Post on 03-Aug-2015
The Business of UXAshley Wrobel MBASenior UX Manager @ Manifest Digital
Business of UX - Why This Matters Regardless of company type, digital projects always have a business team and a UX
representative(s) (whether they know it or not) A few companies value their “UX-ers” and treat their decisions as key, but most UX
practitioners don’t work in such an environment As projects progress past inception, rifts can happen between main teams:
- New Discoveries - Technology Improvements- Constraints- Alternative Solutions
Without people/teams to guide away from problems, projects get off track as rifts spread leading to:
- Budget Problems- Scope Creep- Key Business Stakeholders and “UX Practitioners” on Different Pages
Cancelled Projects, Frustrated Team Members, Wasted Resources, Little Overall or No Improvement to Experience, Loss of Future UX Work
Result
Overlap: Business & UX
Goals of Business & UX Key Business Goals:
- Increased revenue- Decreased costs- Increased New Business- Increased Shareholder Value- Brand recognition- Growth
User Experience (UX) Goals:Create strong or improved digital interactions and product perceptions based on an understanding of:
- User Values, Needs- User Abilities- User Limitations
Goals of Business & UX Unchecked Prioritization
of User Needs Leads to an Increased Drift Between User Needs and Business Goals
The Missing Component
A Business-Savvy UX Lead
A New UX Skill Set:• Help strategize early-on to identify potential
problems
• Identify & alleviate rifts before they happen
• Serve as a trusted point of contact for all
teams
• Be a central repository of project
information
• Be a resource for exploring potential
project paths when change happens
Becoming The Missing Component – Start Small
Show teams how to “connect the dots”• Create and Share Measureable Wireframe Goals
• When presenting, incorporate flows and diagrams often
“By updating the shopping cart page layout with clearer messaging and a cleaner interface to alleviate common errors, we estimate a decrease in shopping cart abandonment by 30%. This leads directly to the project goal of improved retention rates and customer satisfaction in the checkout process”
Help Identify Problems Before They Occur• Explore external areas that can improve experience and meet
business goals
• Identify gaps in business decisions
“Although the product page is the key focus of this project, making a few minor updates to the home page can increase discoverability of the new features by 50%”
Becoming The Missing Component – Start Small
Develop Your Soft Skills- Communication: Become one of the main communication points on your team
and, eventually, on the entire project. Alleviate any confusion points.
- Teamwork: Regularly work directly with business analysts, business integration
teams, marketing managers, designers, etc. to create stronger interactions
- Adaptability: As projects change, avoid taking things personally and instead,
lead the effort to suggest new ideas
- Conflict Resolution: As team members disagree or a solution cannot be
reached, be the champion to create pro and con lists and become a neutral
party
Becoming The Missing Component – Start Small
Turn Business Stakeholders into Advocates• Discover what leading business stakeholders need to be successful in their job
and provide it to them
• Schedule touch-bases and check-ins to stay on top of changes
Become a Leader• Create and maintain project details documents that drive efforts
• Focus on the tie-in of business and UX results in presentations and team
discussions
• Create guiding documents to illustrate UX value and visualize objectives
Becoming The Missing Component – Start Small
Tools
Ecommerce ProjectProject Summary: Adding New Shipping Methods Across an Ecomm Website
Page Template # Page Title
Customer/ Business Impact Value
Development Impact
Customer + Development Impact Order of Pages
1 Home 15% 2% 17.0% 32 Product Matrix Page 3% 0% 3.0% 93 Product Description Page 10% 5% 15.0% 44 Shopping Cart 25% 30% 55.0% 25 Checkout - Shipping/Delivery Info 25% 54% 79.0% 16 Checkout - Billing Info 2% 0% 2.0% 107 Checkout - Order Review 5% 5% 10.0% 58 Checkout - Order Confirmation 8% 0% 8.0% 69 Email Communication 2% 2% 4.0% 8
10 Customer Service Page 5% 2% 7.0% 7
Pro/Con Lists
Targeted Flow Diagrams
Spreadsheets
ToolsProject Ecosystem Maps
Baseline Value Mapping
Sitemapping
Tools
Becoming The Missing ComponentGet Big:
Update the siloed working structure and have UX lead
efforts to meet business goals
Start to Lead projects and re-create the traditional project
flow to focus on UX
Help create successful projects that allow UX to lead and
even create future projects
Business & UX - Why This Topic Should Matter To You
Avoid: Problems, Frustration, Wasted Resources, Negative Project
Aftermath & Loss of Future Work
Be More Effective: Add value, gain credibility, increase stakeholder satisfaction,
lead projects, and ultimately get more work
Other Helpful Resources
Presentation Resources http://www.smashingmagazine.com/201
1/09/13/the-s-m-a-r-t-user-experience-strategy/
http://disciullodesign.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/6-steps-for-measuring-success-on-ux-projects/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2011/11/22/how-to-boost-your-credibility-at-work/
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/establishing-credibility.html
http://uxmag.com/articles/communicating-the-ux-value-proposition
Communicating the UX Value Proposition
http://uxmag.com/articles/communicating-the-ux-value-proposition
Design is a Job (Book)
http://www.abookapart.com/products/design-is-a-job
Mapping Business Value to UX
http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2013/11/mappin g-business-value-to-ux-part-2.php
How Design & UX Translate to the Bottom Line
http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2013/11/23/how-design-and-user-experience-translates-to-the-bottom-line/