What is the Value of UX Design?

User experience (UX) design has grown in importance as digital interactions have become the norm rather than the exception. But the question remains: What is the value of UX design? What is its worth, and how can an organization invest wisely? Users are not shy about their opinions. When websites, apps, or other digital experiences aren’t user-friendly, they aren’t shy about letting everyone know. The term “user experience” has become almost synonymous with a negative user experience. It isn’t that people don’t like great experiences; it’s that they hate bad ones. So what is the value of UX design and why should businesses care? Keep reading to find out…

What is User Experience Design?

The term “user experience design” has come to mean a lot of things. But at its core, UX design is the process of understanding people’s needs and expectations, designing a solution that meets those needs, and then measuring how well the solution works. This definition may sound broad, but UX design is a critical function in any business that serves customers.

This is because the quality of a person’s experience when working with a product or service — whether it’s a software application or a website, a sales transaction in a store, a visit to a doctor’s office — is a major factor in whether they come back and how much they are willing to spend.

What is the Value of UX Design?

If the user experience is such a critical factor in the success or failure of a business, why doesn’t everyone hire a dedicated UX designer? The truth is that many businesses don’t have the budget for it, and those that do often don’t know exactly what they are getting. For example, a company hires a UX designer to create a new app to help manage its inventory and track its supply chain. The designer creates a mock-up of the app, a design document, and a timeline for development. The company approves the design and the budget for the project.

As the developer begins to code, though, the designer realizes that some of the assumptions he made in the design document weren’t accurate. He also realizes that it will take longer to create the app than he expected. The company is not happy with the redesign and budget overruns, but the designer can’t go back and fix the original design document.

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UX Research

Because it is all too easy to fall into this trap, an organization looking to invest in UX design should begin with a thorough understanding of the research process. Before a UX designer can create a solution, he or she must understand the problem. One way to do this is with user research. Depending on the circumstances, the type of research you conduct can vary. At a high level, however, there are generally two major types of UX research: qualitative and quantitative.

• Quantitative research focuses on statistics, such as how many people have a certain issue or how long they take to complete a task. The goal is to get a general overview of how many people have a particular problem and how widespread it is.
• Quantitative research is great for gaining an initial understanding of a problem, but it doesn’t offer any insight into what’s causing it or why. This is where qualitative research comes into play.

UX Strategy

The next step in the UX design process is to develop a strategy for solving the problem. The designer begins by looking at the research data to identify any trends, common issues, and potential solutions. The designer then works with the product owner and stakeholders to understand their objectives and define the success criteria for the project. The designer uses the information from the quantitative and qualitative research, along with the objectives of the business, to create a strategy for the project.

With the strategy in place, the designer can move on to creating a user experience flow or journey map. It’s important to note that the UX designer doesn’t create the solution, but instead creates a framework so the development team can build a solution that works.

UI Design and Development

Once the UX designer has created a strategy for solving the problem, he or she begins laying out the user experience flow. This is where the designer depicts the different screens or pages of the app or website, along with what happens on each screen. The designer creates a visual representation of the app that includes things like how the app looks, where the buttons are, and what happens when the user clicks a certain button. The designer also creates a written document that describes everything that happens on each screen. This is often referred to as an experience brief or a storyboard.

A good UX designer will also research the latest design trends, including colors, fonts, and images. He or she will also consider any accessibility issues, such as if people in certain demographics have any difficulty with certain elements of the design.

Is UX Design Worth Investing In?

From the description above, you can see that UX design is a complicated process with many steps and potential pitfalls. If you hire a UX designer, you will almost certainly have to pay for their time and expertise. But is it worth investing in UX design? When you look at the numbers, it certainly seems like it. Users have low expectations when it comes to bad experiences.

They just want to get the job done and be on their way. They expect things to be clunky and frustrating. But when they have a positive experience, they are very vocal about it. They tell their friends about it and are willing to spend more money with the company. That’s why investing in UX design is a great idea.

Conclusion

The final step in the UX design process is to test the app or website. This is especially important if the designer created the app from scratch, but any app or website should be tested before being released to the public. Testing includes looking at the app or website and seeing if it “feels right”. The designer will also use analytics to see how long it takes users to complete certain tasks and if they make any mistakes. If there are any issues, the designer can go back and make the necessary changes before it is released. The designer can also apply what he or she learned in the testing process to the next project.