Will the user, with the proposed solution, have more time to do other things, and that will mean that the user will likely adopt the product we are designing faster? Of course, there will be times where the solutions you proposed will not impact the companies strategy, but those designs should always aim to solve users' pain points.

A UX Designer is a solution designer, ensuring our work benefits the client. Understanding goals and problems is crucial, but a communication framework is also required before proceeding. In my experience at a software agency, during UX research for our system, everyone comprehends the problems. However, existing SOPs often lead to resistance when implementing new ideas. The communication framework may vary for each case but should primarily focus on fostering harmony in communication between me, stakeholders, and management. By creating a conducive communication environment, we can address concerns, overcome ego-driven barriers, and work towards successful implementations of new concepts.

If you want to create a great user experience, it's super important to understand the problem you're trying to solve and what you want to achieve. Following the product design process is vital to ensuring everyone's needs are met, and the result is high-quality. You'll want to focus on three main steps: Discovery, Design, and Development. These will help you research the problem in an organized and systematic way. And, of course, you'll need to make effective decisions and solve problems to ensure the final product is everything you want it to be!

To prove the value of your UX design, start by defining clear goals and selecting relevant, reliable, and actionable metrics. Use a mix of quantitative metrics like conversion and retention rates, as well as qualitative ones like customer satisfaction and user feedback. Employ various methods like A/B testing, heatmaps, and eye tracking to gather and analyze data that supports your design decisions. By combining both quantitative and qualitative evidence, you can demonstrate the positive impact of your UX design on user behavior, attitude, and satisfaction, thus justifying its value to stakeholders.

An easy way to get started would be to define success and failure metrics. The measure of success metric help in identifying the clear wins and celebrating them within the team. These also help in figuring out what worked for you in the past and on how to re-create those wins. e.g task completion rate, conversion rate, etc. The measure of failure metric help in identifying failures within a certain activity. These are also metrics which help in identifying opportunities of improvement. Measure of Failure metrics should help us root out problems within our current design/product. e.g bounce rate

The challenge here is removing your assumptions and biases. When I first started in UX, I would jump right in, excited to solve a problem, with the solution I already had in mind. When we solve without first fully understanding the problem, we often have to come back and rework the solution. Clarify first = Less work later

Setting clear goals and using reliable metrics to measure success in UX design is super important. You want to look at quantitative and qualitative metrics, like conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and user feedback. Gathering and analyzing data is key, and you can use some great methods, like A/B testing, heatmaps, and eye tracking. It's all about choosing the right metrics and methods to capture what's happening with your users and your design's impact on them. It could not always be positive, giving us room for improvement and iteration.

As we developed a navigation app for motorists, we implemented a flow design that allowed riders to add a stop between their starting and ending points. To optimize the user experience, we designed and tested two approaches for adding a stop. Through rigorous A/B testing and carefully chosen metrics, we confidently determined the most effective method for allowing riders to add stops quickly and seamlessly.

In addition, here’s some tips for engaging the team while presenting insights: * Bring energy to the meeting - share how fun and useful it is to gain insights * Remind the team that the product is appreciated by users - we just focus on the improvement opportunities * Use impactful or fun quotes from user feedback or testing * Retell stories from the user testing in an engaging way * Repeat important information by giving an overview of insights, a deep dive, and a summary at the end

In a design review, the designer presents potential solutions to the team to gather feedback on tackling a specific problem. It is essential to hold it before the development process begins. To conduct a successful Design Review Meeting, follow these six steps: 1. Begin by inspiring your team and explaining the meeting's purpose and relevance to their success. 2. Share the agenda to give participants a clear idea of what will be discussed. 3. Reiterate the importance of the user story. 4. Use engaging visuals to showcase your research, use cases, solutions, and development challenges. 5. Demonstrate the efficacy of solutions with prototypes, videos, and images. 6. Conclude with a design review and lead your team toward the next steps.

My storytelling always aims to emphasize empathy, inclusivity, and user needs, ensuring that the end design aligns with our shared values. In my process, I translate raw data into easy-to-understand visuals, like charts or infographics, which not only illustrate the 'what' but also delve into the 'why'.📊📈

Being honest and direct is crucial when seeking improvement. I value critical feedback as it helps me enhance my work. Even if the feedback comes from friendly colleagues or clients, I never hesitate. Instead, I approach it positively, knowing it can lead to new perspectives and solutions. Motivation is a powerful tool that can take our work to unprecedented heights.

Prior to releasing your product to the end-users, it's crucial to conduct a meticulous MVP (Minimum Viable Product) launch. This step will enable you to gain insights into what you've developed and identify any deficiencies in the product. Furthermore, continuous iteration is fundamental to the product development process. As your product scales, you'll engage in more iterations. However, it's imperative to remain focused on your business objectives and avoid straying from your initial goals.

Something important to consider is that there is no one size fits all approach to demonstrating UX value within a project. In an ideal world, a UX designer goes through the entire end to end ideal process that ticks all of the boxes above, but in reality UX design is messy. User research can be inconclusive or contradicting, certain data points might be missing, you might need to ship a feature in days to satisfy an important client. I think proving UX value also comes from trusting your own intuition that develops from having spent years designing different solutions and knowing what to pull out of your tool box when.

UX content can often be executed successfully in a product company, but it may not translate as well in a software agency. Typically, software agencies can only handle certain aspects of UX, rather than encompassing the entire spectrum. Therefore, before delving into UX work, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the company's nature and limitations. It is crucial to find your own approach and methods for conducting UX within the given constraints. Taking the time to develop a deep understanding of the fundamental principles of UX is paramount. This knowledge will help you tailor your UX practices to fit the specific context of the software agency, allowing for more effective and relevant implementations.

An essential factor to prove the value of UX within an organization is to count with an executive sponsor. This person will help you to connect with the right stakeholders and provide support in the right spaces to promote the value of UX.