CEOs, take note: UX teams have the power to make or break your company. Contrary to popular belief, UX teams do much more than visual design. Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer at Pepsi Co. says it best:
“Design is more than the aesthetics and artifacts associated with products; it’s a strategic function that focuses on what people want and need and dream of, then crafts experiences across the full brand ecosystem that are meaningful and relevant for customers.”
Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer at Pepsi Co.
Benefits
UX teams are beneficial in many ways. They use a holistic approach which leads to increased usability. UX teams use this approach to think ahead as they shape their product. By forming product features and mapping future possibilities, they are able to assist developer teams in planning an MVP path to launch the final product that is efficient, functional and profitable.
UX design is holistic
UX teams are holistic thinkers. Aside from visual design skills, they are also skilled in empathy, research and informational architecture. Their goal is to find the true “why” to a problem before moving forward with ways to solve it. Conclusions come from many hours of sorting through a mix of research, data, and person-to-person interviewing. With these methods, UX teams are able to ensure products are both useful, and functional from day one.
UX teams are holistic thinkers. Aside from visual design skills, they are also skilled in empathy, research and informational architecture. Their goal is to find the true “why” to a problem before moving forward with ways to solve it. Conclusions come from many hours of sorting through a mix of research, data, and person-to-person interviewing. With these methods, UX teams are able to ensure products are both useful, and functional from day one.
UX design is forward-thinking
As UX teams are making useful and functional products, they are constantly thinking about the future. Creating an app or product is never a one-and-done activity. If it were, the app would quickly lose interest from users and fall off in popularity. After an initial MVP launch, teams must immediately begin working to improve the already-released product. This is done through methods of testing, interviewing and data analysis. This may seem similar to the holistic design principles outlined above. That’s because it is! UX is a repetitive process, but the answers and solutions rarely, if ever, repeat. Users evolve and products must evolve with it. The UX team is responsible for deciding and knowing what next steps to take in the product evolution.
UX design is technological
UX teams know technology and its capabilities. Most UX teams have members that have the ability to write code and understand application architecture. This is very beneficial because as UX teams are sorting through MVP goals and designs, they must also think about the technology that will eventually go into it. They think through solutions that can be implemented, and consult with developer teams to ensure product attainability. Not only that, UX teams are typically responsible for creating mock prototypes through code or non-code methods (example: Sketch). Having prototypes is a godsend for development teams – they get to focus solely on developing a product that has already been carefully planned and approved. Having a UX team to think through development strengths and roadblocks will help further shape an MVP and visual design.
UX design is forward-thinking
As UX teams are making useful and functional products, they are constantly thinking about the future. Creating an app or product is never a one-and-done activity. If it were, the app would quickly lose interest from users and fall off in popularity. After an initial MVP launch, teams must immediately begin working to improve the already-released product. This is done through methods of testing, interviewing and lots of data analysis. This may seem similar to the holistic design principles outlined above. That’s because it is! UX is a repetitive process, but the answers and solutions rarely, if ever, repeat. Users evolve and products must evolve with it. The UX team is responsible for deciding and knowing what next steps to take in the product evolution.
Why CEOs should care
Having a good user experience is good business; UX teams are an invaluable resource. They have the power to transform an app from a great idea to a functioning model that appeases the masses. Not only that, having a UX team both pays and saves. Having a UX process upfront reduces the likelihood of a bad launch and low user engagement. If a bad launch occurs, companies will spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours fixing their mistakes. UX teams will recognize these red flags before they even occur, and will work to avoid them.